Abstract
Research report for The Urban Institute through funding from the Ewing M. Kauffman Foundation. Capital access programs and funds for women starting and expanding their businesses have grown dramatically over the past decade. These programs cover the spectrum from microenterprise to venture capital funds and serve highly diverse populations, from women on public assistance seeking a grant of a few hundred dollars to start a small or home-based enterprise to women seeking investments of a hundred million dollars to advance the frontiers of biotechnology. How have these programs fared? What do we know about “best practice” programs? What have these programs learned about overcoming constraints and what barriers remain?