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SCREENING CRITERIA

The Doyenne Evergreen Fund is designed to support Wisconsin-based businesses that are women and/or minority led, scalable, and demonstrate innovation in their industry. We need to collect information about your venture for our tracking purposes and to determine if you meet our criteria.


Note: If you are approved to move forward in the application process, we will ask more detailed information about the owners of the business

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Mark all applicable items

Note: While Doyenne supports ALL types of businesses through its programming, the Evergreen Fund is designated for those ventures that have the potential and desire to grow. Your venture does not need to be at the national level now, but should be able to demonstrate the potential and plan for getting there.

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Note: Innovation can mean a variety of things: unique and creative design of your product or service, addressing customers who have not been served before, or new operating that create efficiencies.

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Please Note: In the formal application entrepreneurs will be expected to provide a proposed budget for how you will use the dollars.

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Note: The Doyenne Accelerator is a year-long program for those entrepreneurs who receive Doyenne funding for their ventures. We know that financial support is only ONE of many types of assistance entrepreneurs need. Our Accelerator is designed to help entrepreneurs build their skills, expand their professional network, and gain visibility - all of which contribute to the success of the venture. Our Accelerator is very manageable for the entrepreneur, with a minimum requirement of only one commitment per quarter. Click here to download an overview of the Doyenne Accelerator program.

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Terms of Service

THE DOYENNE GROUP WISCONSIN, INC.

The Doyenne Group, Inc., a Wisconsin non-profit organization, ("Doyenne,” “we,” “our” or “us”) has implemented these Terms of Service ("Terms") to govern the access and use of our website, including the Evergreen Fund application process, and should be carefully read. By accessing or using this website and the online services offered by Doyenne, you accept and agree to be bound by these Terms as well as those terms specifically outlined in any subsequent agreements should you qualify for funding from Doyenne.

OUR SERVICES

Doyenne helps qualifying women- or minority-owned businesses develop and grow their businesses by providing them with funding opportunities, an accelerator program, one-on-one counseling, training workshops, and management and technical guidance. We have set up these resources through our Evergreen Fund. Qualifying business can apply for grants, loans and investment funding from our Evergreen Fund.

The Screening Tool

Any business that fills out the Screening Tool questionnaire is considered an “Applicant.” To save both the Applicant and Doyenne time, we have implemented a Screening Tool on our website. The Screening Tool is a questionnaire that, based upon your answers, will help us decide if you qualify to submit an application. If you qualify, you will gain access to the application and can then submit your application.

If you represent a business that is majority owned by women and/or minorities, Doyenne supports you and encourages you to apply for funding. We cannot provide funding for every business that submits an application. Doyenne will select businesses to be funded based on a number of criteria, including, but not limited to, the alignment with the Doyenne mission, market analysis, and entrepreneur and venture readiness. The four main requirements to be eligible to apply for funding are:

  • Must have a registered business entity in Wisconsin. This means that your business must be an LLC, S-Corporation or C-Corporation. For questions on registering your business head over to the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions website at www.wdfi.org.
  • Women and/or minorities must own at least 51% of your business. These groups include: Women[1], African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans, Asian Pacific Americans and Subcontinent Asian Americans.
  • Must become a Doyenne Member if you obtain any type of funding from Doyenne. ($25/month or $50/month) To apply for membership follow this link: https://doyennegroup.wpengine.com/our-members/join/
  • Must participate in the Doyenne Accelerator program if you obtain any type of funding from Doyenne. ($500 fee)

Along with the above requirements, which are not negotiable, we have a number of other requirements that we look for in the businesses that we support. For additional requirements, see our Evergreen Fund Screening Tool and Application.

  1. Grants:-

    Doyenne provides $5,000 grants to qualifying businesses. Grants are not expected to be paid back. These are dollars that we provide to help spark your business because we want you to succeed, and when you succeed we hope that you come back to pave way for others.
  2. Investment Funding

    Doyenne will also invest in some businesses that can show innovation, high growth and scalability. Investments range from $25,000 to $50,000 in exchange for equity in the company. (Additional documentation and information will be required and terms will be negotiated on a case-by-case basis.)

The Evergreen Fund application process may take a number of weeks to complete. We thoroughly review each initial application. We may request additional information from you in our review process. Once we determine that the application is fully complete, the application is sent to a review committee. The committee may also request additional information from you. Once the committee renders the funding decision, you will be contacted by a Doyenne representative notifying you of such decision. For more information on our process see our Evergreen Fund Process Flowchart.

Doyenne will notify you which type of funding you qualify for and begin the next step in the process. For loans and equity investments, this will require submitting additional information and possibly pitching to the selection committee. The committee will then determine whether you will be receiving funding.

If you receive any type of funding from Doyenne, you agree that Doyenne can share your business story to the public for marketing purposes. Doyenne will not share any specific dollar amounts without your permission and will abide by the Confidentiality standards below.

If your business meets the requirements in order to apply, but does not receive funding, we encourage you to apply again after six months[2]. We receive lots of applications and have limited slots open so we have to choose the businesses that best qualify. Even if you don’t receive funding from us, you can still join Doyenne and participate in our programming, which can help you develop the skills and network to grow your business. We hope that all applicants join our powerful and inspiring community of entrepreneurs.

Confidential Information

Any Applicant may disclose “Confidential Information” to Doyenne in connection with the Evergreen Application process, which is anything that reasonably should be understood to be confidential given the nature of the information and the circumstances of disclosure including, but not limited to, non-public business, product, technology and marketing information. If something is labeled “Confidential,” that’s a clear indicator to Doyenne that the material is confidential. Notwithstanding the above, Confidential Information does not include information that (a) is or becomes generally available

to the public without breach of any obligation owed to the Applicant; (b) was known to Doyenne prior to its disclosure by the Applicant without breach of any obligation owed to the Applicant; (c) is received from a third party without breach of any obligation owed to the Applicant; or (d) was independently developed by Doyenne.

Doyenne will (a) take at least reasonable measures to prevent the unauthorized disclosure or use of Confidential Information, and limit access to those employees, affiliates and contractors who need to know such information in connection with the Evergreen Application; and (b) not use or disclose any Confidential Information of the Applicant for any purpose outside the scope of the Evergreen Application Process. Nothing above will prevent either party from sharing Confidential Information with financial and legal advisors; provided, however, that the advisors are bound to confidentiality obligations at least as restrictive as those in these Terms.

Doyenne may access or disclose Confidential Information of the Applicant if it is required by law; provided, however, that Doyenne gives the Applicant prior notice of the compelled access or disclosure (to the extent legally permitted) and reasonable assistance, at the Applicant's cost, if the Applicant wishes to contest the access or disclosure. Without limiting the foregoing, please review the Data Request Policy in our Privacy Policy for details on how requests may be made for the disclosure of Applicant Data and how we will handle those requests. If Doyenne is compelled by law to access or disclose the Applicant’s Confidential Information, the Applicant will reimburse Doyenne for its reasonable cost of compiling and providing access to such Confidential Information as well as the reasonable cost for any support provided in connection with the Applicant seeking a protective order or confidential treatment for the Confidential Information to be produced.

Information on this Website

The information contained in this website is not intended to provide any legal, financial, or tax advice to individuals or entities, and should not be relied on or used for such purposes. Downloading, printing or copying from this website must be for noncommercial, personal use only. You are encouraged to read our Privacy Policy (insert hyperlink) for additional information.

Doyenne strives to make available products, services and resources that we consider to be of value to our Members and the businesses that we support. Some of those products, services, and resources may be offered through other nonaffiliated third parties. We may do this by providing direct links to other websites. We provide these links solely as convenient pointers to information on topics that may be useful to users of our website. You should know that once you leave Doyenne’ website, we have no control over, or responsibility for, the content, products, services or privacy policies of non-affiliated websites. Links to other websites or references to products, services and resources other than those of Doyenne does not imply the endorsement or approval of such websites, products, services or publications. You should always review the privacy and security policies of those sites before proceeding.

Doyenne may at any time make modifications, changes, and alterations to the content of this website, including these Terms, without prior notice. Users are responsible for regularly reviewing these Terms for any changes. Your continued use of this website following any modifications, changes or alterations shall constitute your acceptance of each such modification, change or alteration. Information provided on this website is considered accurate and up-to-date. Any such modifications, changes or alterations will be effective immediately unless otherwise noted.

If any provision of these Terms is determined to be unlawful, void or unenforceable for any reason, in whole or in part, then that provision will be severable from these Terms and won't affect the validity or enforceability of the remaining provisions. Conflicts between our Terms and the specific terms and conditions of any other agreements executed between you and Doyenne will be controlled by the specific terms and conditions of the other agreements.

Unless otherwise specified, the content of this website including, but not limited to, text, graphics, logos, buttons, images, data compilations, icons, and code, is the property of Doyenne and/or its affiliates/subsidiaries, and is protected by United States and international copyright laws.

Unauthorized use of any logos and/or name or trade names or service marks belonging to Doyenne is prohibited. Certain graphics, logos, icons, designs, words, titles or phrases contained in this web site may constitute trade names, trademarks or service marks of Doyenne or others. Trademarks or service marks may be registered in the United States and in other countries as applicable. The display of trademarks or service marks on the pages of this website does not imply that a license of any kind has been granted unless expressly stated herein. Any unauthorized downloading, re-transmission or other copying or modification of trademarks/service marks and/or the contents herein may be a violation of law, and could subject the copier to legal action. All other registered and unregistered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Although we make every attempt to ensure that the contents provided or otherwise displayed on our website are accurate, we make no representation, endorsement or warranty that the contents are accurate or suitable for your particular purpose. The website and its contents are provided on an “AS IS” basis. Use of the website and its contents is at the user’s sole risk. The website and its contents are provided without any representations, endorsements or warranties of any kind whatsoever, either express or implied, including, but not limited to, any warranties of title or accuracy and any implied warranties of merchant ability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement, with the sole exception of warranties (if any) which cannot be expressly excluded under applicable law.

In no event will Doyenne or its subsidiaries, affiliates, representatives, contractors, or their respective officers, directors or employees be liable for any damages, including, without limitation, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or punitive damages, whether under a contract, tort or any other theory of liability, arising in connection with any applicant’s use of our website or a linked site, any failure, error, omission, interruption, defect, delay, computer virus, line system or loss of data; any loss of use related to our website or a linked site; any website operated by any third party; or any contents of this website or any linked site, even if Doyenne is aware of the possibility of such damages.

No waiver by Doyenne of any right under or term or provision of these terms of service will be deemed a waiver of any other right, term, or provision of these terms at that time or a waiver of that or any other right, term, or provision of these terms at any other time.

These Terms of Service shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the law of the State of Wisconsin, without regard to the conflict of laws thereof, and to the laws of the United States.

  1. Doyenne recognizes and supports any individual who identifies themselves as a woman.
  2. Doyenne may allow Applicant to submit a new application within the six months if waiver is given.