Applicants must:

• Identify as transgender, nonbinary, gender-expansive, or otherwise gender diverse

• Be a current New Jersey resident

• Operate (or plan to operate) their business in New Jersey

Applicants are not eligible if they:

• Are not T+ or do not reside in New Jersey

• Operate a business not located in NJ

• Do not own at least 51% of the business

• Are applying on behalf of a nonprofit, franchise, or large company

• Have more than 5 paid employees

• Have major external funding sources

• Are applying within 12 months of a previous Rising STAR award

• Are seeking funds for illegal or unlicensed activity

• Are seeking funds for personal needs such as medical, childcare, etc. 

If your application is chosen for funding, TEC will contact you only through an official email address:

I.E: contact@transequitycoalition.org

We will not contact grantees from a personal email, or any address not ending in @transequitycoalition.org. This is to protect applicants from scams, impersonation, or unauthorized communication.

Once contacted, we will request the information needed to distribute your microgrant.

Microgrants will be disbursed directly to your business banking account, when possible.

If you do not yet have a business bank account, we can send the funds to your personal account, but we will need the exact legal name associated with that account for verification and security.

No other financial information beyond what is necessary to process the payment will be required.

If your application is not chosen for funding, you will be placed on a waitlist for the next round. You do not need to apply again.

There will be 4 grant cycles in total.

Rising STAR is designed as a low-barrier, affirming, and trauma-aware microgrant program for T+ entrepreneurs in New Jersey. Our goal is to support both brand-new entrepreneurs and those who are already operating, while prioritizing those who face greater systemic barriers to accessing capital. 

Applications are reviewed by a small committee of TEC’s T+ volunteers representing diverse identities, lived experiences, and areas of expertise. Reviewers use a standardized scoring rubric to ensure consistency and fairness.