Editor's note — 2026
The Girlboss Foundation grant program ran from 2014 to 2019 and awarded its final grant in Spring 2020. India Hayes and Mini City were the last recipients. This profile is extracted from the Girlboss Guide To Now, a COVID-19 resource hub published in April 2020, and is preserved here as a standalone archive piece.
Mini City is confirmed active and thriving. Since receiving the grant, India Hayes and Mini City have been recognized as a 2020 Startup World Cup Finalist, a 2019 Startup Runway Winner, and were featured in Vice (2024), BizTech Magazine, the Atlanta Tribune, and multiple other outlets.
India has also taught as an instructor at General Assembly and continues to work directly with homeless shelters in Atlanta. The organization uses NFC wearable technology to streamline the process of obtaining legal identification, birth certificates, and Social Security cards for homeless citizens.
Looking for current funding? See our 2026 guide to small business grants for women or read about all Girlboss Foundation grant recipients.
An extensive record of volunteer service and belief in empowering women to transform communities led India Hayes to co-found Mini City, an organization that provides vital resources to combat and eradicate homelessness. Her team focuses on streamlining the admin process and unlocking identification and employment for the homeless and their care providers. Blown away by India's passion for and dedication to her work, the Girlboss Foundation awarded her this spring's grant to fund $15,000 of service.
"Fundraising for women of color is tough business. The numbers are dismal enough to make you want to give up. But please don't — there is hope."
How has Mini City impacted you on a personal level?
Being so close to and viewing the personal journeys of hundreds of homeless citizens from all walks of life provides a very, very different perspective. It changes how I interact with someone. You never know who is returning from a class on campus to a shelter, or who has been turned away by their family for how they identify. I find myself pausing a lot more and trying to remove assumptions. I try to act with compassion, rather than react.
How can others support your mission for Mini City?
We put conversations for on-site services on pause as health-care providers focus on COVID response efforts. However, if there are any health care providers seeking a solution to keep their homeless or at-risk-for-homelessness patients within their care, let our team know. We are still here, still operating, and delivering birth records and IDs to unlock government benefits during this time in a completely virtual and safe manner.
What has your fundraising process been like?
Fundraising for women of color is tough business. The numbers are dismal enough to make you want to give up. But please don't — there is hope! An important lesson for us: do not wait for the perfect investor or funds to kick-start your passion or solution.
What are your hopes for Mini City in 2020 and beyond?
Our long-term goal is to eradicate continuous homelessness. I know — the concept sounds lofty. With this in mind, we envision Mini City really living up to its name: a tech resource hub across all cities to assist those in need on their path to self-sufficiency, whatever that may be.
Mini City — still active in Atlanta in 2026
- Founded in 2017 by India Hayes, Amber McCain, and Anita Jones
- 2020 Girlboss Grant Winner · 2019 Startup Runway Winner · 2020 Startup World Cup Finalist
- Featured in Vice (2024), BizTech Magazine, Atlanta Tribune
