A new grant from Forward Financing has launched a Back the Builders Grant Program. The FinTech firm is giving three $10,000 awards, with a special focus on AI adoption.
Forward Financing, which is based in Boston, offers loans to kickstart SMEs and in return will received a portion of the company’s future profits. The winners of the grant will be invited to attend the Back the Builders awards on 22 January 2027.
Many small business struggle with getting to grips with AI, and this $10,000 fund could meet the cost of getting automation tools in place. Other ways in which the money could be used is in training staff in how to utilise AI in everyday work and to complete everyday tasks, freeing up their time. Or in purchasing tokens for Claude or ChatGPT.
Forward Financing has provided more than $5.7bn to more than 100,000 small business across the United States. This new grant is one of the first aimed specifically at corporate responsibility work.
“Most small business owners don’t get much applause. They open early, close late, cover the shift when someone calls out, and plan next quarter while running this one. The work that holds a business and a neighbourhood together rarely gets noticed,” said a Forward Financing spokesperson.
Two Forward Financing leaders were named finalists for the 2026 US Women in Finance Awards. Shannon Braley, chief people officer has built new programmes to grow top talent. Andrea Fiederer, chief marketing and customer officer has almost doubled her team, enhancing the company’s focus on customer experience and growth.
Forward Financing grants for women
There are further grants available such as the Community Builder Grant which aims to help business owners who hire locally or fill a niche in local services. For female business owners, the She Builds Grant in the US as well as worldwide, providing support for women entrepreneurs and funding.
In the UK, the Niyo She Builds, provides 100 subsidised places to train women in cybersecurity and AI adoption. The12-week AI accelerator for women is led by expert tutors, with live briefings to assist in creating real business ventures.
According to the UK AI Labour Market Survey 2025, one in five AI roles in the UK is held by a woman. The She Builds programme aims at redressing the balance.
She Builds Asia hosts innovation hubs to connect women business owners and conferences. The True Digital Park in Bangkok informs on funding access, women leadership and scaling up businesses.
