SheaMoisture, Fifteen Percent Pledge to Empower Black Women

• SheaMoisture mark a decade of its Dartmouth Fellowship with a collaboration with Aurora James' Fifteen Percent Pledge.  

• Over the years, the initiative has empowered more than 100 fellows with over $400K in grants 

Addressing Women’s Business Month, SheaMoisture is once more demonstrating that putting money into Black women is not merely a line of a campaign but is a real commitment. 

SheaMoisture is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its Dartmouth Fellowship program by partnering with the Fifteen Percent Pledge, the nonprofit founded by Aurora James that supports Black-owned businesses by increasing their access and removing barriers.  

The two organizations will jointly recruit 20 women entrepreneurs to become the 2025 fellowship cohort, with applications open till October 10, 2025. 

Over 10 years, the Dartmouth fellowship has been offering financial support to more than 100 fellows, more than $400,000 in tuition and fees have been reimbursed and the participants have been able to increase their profit margins by 6%, on average, as well as their revenues by 14.3%.  

In the year 2024, the executive education at Tuck and the Fifteen Percent Pledge collaborated to bring the world’s top business program not only to the women-led companies but also to the vibrant business ecosystem of Black women, with the aim to scale these companies. 

In a statement, SheaMoisture Chief Brand Officer Obinna Keke said, “We take immense pride in the achievements of the SheaMoisture Dartmouth Fellowship over the past decade, staying true to our brand DNA of supporting our community and empowering entrepreneurs.” 

Obinna added, “In today’s challenging economic climate, supporting small businesses is more important than ever. With this context, for the 10th anniversary of the Dartmouth Fellowship, we have strengthened the impact of the program by partnering with industry trailblazer Aurora James and Fifteen Percent Pledge, to combine resources, expertise, and networks to expand our reach and support of entrepreneurs.”