Founders First CDC (Passport, Zebra Leadership, FastPath Accelerator)
Generalist & Demographic · Run by Founders First CDC · San Diego, CA
Every field is checked against a primary source where we can. How we verify.
The facts
All fields verified Oct 1, 2026- Terms model
- Non-dilutiveGives money that does not take equity: grants, prizes, or credits. Your ownership is untouched.
- Investment
- $1,000+ micro-grant plus free program access (Tadlock Veteran grant: $25,000 total fund, 25 finalists; Kitty Fund Mompreneur and LGBTQIA+ grants: $20,000 total fund, 20 finalists each)
- Equity taken
- Not publishedNo equity taken. Grants are $1,000+ micro-grants plus free access for finalists to one program: Passport Community (valued at $1,499 for a 3-month subscription) or Zebra Leadership (valued at $1,699). The Kenneth B and Stephen L. Tadlock Veteran Business Grant has a $25,000 fund for 25 finalists; the Kitty Fund Mompreneur and LGBTQIA+ National business grants each have $20,000 for 20 finalists. Premium program tier pricing is not disclosed. The Tadlock Veteran grant's 2026 cycle is open September 15 to October 15, 2026; the Kitty Fund and LGBTQIA+ grants' 2026 cycles are closed, with 2027 dates published.
- Program length
- Not published
- Format
- Remote
- Location
- San Diego, CA
- Cohorts per year
- Not published
- Cohort size
- Not published
- Stage focus
- revenue-generating small businesses ($250K-$5M focus)
- Sub-vertical
- revenue-focused accelerators for diverse-led service businesses
- Demographic focus
- diverse-led businesses (people of color, women, veterans, LGBTQIA+, military spouses)
- Backers
- Not published
- Notable alumni
- Not published
Terms notes: No equity taken. Grants are $1,000+ micro-grants plus free access for finalists to one program: Passport Community (valued at $1,499 for a 3-month subscription) or Zebra Leadership (valued at $1,699). The Kenneth B and Stephen L. Tadlock Veteran Business Grant has a $25,000 fund for 25 finalists; the Kitty Fund Mompreneur and LGBTQIA+ National business grants each have $20,000 for 20 finalists. Premium program tier pricing is not disclosed. The Tadlock Veteran grant's 2026 cycle is open September 15 to October 15, 2026; the Kitty Fund and LGBTQIA+ grants' 2026 cycles are closed, with 2027 dates published.
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Terms in plain English
Founders First CDC is a nonprofit offering non-dilutive support: it takes no equity. Its programs include the Passport funding-readiness series (On-Demand, Community, and Premium tiers), Zebra Leadership (six online sessions for founders with 2 or more employees and $250K+ revenue), and the FastPath Accelerator for B2B founders at $1M+ revenue. Its national grants award $1,000-plus micro-grants paired with free program access: the Kenneth B and Stephen L. Tadlock Veteran grant has a $25,000 fund for 25 finalists, and the Kitty Fund Mom and LGBTQIA+ grants each list $20,000 for 20 finalists. Costs for premium program tiers are not disclosed. The Tadlock Veteran grant's 2026 application is open until October 15, 2026, and the other two grants publish 2027 dates.
Who this is actually for
This fits revenue-generating small businesses rather than idea-stage startups, with a focus on diverse-led companies including people of color, women, veterans, LGBTQIA+ founders, and military spouses. Grant eligibility generally requires an active US business at least one year old, 2 to 100 employees, and annual revenue up to $5M; the accelerator tiers target founders from roughly $250K to $5M in revenue.
Founders First CDC (Passport, Zebra Leadership, FastPath Accelerator) application deadlines
Tadlock Veteran Business Grant 2026: Opens Sep 15, 2026, closes Oct 15, 2026.
Verified Oct 1, 2026SourceKitty Fund Mom Business Grant 2027 (pre-registration opens Jan 1, 2027): Opens Mar 9, 2027, closes Apr 13, 2027.
Verified Oct 1, 2026SourceLGBTQIA+ National Business Grant 2027 (pre-registration opens Jan 1, 2027): Opens Apr 27, 2027, closes Jun 1, 2027.
Verified Oct 1, 2026Source
Frequently asked questions
- When is the next Founders First CDC (Passport, Zebra Leadership, FastPath Accelerator) application deadline?
- The next confirmed application window for Founders First CDC (Passport, Zebra Leadership, FastPath Accelerator) opens Mar 9, 2027 and closes Apr 13, 2027.
- How much does Founders First CDC (Passport, Zebra Leadership, FastPath Accelerator) invest?
- Founders First CDC (Passport, Zebra Leadership, FastPath Accelerator) lists an investment of $1,000+ micro-grant plus free program access (Tadlock Veteran grant: $25,000 total fund, 25 finalists; Kitty Fund Mompreneur and LGBTQIA+ grants: $20,000 total fund, 20 finalists each).
- How much equity does Founders First CDC (Passport, Zebra Leadership, FastPath Accelerator) take?
- Founders First CDC (Passport, Zebra Leadership, FastPath Accelerator) does not publish the equity it takes, so we record it as not published.
- Where is Founders First CDC (Passport, Zebra Leadership, FastPath Accelerator) located and is it in person?
- Founders First CDC (Passport, Zebra Leadership, FastPath Accelerator) is based in San Diego, CA and runs a remote program.
- Is Founders First CDC (Passport, Zebra Leadership, FastPath Accelerator) still active?
- As of our last check on Oct 1, 2026, Founders First CDC (Passport, Zebra Leadership, FastPath Accelerator) is active.
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Sources
Everything above was checked against these, verified Oct 1, 2026.