That’s exactly what happened to Arukay, an established EdTech company serving K–12 students, when they joined Agile Impacts’ 6-Figure Grant Program. With no prior grant experience and a lean startup budget, they went from not knowing big cooperations even gave grants to becoming a finalist in for a highly competitive one—with a proposal to impact 45,000 students over three years.
“We had zero experience in the grants world. I didn't even know big cooperations gave grants,” shares Vicky Ricaurte, CEO of Arukay.
Now, they’re one of just a handful of finalists competing for $1.9M USD.
Like many mission-driven founders, Arukay found themselves at odds with traditional investors.
“The growth of an EdTech in the K–12 segment doesn’t align with the growth expected by VC money,” explains Vicky. “We’ve been bootstrapping from the start—and that’s not easy when your focus is long-term impact.”
Grants offered a lifeline—but they didn’t know where to start. That’s where Agile Impacts' 6-Figure Grant Program came in.
The 6-Figure Grant Program is a done-for-you grant acquisition system designed for busy impact founders who want to secure non-dilutive funding, without losing focus on running and growing their business.
We take the entire grant process off your plate. Over a 6-month engagement, our team:
1. Identifies and matches you with the best-fit, six-figure grant opportunities
2. Refines your impact strategy, data, and narrative to align with funder criteria
3. Provides deep technical mentorship (in areas like AI, R&D, and climate)
4. Crafts your entire grant application—you just review and submit
We find many of the founders we work with are like Arukay—so focused on running their business that they don't have time to look for—let alone apply to—grants.
"We were 100% focused on running our business. Without Agile, we wouldn’t have even known these grants existed."
Our team of impact and technical experts takes the stress of grant applications off your plate—so you can stay focused on what you do best: selling and scaling.
Investing in external grant support wasn’t an easy decision.
“It wasn’t in our budget. It was the end of the year.” says Vicky. “What convinced us was two things: access to a market we didn’t know, and the ability to walk into the public system with funding already secured.”
That funding changed the conversation.
“When I say to a public school system, ‘I already have a grant to finance this,’ it’s a completely different conversation. You arrive with the bread under your arm.”
Despite being Startup #706 to apply, Arukay advanced through multiple stages of the process. Here’s what made the difference:
Had Arukay waited just six months to act, they would have missed this opportunity—and a full year of potential impact.
“Starting in December allowed us to begin the new year ahead. It literally bought us a year.”
And for other founders on the fence?
“This isn’t just about one grant—it’s expanding into an entirely new territory. Without Agile, we wouldn’t have known these opportunities existed. We didn’t even know for-profit companies could apply to grants.”
Vicky believes funders are waking up to the limits of traditional NGO funding.
“If we don’t make these models sustainable, we’ll keep financing NGOs forever without solving the core problems. Grants for for-profit impact companies are part of the solution.”
Most founders don’t realize they’re eligible for six- and seven-figure grants, nor how to win them.
Let our team do the heavy lifting. We’ll find the right grants, craft your application, and guide you every step of the way.
Curious what grants your company could qualify for? Book a free strategy call to find out which grants you're eligible for now and how our program can help you take your impact to the next level.