🥁And the winner is...

After hours of judging, pitching, and almost 2000 votes, we are thrilled to announce our 2024 High Five Grant for Moms is...

Congratulations to Lindsay Housman & Hettas!

Lindsay will receive $10,000 USD and 20 hours/week of professional services from Kajae for six months to help her on her quest to build a better running shoe for women. She'll also receive a ticket and $1,000 travel voucher for The Mama Ladder's 100 Grand Plan Workshop in February 2025.

“Hettas may look like a big company,” she says, “but we are an extremely bootstrapped operation. It’s still me, my family, and my friends working to make it all happen. This grant, and the services from Kajae (which I am SO excited about), will provided the capital, support, and momentum we need to reach our future goals.”

“I’m so grateful to be part of this community,” she adds.

First runner-up Sarah Banwart (Vee’s Freeze-Dried Treats) opened her business this summer at 35 weeks pregnant. She saw a post about the High Five Grant at the end of July and set a goal to hit $10,000 in revenue by September 1 so her company would be able to apply.

On August 31, she hit met her goal! She applied for the grant September 1, and a few short days later delivered her first baby. As a military spouse with a husband who just deployed, her grit and determination are inspiring! Sarah also donates a percentage of her profits to mental health organizations as a way of honoring the medical professionals who helped her through a serious mental health crisis in 2016.

Sarah plans to use the grant to purchase more freeze dryers and increase her production by nearly 30%.

Second runner-up Sarah Weihman (Paradis Sport) is thrilled to be using her background as principal in her own architecture firm to bring women’s active underwear to the next level of performance. Her knowledge of new fiber technology and design best practices have led her to create an award-winning product that has been fit-tested by hundreds of elite athletes and other active women.

“This has been a very validating experience,” she says. “I’m so excited to be able to use this grant to pay some of our ambassadors in something besides free underwear! Many of them are moms trying to make their professional athletic dreams come true, so the ripple effect this will have on other mom entrepreneurs is awesome.”

We are incredibly proud of our five honorable mention finalists. Each one of them has a powerfully unique story, incredible ambition, and the skill to make their dreams a reality. They are each doing BIG things to make the world:

• More inclusive - Check out Lorraine’s movement to make travel accessible for families with mobility and cognitive disabilities at Becoming rentABLE. Her partnership with Arkansas State Parks is a game changer!

• Healthier & happier - Cat’s work at Mama Flow Studio has and will continue to help hundreds of women successfully navigate their perinatal journey.

• More connected - With MK Adoption Services Marquita and Khandy are filling a crucial gap by providing support services to adoptive families that go beyond home visits and background checks.

• Sustainable - Jennifer and Laura are going to revolutionize the pet toy industry with The Kind Pet, their all-organic, 100% plastic-free, compostable pet toys that better for pets and the planet. They also use their platform to promote other eco-friendly pet products.

• Small business-friendly - At Valor Payroll Solutions, Christina is leveraging her understanding of payroll law and business best practices to help other companies be better employers. She lives her ethos by donating significant amounts of time and money to her local community.

We are so grateful to and proud of EVERYONE who applied for this year's grant. It's not an exaggeration to say each of you has inspired us to work harder, reach higher, and dream bigger.
Let's keep going together!