Women own nearly 50% of all U.S. businesses, yet receive only 2% of venture capital (VC) funding—a tiny piece of the pie. Stacy's Pita Chips, a brand with a history of empowering women business owners, will continue championing these entrepreneurs to get a bigger piece of the funding pie through the launch of the 2024 Stacy's Rise Project. In addition to awarding 15 founders a $25,000 grant, mentorship and community resources, this year Stacy's is also introducing Stacy's Rise Pies.

Just in time for the holiday season, Stacy's Rise is offering pie-crust cookies that provide people with more ways to directly support women-owned businesses. The catch? These pie deliveries illustrate what 2% of the pie looks like.

Former Stacy's Rise Winner Janie Deegan of Janie's Life-Changing Baked Goods created the Stacy's Rise "Pies," inspired by her iconic Pie Crust Cookies. Deegan has brought passion for baking with a purpose to the kitchen table as she also provides second-chance employment, provides mentorship for New York City youth, and donates time and baked goods to local community centers and homeless shelters.

"Receiving a grant from Stacy's in 2017 allowed me to quit my day job, fully pursue my passions, and focus on making positive changes in my community," said Deegan. "Every year, Stacy's Rise helps more women make their entrepreneurial dreams a reality and those women give right back to the community. I was thrilled to team up with Stacy's again to encourage other founders to apply to the Stacy's Rise Project and help draw attention to how much more funding should be going to support women entrepreneurs."

A special take on Janie's Famous Pie Crust Cookie, Stacy's Rise Pies includes flaky pie crust and a layer of apple pie filling; topped with caramelized streusel and Stacy's Cinnamon Sugar Pita Chips. Stacy's Rise Pies are available via StacysRise.com through Thanksgiving, or while supplies last, for $25.00 plus shipping. In addition, every Stacy's Rise Pies order will also include a selection of products from some of the previous Stacy's Rise Project winners over the last five years, including:

• Adrienne Walker, Blue Henry
• Kristyn Carriere, 7 Summits Snacks
• Michelle Razavi, ELAVI
• Mimi Johnson, The Glamatory
• Monica Sunny, The Chai Box
• Tiffany Griffin, Bright Black

100% of the proceeds from the Stacy's Rise Pie purchases will go to Deegan's business, Janie's Life-Changing Baked Goods.

Stacy's Rise Project is back

Applications for the 2024 Stacy's Rise Project are officially open through December 1. Founders across the U.S. and Canada are encouraged to apply for consideration on Stacy's Rise website. The 10 winners in the U.S. and five winners in Canada will be announced in early 2024 and each will receive a $25,000 grant, mentorship from Frito-Lay and PepsiCo leadership and a built-in community of powerful women.

"The goal of the Stacy's Rise Project is not only to spread awareness of the funding gap women-owned businesses face, but to ensure these founders have access to resources, mentorship and community to help them overcome the statistics," said Rhasheda Boyd, vice president of marketing, Frito-Lay North America. "Because at Stacy's, we believe that when one woman rises, we all rise."

As a woman-founded business that grew from a humble sandwich cart to a household snack brand, Stacy's Pita Chips has invested over $1 million in over 60 women-owned businesses since 2017. With support from longtime grant partner Hello Alice, the application numbers increase every year, totaling over 29,000 Stacy's Rise Project applications received since its inaugural year.

To learn more about the Stacy's Rise Project, share the application with your favorite woman founder or get your hands on your very own Stacy's Rise Pie, visit StacysRise.com.

PepsiCo (Frito-Lay) is on the current Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery “Top 50 Snack & Bakery Companies” list. Click here to view the current “Top 50” rankings.