Lafayette Square Institute Receives $5 Million Grant to Launch Access to Capital Initiative
The Lafayette Square Institute (LSI) has been awarded a $5 million grant through the Workplace Innovation Now (WIN) Challenge, led by Aspen Digital and supported by Pivotal. The funding will support LSI's new Access to Capital (A2C) initiative—an AI-powered tool designed to connect entrepreneurs with public and private financing more efficiently. The A2C initiative aims to address a structural issue in small business finance: many entrepreneurs, particularly women-owned businesses, struggle to access capital due to complex application processes. The Federal Reserve's Small Business Credit Survey highlights that female-owned firms are disproportionately denied financing compared to their counterparts. LSI plans to develop the tool with input from entrepreneurs and organizations like the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO). The WIN Challenge is a $60 million initiative launched in 2025 by Aspen Digital, aiming to scale innovative solutions across three pillars: Culture & Practices, AI, and Narrative. LSI's grant supports broader efforts to improve workplace innovation and economic opportunity for entrepreneurs nationwide.
Topics: AI tools grants small business finance women entrepreneurs