Poise® Bounce Back Grants is a grant program by Poise® Brand to award thirty (30) individual grants of $15,000 and twenty (20) individual microgrants of $2,500 to help female entrepreneurs bounce back from financial hardships they’ve experienced as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic..
The Little Milk Bar, Alex Elle and Base Butter are exemplary female entrepreneurs with business offerings that challenge the status quo and aim to uplift women, which is why Poise has already granted them, along with seven (7) other small businesses, $15,000 Bounce Back Grants. Remaining grant recipients will be announced in September and October 2020.
What is the Program Timeline?
Applications for the $15,000 grants are now closed.
Grant Recipients Notified ($15,000 grants):
September 2020
To submit an application for a microgrant, you must have registered and attended a virtual workshop hosted by The MOMS during the month of August.
Microgrant Application Period Begins:
September 14, 2020, 7:00 a.m. ET
Microgrant Application Period Ends:
September 28, 2020, 11:59 p.m. ET
Microgrant Recipients Notified ($2,500 grants):
October 2020
How Many Grant Recipients Are There?
There are thirty (30) total recipients of the Poise® Bounce Back Grants at $15,000 each and twenty (20) total recipients of the Poise® Bounce Back Grants at $2,500 each.
How Are Grant Recipients Selected?
Eligible applications for the $15,000 grants are reviewed by Poise® Brand and its representatives based on the core criteria below:
Business offerings that challenge societal norms or stigmas and/or have a strong connection to moms and/or motherhood;
Demonstrates a passion for female empowerment;
Demonstrates a need based on the impact of COVID-19; and
Energy, enthusiasm, creativity and passion for your business
Recipients for the $2,500 grants will be selected in a random drawing from all eligible entries received.
How did you select the first 10 businesses?
The first ten (10) female-owned small businesses were pre-selected due to their outstanding efforts to challenge the status quo and uplift women with their business models, along with demonstrating a need based on the impact COVID-19 has had on their business.
Who May Apply for the Grant?
Applications for the $15,000 grants are now closed. To submit an application for the microgrant, you must have registered and attended a virtual workshop hosted by The MOMS during the month of August.
Of those that attended a virtual workshop, any for-profit only woman-owned small business based in the U.S., whose business leaders and/or business offerings challenge societal norms or stigmas and/or have a strong connection to moms and/or motherhood, employ less than five hundred (500) year round full-time employees and meets the criteria set forth in the Official Rules may apply.
Is a Non-Profit Eligible for this Grant?
This Grant Program is for “for-profit” businesses only.
Is an online-only business eligible for the Grant?
Yes, as long as your business meets the criteria set forth in the Official Rules.
What is the Deadline for Submitting the Application?
To submit an application for a microgrant, you must have registered and attended a virtual workshop hosted by The MOMS during the month of August.
Microgrant Application Period Begins:
September 14, 2020, 7:00 a.m. ET
Microgrant Application Period Ends:
September 28, 2020, 11:59 p.m. ET
Microgrant Recipients Notified ($2,500 grants):
October 2020
Where do I go if I have questions or experience technical difficulties?
Please email [email protected] for more information or questions regarding Poise® Bounce Back Grants
Poise® Bounce Back Grants
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO PARTICIPATE
Kimberly Clark’s Poise® Brand is not responsible for any costs incurred by you or your small business in connection with the Program.
BOUNCE BACK GRANTS PROGRAM RULES
Bounce Back Grants is an effort by Kimberly Clark’s Poise® Brand (“Poise”) to support small women-owned businesses that are experiencing COVID-19-related through funding and exposure. As evidence of the commitment to empowering women and shattering stigmas in all aspects of life, Poise will provide relief funds designed to enable an eligible established for-profit small woman-owned business to use the Grant (defined below) to continue operating amidst decreased profits stemming from COVID-19 shelter in place laws. Poise has designated $300,000 to be awarded to twenty (20) Small Business (“Grant Recipient(s)”), each Grant Recipient selected in accordance with these Program Rules to receive $15,000 (“Grant”) (the “Program”).
These rules (“Program Rules”) govern the Program and set forth the terms and conditions between Poise and the applying small businesses. Details about the Program are available at https://www.poise.com/en-us/bounce-back-grant (the “Program Website”). For purposes of these Program Rules, the term “Small Business” refers to an owner and/or a small business entrant. The term “Content” or “content” shall mean any data or information of any kind provided by the Small Business to Poise through the Program Website or otherwise related to the Program including, without limitation, any account, business profile, or application information including any personal information contained therein.
The Grant must be used in support of the business plan described in the Small Business’s Grant Application (as defined below) and in alignment with these Program Rules. Grant Recipients will be required to permit Poise to use their name and likeness in any and all media, press materials, websites, photos, videos and any collateral materials developed for any purpose. For all general inquiries about the Program visit the Program Website at https://www.poise.com/en-us/bounce-back-grant or contact Poise via email at [email protected].
1. Program Period: The Poise® Bounce Back Grants Program (“Program”) begins at 7:00 a.m. Eastern Time (“ET”) May 28, 2020 and ends at 11:59 p.m. ET on June 30, 2020 (“Program Period”).
2. To Enter: Visit https://www.poise.com/en-us/bounce-back-grant any time during the Program Period and follow the directions to complete and submit your entry, including the seventeen (17) question Grant Application. Entries must be complete to be eligible. Limit one (1) entry per business. To be eligible, a business must satisfy the eligibility requirements set forth in Section 4. and comply with these Official Rules. Entering invalid business information or multiple entries will result in Program disqualification. Entries must be submitted and received by 11:59 p.m. ET on June 30, 2020. Entrants are responsible for determining the corresponding time zone in their respective location for entry. All submitted entries become the property of Kimberly-Clark Corporation (“Sponsor”), and may not be acknowledged or returned. By submitting an entry, entrants hereby agree to these Official Rules. Sponsor reserves the right to publicize any submitted entries in full or in part. Publication of an entry is not intended to indicate that the entry has been selected as a prize winner or is favored in any way.
Sponsor reserves the right to publicize any submitted entries in full or in part. For clarity, by submitting an entry, entrant grants Sponsor a non-exclusive, irrevocable, worldwide, perpetual, and royalty-free, sub-licensable, transferable right to exploit the copyright in the entry and any and all ancillary rights therein in any and all media now known or hereafter devised including, without limitation, the right to use, publish, distribute, copy, edit, adapt, and perform your entry or any elements thereof (including any supplemental information or materials provided by you in connection with the Program, such as the names and likeness of you or any team members (defined below)) online, in print, or in any other format, for any commercial or noncommercial purposes (e.g., marketing; advertising or native advertising; promotion; editorial coverage), whether related or unrelated to the Program, and whether or not you are selected as a Grant recipient. Publication of an entry is not intended to indicate that the entry has been selected as a Grant recipient or is favored in any way.
3. Entry Conditions: Sponsor is under no obligation to use your entry in any manner and use of your entry is not indicative of whether you are entitled to any Grant Award. Sponsor is not responsible for any unauthorized use of your entry by a third party. Sponsor may use third-party platforms including, but not limited to, social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, to promote the Program and/or your entry. You acknowledge that no such promotions featured on the social media channels of Poise, or other assets owned, controlled, or engaged by such parties, are sponsored, endorsed, or administered by, or associated with any such social media sites, and hereby release such social media sites from any and all matters relating to the Program. You acknowledge and agree that your participation in the Program and/or potential selection as a Grant recipient will not constitute a sponsorship or endorsement of you or your business by Sponsor or Administrator. Participants may be requested to participate in media training, opportunistic media interviews, photo and/or video opportunities and social media platforms to promote the Program, and may be subject to up to two check-ins by Sponsor within the text two years to provide photos and written updates on how the Program Grant Award has helped your business.
4. Eligibility: Program is open to women-owned businesses that are (1) independently owned and operated; (2) have a principal place of business in the United States; (3) are organized for profit; (4) have no more than five hundred (500) employees; and (5) do not occupy a substantial national market share in its industry. Receipt or expected receipt of SBA funding or being or having a high-profile association with a political or religious cause or organization may disqualify your business from the Program. Multi-level Marketing (MLM) businesses are not eligible. Entrant must be the business owner and a legal resident of the U.S., eighteen (18) years of age or older. Entries submitted by non-owners will be subject to disqualification. Void where restricted or prohibited by law or regulation. Not open to employees and their families (spouses, parents, children/siblings and their respective spouses, and those living in the same household) of Kimberly-Clark Corporation and their affiliates, subsidiaries, promotion partners, advertising and production agencies, and PROMOSIS, INC. (“Independent Judging Organization”). All Federal, State, and local laws and regulations apply.
Additional Eligibility Guidelines: the participating business’s leaders and/or business offerings should challenge societal norms or stigmas, and/or have a strong connection to mothers and/or motherhood, as well as exemplify the following criteria:
Business and/or business’s leaders demonstrate a passion for female empowerment
Business and/or business’s leaders encourage women to confront and/or challenge social stigmas
Business and/or business’s leaders advocate for inclusivity among marginalized groups
Business’s offerings help, inspire, encourage and/or uplift women navigating the challenges of everyday life
Business’s offerings help, inspire, encourage and/or uplift moms navigating different phases of parenthood including but not limited to pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum and/or new motherhood
Business must articulate how Covid-19 has impacted the overall health and/or functionality of the business
Business must be actively working to pivot their efforts in response to Covid-19
Business must articulate how Grant funds would be used to support operations while navigating the impact of Covid-19
5. Entry Guidelines: All entries must adhere to the guidelines outlined below. Any incomplete entries or those that do not comply with these Official Rules may be disqualified at Sponsor’s sole discretion.
a. Submitted entry must be complete with answers to all seventeen (17) questions. Essay question answers may not exceed 300 words each. Responses exceeding 300 words may be disqualified.
b. Entry may not depict, include, or require the rights or permission of any individuals, except for yourself and your team members, defined as any partners, co-founders, co-owners, employees, collaborators, or other members involved in your business whose authorization or consent may be required by you to enter the Program on behalf of your business. Before submitting an entry, you must confirm with each team member (if any) that such team member has: (1) read and agreed to abide by these Official Rules; (2) authorized you to submit your entry into the Program on behalf of your business; and (3) if applicable, authorized the inclusion in your entry of their name and/or other traits or depictions. Written confirmation of the foregoing may be requested or required, should your business be determined a Grant Award recipient.
c. Entry must be original and not based on any other material or source (except those for which you have obtained all necessary rights in writing), unpublished prior to entering, conceived and created entirely by you, and not previously or currently submitted for consideration in any other program. Modifying, enhancing, or altering a third party’s preexisting work does not qualify as an original creation.
d. By submitting an entry, you represent and warrant to Sponsor that: (1) you are the sole creator and owner of all right, title, and interest in and to the content submitted by you in your entry; and (2) no content submitted by you hereunder will (i) be false or inaccurate, defamatory, disparaging, inappropriate, obscene, objectionable, lewd, lascivious, scandalous, offensive, political, fabricated, or promote, depict, or endorse any activities or products that illegal drugs, or weapons of any kind, or which may be unsafe, dangerous, illegal, contain nudity, inconsistent with the positive goodwill associated with Sponsor, or otherwise in poor taste, in Sponsor’s sole opinion, (ii) violate the rights of privacy, intellectual property or any other rights of any person or entity (including any team members), (iii) misappropriate any trade secret, (iv) disclose any confidential information of any third party, (v) depict any person who is considered a minor in the jurisdiction in which he/she resides without the written permission of such minor’s parent or guardian, (vi) contain copyrights or trademarks owned by a third party (except to reference Sponsor or Sponsor’s products), or (vii) violate any applicable laws, rules, or regulations. You further represent and warrant that the business represented in your entry is in good legal standing and neither you, your team members, nor your business have any actual, pending, or anticipated adverse legal actions, proceedings, claims, or judgments against you. You will indemnify and hold harmless the Sponsor and their affiliates, subsidiaries, promotion partners, advertising and production agencies, and Administrator from and against any claims arising from or relating to your breach of your representations and warranties herein or the use of your entry by Sponsor as provided herein.
e. Each entrant acknowledges that other entrants may have used ideas and/or concepts in entrant’s entry that may be similar in idea or concept to what is included in entrant’s entry. Each entrant understands and agrees that entrant shall not have any claim against any other entrant or Sponsor arising out any such similarity or be entitled to any compensation because of any such similarity. Sponsor’s decisions are final and binding in all matters relating to this Program, including, but not limited to, interpretation and application of these Official Rules. By entering the Program, entrants fully and unconditionally agree to be bound by these rules and the decisions of the judges, which will be final and binding in all matters relating to the Program.
6. Judging Criteria: All entries will be judged on the following criteria, with equal weight given to each, in all rounds of judging (“Judging Criteria”):
i. overall quality, creativity, and completeness of entry
ii. how well the entry illustrates how your business challenges societal norms or stigmas and/or has a strong connection to mothers and/or motherhood
iii. appropriateness of the entry to be used in connection with the Poise brand
Sponsor reserves the right in its sole discretion to declare non-qualified entries (those that are plagiarized, created under false pretenses or with false statements, show obvious lack of effort, contain incomplete, inapplicable, or inappropriate content, etc. or do not comply with these Official Rules) ineligible.
7. Program Judging and Grant Recipient Notification: Beginning approximately on June 22, 2020, entries will be screened by the Independent Judging Organization for eligibility compliance. Judging by will take place approximately between June 30-July 13, 2020 to determine not more than twenty (20) Program Grant recipients, based on review of entries and the established Judging Criteria listed above. Judging will be conducted by a panel comprised of Sponsor’s marketing department and communications agency partner. Sponsor’s and Independent Judging Organization’s procedures and decisions in all matters relating to this Program are final. In the event of a tie in judging, the tied entries will be re-judged by an additional judge using the identical criteria until the Grant recipients are determined. Sponsor reserves the right to designate fewer than twenty (20) Grant recipients, if the Program does not receive a sufficient number of eligible and qualified entries, as determined by Sponsor at their sole discretion. Potential Grant recipients will be notified via email from PROMOSIS, INC. by or before July 14, 2020, and will be required to sign and properly execute Grant Agreement documents (collectively, “Grant Agreements”) and return them to Sponsor or its designee within five (5) business days of receipt. The Grant Agreement includes, but is not limited to: (1) an Agreement and Release; (2) Affidavit of Eligibility and Liability Release and Declaration of Compliance; where legal, a Publicity Release (collectively the "Affidavit"); (3) a Background Check Authorization Form; (4) a Grant Agreement; (5) NDA; and (6) affirmation of the Small Business’s employer identification number or your taxpayer identification number (as applicable) for tax reporting purposes to the Internal Revenue Service, as required by law. Sponsor may request other documents, as it deems necessary. Potential Grant recipients may be subject to a full background check and credit check by Sponsor. Any entry or entrant that is determined to be invalid or ineligible according to the judging criteria and eligibility requirements will be disqualified. Failure to return the Grant Agreement in the time designated by Sponsor, return of Grant notification as undeliverable, or noncompliance with these Official Rules may result in disqualification and/or removal from the Program. In the event of disqualification and/or removal from the Program, Sponsor shall have no further obligation to that potential Grant recipient, and the entry that received the next-highest score from the judging panel will be deemed the Grant recipient, pending verification. Receiving a Grant is contingent upon fulfilling all requirements of these Official Rules. Grant recipients will be determined by or before July 14, 2020,
8. Grant Awards: Up to twenty (20) Cash Grants: each a $15,000 cash grant (“Grant”). Grant may not be transferred, in whole or in part. Grant recipient businesses are responsible for all applicable federal, state, or local taxes on the value of the Grant, and will be issued an IRS 1099-MISC tax form. No more than the stated number of Grants will be awarded. All unspecified expenses are the responsibility of Grant recipients.
9. Limitation of Liability: By participating, entrants and Grant recipients agree to release and hold harmless Sponsor, Administrator and their advertising and promotion agencies and partners and their respective parent companies, subsidiaries, affiliates, partners, representatives, agents, successors, assigns, employees, officers and directors (collectively, “Released Entities”), from any and all liability, for loss, harm, damage, injury, cost or expense whatsoever including without limitation, property damage, personal injury and/or death which may occur in connection with, preparation for, travel to, or participation in Program, or possession, acceptance and/or use or misuse of Grant or participation in any Program-related activity and for any claims based on publicity rights, defamation, invasion of privacy, copyright infringement, trademark infringement or any other intellectual property-related cause of action. Released Entities are not responsible for typographical errors in any Program-related materials, or for any individual's inability to enter the Program, including but not limited to unavailable network, server, or other connections; failed software or hardware transmissions; other errors of any kind, whether human, mechanical, or electronic, including lost, late, incomplete, damaged, or misdirected entries; or for any damage to any computer related to or resulting from participation. Multiple entries and those generated by script, macro, or other automated entry devices are not valid and will be disqualified. Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to cancel, terminate, modify, extend or suspend this Program should (in its sole discretion) virus, bugs, non-authorized human intervention, fraud, epidemics, or other causes beyond its control corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness or proper conduct of the Program. In such case, Sponsor will select the Grant recipients from all eligible entries received prior to and/or after (if appropriate) the action taken by Sponsor unless otherwise indicated by Sponsor.
10. Dispute Resolution: THIS PROGRAM IS GOVERNED BY THE LAWS OF THE UNITED STATES AND THE COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS, WITHOUT RESPECT TO CONFLICT OF LAW DOCTRINES. As a condition of participating in this Program, participant agrees that any and all disputes which cannot be resolved between the parties, and causes of action arising out of or connected with this Program, shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action, exclusively before a court located in Massachusetts having jurisdiction. Further, in any such dispute, under no circumstances will participant be permitted to obtain awards for, and hereby waives all rights to claim punitive, incidental, or consequential damages, including reasonable attorneys' fees, other than participants' actual out-of-pocket expenses (i.e. costs associated with entering this Program), and participant further waives all rights to have damages multiplied or increased.
11. Grant Recipients List: to obtain the list of Grant recipients, available until September 19, 2020, send a standard-size postcard, only, with your name and address to: Poise Bounce Back Grants Program, PO Box 38, Marblehead, MA. Do not send any other correspondence to this address.
12. Use of Data. Sponsor will be collecting personal data about entrants online, in accordance with its privacy policy. Please review the Sponsor’s privacy policy at:
https://www.kimberly-clark.com/en/privacy. By participating in the Program, entrants hereby agree to Sponsor’s collection and usage of their personal information and acknowledge that they have read and accepted Sponsor’s privacy policy.