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Boma Grant Program

 

Apply Now

Our grant application is open enrolling new designers. Email our team at hello@bomajewelry.com for more information.


About the Program

In 2020, Boma launched our first grant program for Black jewelry designers. We are currently In our third year of the program and continue to provide grants for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous People of Color) jewelry designers as we recognize that both mentorship and access to established supply chain resources are limited.


Our Commitment

Every year we accept grant applications during the spring. Our grant program is open and available to all BIPOC jewelry designers to apply. Each recipient is awarded $500 for sampling and production, using Boma’s manufacturing resources. In addition, Boma provides a 3-month dedicated mentorship program and ongoing support for our grant winners.


Goals

By working with independent jewelry designers, Boma will learn the greatest barriers they face so we can work on creating more access and value as a vertical supply chain. By taking this stance on diversity, equity, and inclusion within our company, we hope to create more opportunities, awareness, and access for BIPOC designers.


How to Apply for the Program

The Boma Grant Program opens its application process every February 1st. Our grant program is open to all BIPOC designers, creative directors and entrepreneurs. Selected grantees will be contacted by email for interviews in March and winners will be selected by April 1st.


Frequently Asked Questions FAQs:


How much is the grant value? Our grant program will provide selected applicants $500 each worth of sample production resources.


Who can apply? All BIPOC jewelry designers, creative directors or entrepreneurs. This grant is not a cash grant but a product and mentorship grant. 


Who is this grant created for? This grant will be most beneficial to designers who already have an established jewelry brand or products. This grant is for applicants who are looking to grow their business and would like to learn how to work with a production partner in order to do so. 


If I applied for the grant program in the past can I apply again? Yes of course. Please make sure that your new application includes the most recent information about your company.


When will the winners be announced? The winners will be notified by email approximately 4-6 weeks after we have had a chance to review all applicants.


How to apply? We open our application process during the month of February and the next application process will open on February 1, 2023. For questions please email us at hello@bomajewelry.com.


Past Grantees

Through our grant program, Boma has had the chance to mentor the following BIPOC designers. Read more about their Founders and companies.

  • Jade Hibbert
  • Gwen Beloti
  • Kassandra Gordon Lauren
  • Etiti Ayeni
  • Nashira Arno

Jade Hibbert | Founder of Jwllry by Jade

In 2014, Jade's journey began with a vision. To create a mindful and meaningful jewelry brand that embraces modern individuality through jewelry. Jade's first role as a workshop technician led her to work in a number of bespoke workshops around Hertfordshire, learning traditional bench skills that would later be the foundation for her brand Jwllry by Jade.


Jade draws inspiration from the Art Deco era partnered with a modern simple concept of 'easy to wear' jewelry that encourages the individual to dress with essential, long-lasting pieces. Jade's work has been featured in Glamour magazine, Gem-A magazine and has clients in the UK,  America and Taiwan. Jade also teaches ring workshops to Bedford College students and hosts wedding ring workshops for clients looking for unique and bespoke bridal jewelry.


Website: www.jwllrybyjade.com

Instagram: @jwllrybyjade



Gwen Beloti | Founder of Gwen Beloti Collection

Gwen Beloti collection launched in 2019 with a mission to offer their clients styles that were accessible and luxe. Today Gwen Beloti specializes on gold jewelry for everyday. The Gwen Beloti Collection has been featured on USA Today, Fashionista and Good Day New York. 


On the benefits of the Boma BIPOC Grant Program:

"I could have never imagined the impact that this grant opportunity would have on my business. The financial component was great but I was most excited about the learning opportunities and the connections that would be made.  As a small business owner,  woman owned, and black owned, access can be one of the biggest barriers.  Since working with BOMA I have been in direct communication with their team and their manufacturing facilities.  I produced my latest collection with them and this year will debut it and officially launch my jewelry company.  Though we've been designing jewelry for a few years now, when your resources are limited you can sometimes inadequate.  With the knowledge and experience I've gained as a result of working with BOMA I'm so much more confident about the wealth of opportunity that awaits my brand and company."


Website: www.gwenbeloti.com

Instagram: @gwenbeloti



Kassandra Lauren Gordon | Founder of KLG Jewellery and the Black Jewellers Network:

Kassandra is an ethical jewellery designer maker who studied jewellery manufacture and design in Hatton Gardens (the UK’s biggest jewellery district). Her work has been featured in Vogue, Forbes, The Times and The Huffington Post. She is also the founder of the Black Jewellers Network.


On the benefits of the Boma BIPOC Grant Program:

"Working with Boma over the last few months has been life-saving. I was in a bad place about to give up in the jewellery trade dues to the barriers in the trade. Talking to someone about business strategy and production has been very valuable to me. I have learnt a lot and feel I am building a better sustainable business."


Website: www.klgjewellery.com

Instagram: klgjewellery and blackjewellersnetwork



Etiti Ayeni | Founder of Eluke

Founded by metalsmith, textile artist and recycling enthusiast, Etiti Ayeni, ELUKE is a statement accessory company based in Chicago and crafts afro-eclectic adornments that transcend the ordinary and invite its passengers on a colorful journey.


ELUKE gains its visual inspiration from Etiti’s Nigerian and American Gullah/Geechee culture. The creator considers herself a nomad - a passenger of life that embraces color, beauty, innovation and equity - and through artistry, aims to promote both cultures in a manner that uplifts, educates, and delights.


Favoring slow-paced production and intentional sourcing, ELUKE pairs unique, tactile objects like fabric, clay, beads, leather and stones along with metals to create harmonious pieces of art that can be worn.


On the benefits of the Boma BIPOC Grant Program:

"Boma has enriched me with the knowledge that I need to grow a marketable and foundationally sound business. Not only that, as a result of the mentorship I've received, I feel enriched on a personal level and can better cope with the various stages of being an independent jeweler and creative entrepreneur." 


Website: www.eluke.co

Instagram: eluke.co

Nashira Arno | Founder of Nashira Arno Studios

By way of curiosity and studies, Nashira moved to New York to pursue a career in fashion. Her work has since been featured in design and fashion publications, including IGNANT, Vanity Fair and Vogue. In 2016, merging my passions —art, design and advocacy— led me to launch an eponymous line of jewelry, which organically evolved into a mission-based project committed to advocating for sustainability in fashion and advancing traditional craft methods. I’ve been involved with not-for-profit organizations and global initiatives that support and accelerate a holistic approach to fashion in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the United States.


On the benefits of the Boma BIPOC Grant Program:

"Quite honestly, it was exactly what I needed and what I have trying to manifest. It gave me direction and hope. Not only your willingness to work with us one-on-one, and the grant monetary support for which we are incredibly grateful, but also having the opportunity to work with a factory that responsible, aspirational, and represents all the values that are important for me as a creative and the pillars of my brand. For the first time in this 4 year journey, I feel closer to actually developing and growing my business with a solid foundation. And I'm really looking forward to extending this relationship with Boma into the future." 


Website: www.nashiraarno.com

Instagram: nashiraarnostudio

Boma Grant Program

  • Private Facebook Page
  • July 15th Applicant Live Video Call
  • The Grant Winner

You can request to join the private Facebook Page that was created for all applicants of the grant and interested Black jewelry designers:

 
Boma Grant Program
Private group · 21 members
Join Group
This private group has been created for jewelry designers who have applied for the Boma Grant program and have questions to ask their colleagues in th...
 

Sharece Philips:

Sharece Phillips is an artist, jewelry designer, poet, Aquarian and creator of SHA - RECE designs. Devoted to mysticism and exploration, their pieces are artifacts from civilizations of their own creation. Celestial geometries formed in balls of pearl and thin silver, asymmetrical rotations of red coral and brass are their way of communicating and connecting the body and mind.


 In August, Phillips began a six-month mentorship with Dévé, an established jewelry designer who will provide guided mentorship and one-on-one coaching. Following the design mentorship phase, Phillips will work with Boma’s manufacturing team to create samples and begin production of her new collections.  


I applied for the Boma grant because I wanted to expand on a project that I’ve been dreaming up for the last year and a half. I’m looking forward to working on a scale beyond what would have been possible before, as well as work alongside a team that believes in me, inspires creative growth, and encourages me to see beyond my perceived limitations as a solo designer.” says Phillips.


Website: www.sha-rece.com

Instagram: sha_recejewelry

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