Yesterday, Eileen Fisher announced the recipients of the 2012 Eileen Fisher Business Grant Program for Women Entrepreneurs. Now in its ninth year, the Business Grant Program is awarded annually to ”wholly women-owned businesses that are innovative and foster environmental and economic health in their communities.”
According to a press release from Eileen Fisher, the committee received more than 1,600 applications and awarded grants to five businesses including sustainable fashion darling Carrie Parry, whose eponymous line has garnered much attention since its launch in 2011. 
The recipients of the 2012 Eileen Fisher Business Grants will receive a $12,500 grant intended to invigorate their existing businesses and will be recognized at a two-day Eileen Fisher conference in New York City in the spring of 2013.
Previous sustainable fashion recipients have included New York City based clothing label Loyale, Philly based jewelry line Bario Neal, and Portland, Oregon based designer/manufacturer Anna Cohen.
Parry says the grant money will help tremendously in building her online brand presence as well as bulking up on her social and environmental practices.
“Eileen Fisher has served as an inspiration for me for quite some time now. I love the aesthetic of the brand, their social and environmental practices- their transparency and engagement. All of Eileen Fisher’s pieces embody such ease, versatility and meaningfulness. I definitely aspire to create staple pieces that will last a lifetime in style and quality just as hers do,” says Parry.
Designer and entrepreneur Eileen Fisher, an influential cheerleader in the sustainable as well as mainstream fashion community, fully supports women who are pursuing their passions and launching businesses.
“It takes inspiration, confidence and commitment to follow your passion to go out on your own,” says Fisher, who started her company with $350 and four garments in 1984. “It will be challenging with many twists and turns, but when you believe in your idea and others believe in you, the possibilities are endless.”
