Women are missing out on opportunities to thrive in beer.

We recognise that many women seeking to break into or progress in the beer industry are often required to self-fund professional development, take unpaid leave, and cover costs such as travel.

This becomes a barrier that can be completely prohibitive. As women have been marginalised across beer for so long, they need positive action to enable them to benefit from the educational and networking opportunities they have historically been excluded from.

To address this, Women On Tap ran a pilot bursary scheme for International Women’s Collaboration Brew Day (IWCBD) 2026, supplying direct financial support to those who want to attend a local public brew day but are required to cover their own travel costs and who would find this a barrier to participation in the campaign.

Building on the success of the pilot scheme, which demonstrated clear demand and the potential for scalable impact, we are now developing an expanded bursary scheme designed to remove financial barriers preventing women from accessing a wider rage of opportunities across the beer industry.

We also recognise that the thought of going to in-person events on your own can also be a barrier. This said we are also working on a buddy scheme where there would also be the option to request an introduction ahead of the day to someone you can speak to in advance and/ or who can meet you on arrival and be a buddy - as actively or passively as you would like! - through the day.

The Bursary Scheme and Buddy Scheme are part of a new Women On Tap Access to Beer project. Applications for the extended 2026 Bursary Scheme open soon - see below.