Hnub Tshiab: Hmong Women Achieving Together is excited to announce TWO – $1,000 grant awards to two Hmong Women!
DEADLINE: FRIDAY, May 20, 2022 at 5pm CST
About the Live Your Best Life Grants
In 2022, Hnub Tshiab: Hmong Women Achieving Together will make two grants to help support the individuals to live their best lives as they define it. The grants are cash grants of $1,000. One of these grants will be specifically designated for a Hmong woman aged 30+ (This grant is known as the Ma Vang grant) and the other grant will be designated for a Hmong woman between the the ages 18-29 (This grant is known as the Ilean Kao Ly Her Grant).
Ma Vang Live Your Best Life Grant
This grant was created in 2017, in memory of Ma Vang, beloved mother to our former board member, Cindi Yang. Each year, Ma Vang’s family gives $500 to be awarded to a Hmong woman in pursuit of her “best life”. Hnub Tshiab matches this amount for a total of $1000.
Ma Vang embodies Hnub Tshiab’s vision. She lived her best life by loving her children and working hard to create their futures. Ma passed away in 2017 from lung cancer at the young age of 55. She was a strong, independent, resilient, and single mother. She fought for her future, education, and her 5 children. She was married at 16 and became a mother at 17. At 29 and pregnant with her 5th child, she decided to take her kids and leave her husband who had two other wives. Leaving her husband took courage and strength as it meant that she would leave her support system. Her only option was to be strong for her children and draw strength from them to move forward and create a better life, in which she did. She put her children through college and beyond by working two jobs, earning her GED, and completing multiple licenses in culinary arts, manufacturing, and welding. She was fearless and loving.
Eligibility
- Individual must identify as a Hmong woman and be over 30 years old
- Reside in the state of Minnesota
- Describe and demonstrate how the grant will allow you to live your best life
Note: Grant awardees must attend the Live Your Best Life Gala on June 11, 2022 from 5 to 9pm in St. Paul, Minnesota to receive their grant award.
Application
To apply, recipients must be over the age of 30 and currently pursuing an endeavor towards “living her best life.” Application must write a 2 page, double spaced essay.
The essay must: 1) Describe the applicant’s goal, 2) describe activities the applicant is taking towards accomplishing this goal, 3) provide a timeline of when the goal will be completed, 4) describe how the $1000 grant would be used towards accomplishing this goal, and 5) discuss why or how the accomplishment of this goal would help the applicant live their best life.
Applications will be accepted from the individuals seeking the grant themselves or from a nominator. Please see application or nominator checklist below for more information on submission.
Ilean Kao Ly Her Live Your Best Life Grant
This new grant is named in honor of the late Ilean Kaoly Her who passed away in 2021. Ilean was a board member of Hnub Tshiab for several years. She was involved in programs such as the Hmong Women Leadership Institute and the Girls Enterprise Zone. She created the Live your Best LIfe grant in 2017 which were mini grants given to Hmong women of all ages so that Hmong women could live their best lives. After her passing, her family, friends, and the community donated funds towards an endowment in her honor, named the Ilean Her Endowment. The endowment is held at the St. Paul Foundation and proceeds from the endowment will be awarded each year to a Hmong woman who is pursuing a dream or a goal and demonstrates a financial need toward achieving this goal.
Eligibility
- Individual must identify as a Hmong woman and be between the ages of 18-29 years old
- Individual must be pursuing an endeavor towards living her/their best life
- Reside in the state of Minnesota
- Describe and demonstrate how the grant will allow you to live your best life
Note: Grant awardees must attend the Live Your Best Life Gala on June 11, 2022 from 5 to 9pm in St. Paul, Minnesota to receive their grant award.
Application
To apply, recipients must be between the ages of 18-29, and currently pursuing an endeavor towards “living her best life.” Application must write a 2 page, double spaced essay. The essay must: 1) Describe the applicant’s goal, 2) describe activities the applicant is taking towards accomplishing this goal, 3) provide a timeline of when the goal will be completed, 4) describe how the $1000 grant would be used towards accomplishing this goal, and 5) discuss why or how the accomplishment of this goal would help the applicant live their best life.
Applications will be accepted from the individuals seeking the grant themselves or from a nominator. Please see application or nominator checklist below for more information on submission.
All applications and nominations are due FRIDAY, May 20, 2022 at 5pm CST. Please email us at [email protected] with any questions you have.
Applicant Checklist
Nominator Checklist
