Ways to Support Female-Founded Businesses During COVID-19

Female Founders Fund
Female Founders Fund
5 min readMar 18, 2020
Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash

Many of you are looking for ways to help and support entrepreneurs during this time of uncertainty.

With this in mind, we at Female Founders Fund have compiled a list of female-founded businesses to support, as well as resources to lean on, as a guide for our community.

If there’s anything (or anyone) we missed, please let us know by tagging us on instagram @femalefoundersfund and twitter @fcubedvc.

Restaurant Industry

  • Now is a great time to buy a gift certificate to your favorite restaurants, bars, and coffee shops — or a new spot you’re excited to try. Check out www.helpmainstreet.com which launched today to support your local businesses with over 20K listings.
  • Order takeout: here’s a list of female-founded restaurants in NYC. If possible, tip your delivery person extra — ideally in cash (even better if you can leave for them 6 ft. away or hand to them in gloves).
  • Share the love online: leave a positive Yelp or Google review for your favorite neighborhood spots!

Meals at Home

  • The Culinistas are committed to making their home-cooking and catering services as safe and accessible as possible, and are still operating in NYC, the Hamptons, and LA.
  • Order food for your little ones via Little Spoon or Tiny Organics.
  • Just realizing you don’t have the cookware needed to WFH over the next few weeks? Order new supplies on Material Kitchen.
  • Switch out your coffee for matcha: use code MATCHAFULATHOME for 20% off at Matchaful.
  • Need to stock up on more snacks? Lupii is donating 20% of their online proceeds⁠ to Food Bank For NYC.
  • Sakara Life is offering 20% off all meal delivery programs for the next 4 weeks with the code: SAKARAIMMUNITY.
  • Support your local liquor stores: order supplies for DIY quarantinis via Minibar. For those looking for non alcoholic alternatives: check out Kin Euphoric’s “Dreamscape” for a relaxing nightcap or “Spritz” for a post-work drink.
  • Brighten your day with some sweets: Milkbar is delivering via Uber Eats (free delivery!) and shipping care packages overnight.

Fitness Studios & Gyms

  • Support instructors without a physical place to teach right now. The Class by Taryn Toomey, Obé fitness, Harlem Yoga Studio, Modo Yoga, The Well, and many more are teaching remote classes. Check out our full list here — we will continue to update as more offerings develop.
  • MNDFL is offering donation-based IG live sessions so you can meditate with your favorite teachers as they prepare to livestream their classes this week. Donations will go towards supporting their staff during this uncertain time.
  • Matchaful is hosting daily 10-minute meditations, mindfulness, and movement sessions from their community members on their IGTV.
  • Share the love online: now is a great time to leave a positive Yelp or Google review for a studio you frequent!

Send Love from Afar

  • Anyone can shop on Zola to buy a gift to send to anyone else via their site, or you can also shop for yourself :)
  • Send your loved ones curated care packages: Check out Gathering Us, or use code “ANYWAY” for 20% off at Small Packages.
  • Flowers: We love Farmgirl Flowers and Fox Fodder Farm.
  • CBD/Anxiety relief: Fleur Marche who is donating 1% of all sales to causes providing support to COVID-19. Also check out Equilibria Women & Beboe
  • Health & Wellness: Golde.co is offering free shipping, and Daily Harvest has doubled up on their inventory so you can order smoothies & soups!

Support Healthcare Workers

  • Figs is creating innovative, comfortable and functional medical apparel for our heroic nurses, doctors, and medical professionals on the front lines right now.
  • Order quick & easy to brew coffee through Dripkit! There is also an option to donate to healthcare professionals through their website.

Entertain Your Kids

  • Sawyer just launched hundreds of online classes, from music to yoga to coding and tutoring
  • Check out Nook’s Play at Home for ideas of fun things to do with your kids
  • The Wonder is bringing the magic of play and imagination to their digital space — stay updated by subscribing to their “Wonder Daily” newsletter
  • Take a break to order and bake some Sweet Loren’s cookies!
  • No better time to start a puzzle: shop beautiful options at Jiggy Puzzles

Stay Healthy

  • Schedule a virtual appointment with a Maven Clinic practitioner here, and check out their Coronavirus resources here
  • Parsley Health is offering the first month of a Parsley membership for free
  • Shine Text partnered with Mental Health America to provide free resources to help manage anxiety around Coronavirus: virusanxiety.com
  • Stress and isolation can be triggering, and you don’t have to cope alone. For those practicing sobriety, check out Tempest’s resources here
  • Join a community app like Squad to make friends & meet people virtually, or Peanut if you’re a mom looking to connect with other moms.
  • Sign up for a digital event at The Wing, or join Kin Euphorics every Wednesday at 7/6c for live entertainment (think comedic sing-alongs , virtual dance parties, musical performances, and more)
  • Elektra Health is offering free remote care with Elektra MDs for support for common hormonal health & gynecological needs.
  • If you’re in the process of family planning and stressed/confused about doing this “alone”, you can schedule a fertility consultation with Kindbody or attend their Fertility 101 Virtual Webinar.
  • For those expecting at this challenging time, visit June Motherhood for free virtual childbirth education courses.

Shop Small (Online)

  • Search women-owned businesses in your area here. For more ideas, check out Female Founder Collective’s instagram story here for their community nominations (saved to their highlights under #FFCsupports)
  • If you’re not shopping for your usual items, consider purchasing from stores that sell items to pass the time (games, books, art supplies), and stores selling cozy at-home clothing or accessories. Purchase gift cards if you can’t find anything you love right now.
  • Think ahead! Now is a great time to buy gifts for weddings, birthdays, showers, graduations from small local boutiques with online stores instead of large retailers.
  • Promote your favorite women-owned businesses on social media (tag us @femalefoundersfund so we can share!), and leave them reviews online.

Other Service-Based Businesses

  • Buy a gift card or pre-pay for a future beauty service (nails, hair, massage/facial, etc).
  • Continue paying those who provide you with services in your house (cleaning people / services, nannies / childcare services, dog walkers, etc.) if you can afford to.
  • Send your laundry out for wash & fold if you can afford to.

Support Your Community

(*not necessarily female founded)

What did we miss? Share which female-owned businesses you’re supporting right now — and how — by tagging us on instagram @femalefoundersfund and twitter @fcubedvc.

Free

Distraction-free reading. No ads.

Organize your knowledge with lists and highlights.

Tell your story. Find your audience.

Membership

Read member-only stories

Support writers you read most

Earn money for your writing

Listen to audio narrations

Read offline with the Medium app

Published in Female Founders Fund

News about female founders and women in VC from a seed-stage fund that invests in the exponential power of exceptional female talent.

Written by Female Founders Fund

An early-stage fund investing in the exponential power of exceptional female talent.

Responses (1)

What are your thoughts?