Smith & Chen asked:


The idea that there are millions of dollars in grant funds – free money — waiting for the small business owner to tap into them is true and at the same time, not true.

In most cases, grant funds are not designed to start a new business. There are some specialized businesses that may qualify for start-up money, but 99.9% of the businesses in the Yellow Pages would be ineligible to receive start-up funding.

Yet there are millions of dollars available to help fund existing small businesses and employment programs, particularly in the non-profit arena. The trick is to be able to research grants and find those that are most aligned with your company’s mission and/or project.

Grants fall into two categories: government and corporate. They all come with strings attached and very specific requirements for those who will be awarded the funds. Funders look for businesses and organizations that already exist, that will use the money for a worthwhile project, i.e. jobs in inner cities, providing training to specialized groups, etc., and that will develop a self-sustaining program.

For small businesses that are looking for funding for expansion or for equipment purchases, it takes a creative mind to find a grant that could apply to your specific needs while filling the requirements of the grant funders. That is where the services of a professional grant writer are invaluable.

For example, a company may want grant money to fund an expansion of their sales force and they need to add more space as well as hire more people. Well, a for-profit company may not be eligible for any grant money. However, the company could form a non-profit agency that trains veterans or welfare moms in sales skills, leases or buys space to accommodate the workers and gives the new trainees a place to work by leasing them to the for-profit company.

Writing a grant proposal is a very specialized skill, but it can be learned. Grant writing in and of itself is a very lucrative profession. The IRS has established a pay range for grant writers of $50 - $150 per hour. A comprehensive training course is available at http://www.superchargedgrants.com. Students actually work on a real grant proposal while taking the course. Their work is critiqued by a certified professional grant writer

For those who don’t want to do it themselves or who don’t have the time to do it themselves, they can hire a professional grant writer to research and write the grant proposal. An organization will generally pay between $1,000 - $3,000 for a complete grant proposal and even higher for large proposal amounts. There are also grant review services that help grant seekers tweak their proposals for the best possible chance of funding.

Grants for small business funding are out there. The trick is to know how to present your needs in a way that best aligns with the grant funder’s mission. It isn’t easy, but it is definitely attainable and very much worth the effort.

Guide to Getting Small Business Grants

Do You Know that Small Business Grants Can be Waiting for You Almost ‘Round the Corner’?

We are living in the times when governments understand the value of small businesses for the global economy. Small businesses are the pushers and testing grounds for new trends, they provide lots of jobs for the masses, they make any society more stable and happy. So governments have created special funds, programs, associations to provide government grants for small business.

You can be surprised to find out that there are so many types of grants that you can be missing and that can help you out almost instantly - minority small business grants, small business grants for woman, federal grants for small business, business start up grants and even free small business grants. All these types of grants act as a real proof that they really help many small businesses to succeed.

There are two typical issues about getting small business grants.

(1) WHERE to Get Small Business Grants.

Start with doing local search for ’small business grants’, ’small business bank loans’, ‘venture funds’ and ‘angel investors’. This will give you a pretty big list of places to apply for help.

If you are in the USA - there are some majors that provide this type of financial assistance - for example, Small Business Administration (SBA) that has many departments that fit all possible types of businesses or help. It can also be wise to check the catalogue of Federal Domestic Assistance - there you can find many good places to apply for the grants.

For businesses outside US there is also a way to succeed. Government, public or private organizations in your country must be giving some help to new small businesses within the framework of these institutions:

- economic development programs, funds, departments, opportunities, initiatives; - banks (usually they have special small business loans and programs); - venture funds, companies, firms; - credit partnerships; - angel investors (this type of business got very popular recently).

The list is big, but it means that you do not need to trust one business grant opportunity. The more opportunities, the better for you!

(2) HOW to Get Small Business Grants.

There is no magic formula to safe getting of grants.

But you can increase your chances using these simple tips.

Build a good business plan. Surely you are starting your business with some plan, but here you need to be very convincing, well-prepared to any questions. People who read this plan must understand and feel that the only element necessary for your success is the money, the grant.

Keep in good contact with your grant agent (manager, officer, anyone who is in charge of all details). Don’t be a pusher, but make sure that you are in control of the situation. A lot will depend upon this person, maybe not the final decision, but a lot. Make sure he/she can reach you at any moment. And would be great if you have his/her contact details, the more, the better.

Try to find someone who already got a grant from the institution or organization you apply to. If it is possible, find out all details before applying there: what problems this person had, what questions asked, what impressed the grant givers, etc.

And the last advice, if in one place it did not work, don’t give up. You can either appeal or try another place.

Only those who knock at the door can see it open.

Hazel Leong asked:


Get Through High School with the Help of a Government Grant

In today’s fast-paced and eagerly competitive world, not having an education is career suicide. College graduates make anywhere from 40% to 200% more than those that have only graduated from High School. This means that getting an education is a given when seeking a more lucrative and successful career.

Unfortunately, one of the biggest hindrances to this rise to success is the fact that education costs money. And not everyone has enough for their daily bread and milk - much less high school or college tuition. While going to a public high school can definitely keep the costs low, there are those that seek to obtain better education or even support for their public high school education through grants.

Fortunately, the government also puts a premium on education and has earmarked a good amount of the federal budget towards helping qualified students obtain financing for their studies through grants. Educational grants are a great way to help alleviate some of the financial burden an education can sometimes bring.

Government Grants

Government grants are made available every year with the Annual Federal Budget. This allocates a good deal of money for various government agencies to forward projects and grants. This budget should be used to forward the welfare of those covered by each agency. The projects may be forwarded by various entities: agencies, cities, states, and even the President himself. However, ultimately, it is Congress that gets say on which projects to push through with.

The great thing about grants is that they are non-taxable, and you do not have to pay for them at all! (There are some programs that will require some sort of payment, but as a general rule federal grants come without strings attached.) In all, there are an estimated 1,500 government programs aimed at helping qualified students afford an education.

Grant projects become available to the agencies once the budget is made available to them. Various grants will then be offered to those that qualify for certain projects. These grants will become available on the CFDA, or the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance. This would be a good place to look up a grant that fits your qualification. Guaranteed US Government Grant for USA Citizens at http://www.trustedreviews.info/money/usm/index.html

There are various grants aimed at helping students get through both high school and college - there are even grants that will get you through graduate programs. There are too many grants to list here, but suffice it to say that there are grants to deal with homeless veterans, continuing education programs, home building grants, and grants that help veterans with their jobs such as job training grants.

Wendy Carmichael asked:


Would you start a business? Support your non-profit agency? Get a college degree? Build a house, or just fix up that tattered little hovel you call home? The list goes on and the opportunities are limitless!

Private foundations donate millions of dollars to help people, non-profit organizations and worldly causes every year. Government and Federal grant money stimulates the economy making our nation and our citizens stronger and more productive. This money is comprised of billions of dollars of privately donated cash and tax dollars. YOUR TAX DOLLARS!

Most American’s are unaware that there are millions of dollars in our country’s budget designated to inspire and support small businesses, educate American citizens, and to improve and maintain the general welfare of our country and that there are millions of dollars donated by corporations and private foundations that go to the right people: the ones who ask for it.

Even the people who are aware of these funds, don’t know where to begin to acquire them, or don’t think that they would possibly be awarded free money from the government. Even if you aren’t a needy child, there are organizations designed to help YOU open that little vegetarian café you’ve been dreaming about all these years.

It just sounds too good to be true…and you never have to pay it back?!?

Actually, it is true, and the reason most people will never see a penny of this money, their own tax dollars, is because they don’t know the procedures to follow to make it a reality. If you’ve ever Googled government grants, or grant money, you probably gave up pretty quickly. It’s unbelievably overwhelming and time consuming not to mention the sheer volume of illegitimate grant scams that exist to try to lure you in with the promise of huge free money, only to find that it cost you $100 to never hear from them again.

I can’t say that I ever heard of a grant for sale!

So are you still dreaming of opening that café and quitting your boring desk job? Tired of spending your hours and breaking your back so someone else can get rich and spend another week in the Bahamas while you squint below the neon lights, quietly inputting numbers into databases? YUCK! You need a plan and you need the funds to make your plan a reality. Grant money is there for the taking.

How will you get your hands on some of this cash?

You can spend hours and hours online researching the thousands upon thousands of public and private agencies who are offering grants, weeding through the scam artists and spammers, to zone in on the (hopefully) legitimate ones who’s criteria match you or your group, fill out the application, write up the proposal, track the proposal, decipher the responses…and still wonder, OR you can let someone else do that for you while you plan your cuisine and pick out curtains and floor tiles.

Increase your chances of attaining a grant by allowing a professional to assist you. Using a grant writer can make all the difference. Professional writers who have been trained and well educated to obtain all of the information that the grantors are looking for and match that up with the right individuals or organizations to bring money to the people who need it are the people you want on your side.

You want someone writing your proposal who will present your request so that it will jump to the top of the pile upon being reviewed; writers who understand what the grantors are looking for and can verbalize your situation in such an eloquent manner and highlight all of your more prominent circumstances to augment your probability of approval.

Do you know what a grant proposal should look like? Do you know that there is a certain format that needs to be followed? Can you submit a project description and a budget? Oh, you didn’t know you needed that?

It really can be the difference between getting that $100,000 grant or giving up on the search and your dream at the same time.

It seems attainable. The money is there and there are grant researchers and grant writers to help you apply and collect the money. The government and private foundations want you to have it. So what is still holding you back?

You’ll never know until you try, and regret carries heavier than failure.

Dwayne Garrett asked:


Are you ready to find a few grants and start applying for financial support in your business? This article will help you do just that.

Grants.gov

This is another heavy-hitter grant website that offers over four hundred billion dollars each year in Federal grant money. It is a government requirement that all Federal competitive grants be listed on this website.

You can search for grants by using a keyword search, or a category or agency search, as well as the CFDA number. When you are ready to apply for a grant here, you will discover that it can be done by downloading an application package. Then you can work on it offline and take the time you need to complete it. It can then be submitted online when it is complete. You can also track your application online as well, to see where it is in the process of evaluation and acceptance.

If you choose to apply for a grant at this website, you will need to register with them as either an organization or an individual. Individuals registered as such are only allowed to apply for grants for individuals and not grants for organizations. If you are registering as an organization, you will need to select someone in your organization to be the authorized organization representative who will register with a credential provider.

There is also a helpful e-mail alert feature where they will send you an e-mail describing new grant postings on the site. Here you will find a glossary of the terms that you will see used at the website and a list of frequently asked questions. They also offer an indexed User Guide that takes you through the whole process of finding and applying for a grant at this site.

State and County Economic Development Offices

After you type the above descriptor into a search engine, you will receive a list of different offices. You will want to look for your state and select that one. Each of these sites will usually have a search feature, into which you will type “grants.” You should then get a list of what is available in terms of grants. It might be listed as loans and grants. Many states also offer community service block grants which might provide you with the funding you require. Here you may also find energy efficiency grants, project grants and low-interest loans, job creation tax credits, job creation grants, grants supporting research and technology development, and manufacturing equipment grants.

You will also find links to various state agencies. This is a good place to look at agencies that have something to do with your new business, and see what kinds of assistance are available. Some of the state websites might offer a business gateway, and there you can look for grants as well.

Another related resource that will be useful in the grant-seeking process will be your local Small Business Development Center. This organization can help a new small business find funding sources.

These two resources will give you tons of grant options so use them to your advantage as much as possible.

Mr Peabody asked:


I would like to start a small business but, I would like to find the info myself instead of paying someone at a website.

Sean Tan asked:


Making grant applications is supposed to be quite a difficult process, and it really is difficult when you consider the number of people who actually get grants from the total number of applicants. Though there is all provision for individuals to make grant applications, the procedure might be too cumbersome for some people, and of course it has to be done the right way for the grant application to meet with any positive consideration. That is the reason why it becomes imperative to take help of some online, because that can help you to get all the advice and assistance necessary for making a winning grant application.

Here are some of the things that you can stand to get if you become a member of a grant application resource :-

1. You will get all required tips on grant writing. Many of website resources will allow you to access an eBook that will have lots of important inside information on the grant application process. Government grants provide titled winning grant strategies.

2. Another important resource that they provide is an access to thousands of government grant providing programs. This is important because it helps people to choose the kind of federal grant they are really interested in and eligible for. There are also exhaustive lists on the kind of grant that can be provided by state organizations.

3. If you are not meeting the eligibility requirements of federal government grant funding, then you can try out for some of the private grant providers. There are several such private organizations around, but they do not make themselves much public because then they would be inundated with applications. However, government grants provide list of private grant providers.

4. One more important resource is for student grants. There is good information on the kinds of educational grants that are available for students who are wishing to study anywhere in the United States or in foreign countries.

5. Similarly, there is information on providers of government and private grants for purposes as home buying, home repair, home improvement, purchase of land and preparation of site for building a residence, etc.

6. You will also find information on where to ask for grants if you are a senior citizen with a health condition and a minimal income. There is also a list of all providers of daycare grant providers on government grants.

7. Finally, if you need professional help in writing grants. You can choose among these professional grant writers and give better chances for your grant application to get approved.

beverly w asked:


I am looking for state or gederal grants for the funding of a small business I would like to start.

Jane d asked:


Okay…I was enrolled in 12 units, so I got the full amount of federal pell grant which was almost $2500 per semester. I dropped a class, so now I am taking 9 units. I read a description and it says I if I have 9 units, I keep 3/4 of the money. Is that true or do I have to give back all of the $2500? Does anyone have experience with this?

Timothy Orleans asked:


In the United States, federal grants are economic aid issued by the United States government out of the general federal revenue. Private non-profit organizations can issue grants such as foundations, not-for-profit corporations or charitable trusts, are all collectively refer to as charities. Outside the United States grants, subventions or subsidies use to in similar fashion by government or private charities to subsidize programs and projects that fit within the funding criteria of the grant-giving entity or donor. Grants can be unrestricted, recipient can use it in any fashion within the perimeter of the recipient organization’s activities or they may be restricted to a specific purpose by the benefactor.

When an awarding agency expects to be substantially involved in a project (beyond routine monitoring and technical assistance), the law requires use of a cooperative agreement instead. When the government is procuring goods or services for its own direct benefit, and not for a broader public purpose, the law requires use of a federal contract.

The federal government allocates tens of millions of dollars to various agencies every year to give grants to US residents. Big corporations use private foundations to give grants as tax write-offs and for community services. The Government agency to which you apply will send you an acceptance letter with your award amount. Shortly afterwards, you will receive your cash grant.

The amount of money that you receive all depends on the type of grant you are applying for and your actual needs. Grants issued can range from $5,000 to a million dollars or more. This is not a loan so the conventional methods of getting a loan do not apply when obtaining a free cash grant. Individuals who are unemployed and bankrupt receive grants. You can apply to as many grants as you want.

USA Grant asked:


Grant money is available for the people who need it, but who will know that you need it without a well written request?

For anyone who has ever tried acquiring federal or private grant money, the process can be completely overwhelming. Once you weed through all of the government agencies, and public and private foundations, there are the very specific guidelines and requirements for qualification that you have to fit into before you can obtain any funding.

Then there’s the application process. You actually have to write a grant proposal? This is like the essay question that’s worth have of your grade. Take a deep breath! You don’t have to do this alone.

There are companies like USA Grant Team who specialize in organizing all of the different types of grants and, taking your specific situation, like the money cupid and matching you with any and all of the grants that you may qualify for, but then, it gets even better. They will assist you through the application process and pitch your proposal in the most effective way possible.

There are several elements that need to be effectively covered and if you’re not prepared for that, it just might cost you thousand of dollars!

A grant proposal should contain six essential elements:

• Opening Statements

• Explanation of Necessity

• Description

• Budget:

• Affiliate Information:

• Summary

The Opening Statement is brief “pitch” encompassing the who, what, why and how. This should be a short synopsis of what your organization does, who the people are behind the operation, your mission statement, and your plans of implementing your specific purpose. You want to capture your audience’s attention with this opening statement, but it should be concise and lack verbosity.

In your Explanation of Necessity, you can go into a slightly more detail about the project, describing what importance it has and who benefits from it. A background of the endeavor may be helpful here, being careful to not be too extensive, while still highlighting the most significant details.

The Description section of your proposal is the place for details. A portrayal of the project and clarification of procedures to implementation is appropriate here to effectively convince any grantors reviewing your application of its necessity. Here you want a very intricately considered plan to explain your objectives and execution.

A carefully designed Budget will indicate that all money is effectively and efficiently spent with the most economical tactic. This is the defining factor in a lot of cases where so many righteous causes so desperately need the money. With numerous deserving applicants, only one will get the grant so of course the donors want to know that all funds will be wisely spent to accomplish the most advantage possible.

The next section, the Affiliate Information, is a depiction of the organization, management and the experience of the team. This is where the key members are highlighted and their successes and skills can be exhibited for the enhancement of project. What will each member bring to the mission and how will the team compliment each other and the project.

The Summary is just that. A laconic review of the who, what, why, and how that has already been described throughout the proposal. Touching briefly on each key point of the Opening Statement, Explanation of Necessity, Description, Budget, and Affiliate Information will encompass the heart and soul of your entire proposal.

This may seem like a lot, in fact it is quite fastidious, however, professional grant writers have expertise in satisfying these rigorous requirements with articulate verbiage.

If you think obtaining grant money is impossible, talk with a professional consultant. All the research has been done, and grant writers are providing an invaluable service to American citizens.