Congratulations to Holly Brown Bear for being one of the twenty entrepreneurs to receive IWEF funding this year. She is a good example of where hard work and determination can take you. Going into her second year of college, she has already successfully landed a position as a Commercial Re-toucher and Photo Editor for Chris Griffiths at Bang-On Photography.

“As someone in the early stages of starting my business I have found the funds very useful. So far, I have been able to use them towards the purchase of a website and domain to begin to build my shop online. I was also able to make the trip to the Pow Wow pitch with the help of the grant where I placed in the top ten,” explained Holly Brown Bear. “Next step now that I have settled on it is to officially claim my name so that I can have a stronger brand for my products and services.”

CCAB’s Indigenous Women Entrepreneurship Fund 2023 was presented by LNG Canada with a contribution from Paper Excellence. The fund is open to Indigenous women-owned businesses that have encountered systemic barriers to lending relationships. The fund is administered through CCAB’s Tools and Financing for Aboriginal Business (TFAB) program to enhance Aboriginal entrepreneurship through providing access to development and networks.

Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business (CCAB) builds bridges between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples, businesses, and communities through diverse programming providing tools, training, network building, major business awards, and national events. By building relationships, CCAB helps to foster an equitable and sustainable economy across Canada.