Business Starting Grants

What are some free websites for women to use to get free grants for starting a business?

Public Comments

1. Here is a good resource to start yourself off with. http://www.grants.gov/ You will want to research some topics on this as well which you can do at http://www.proposalwriter.com/grants.html#A Have a good day.
2. Sorry to burst your bubble but grants are very hard to come by so please be sure to do your homework so to speak. Visit with your local SBA (sba.gov) and SCORE (score.org). These are free resources provided by our government. They will help you develop an excellent business plan and help you find funding for your business. Your first step would be to develop a very comprehensive business plan and SBA gives free classes to help you with this. Don't buy into the expensive software for business plan writing, they are not worth it. SBA gives out free resources to help you write the best business plan you can. Good luck!
3. In general there is not free grant money for women or anyone else to start a business. The idea that grant money is available is perpetuated by guys (some with ??? all over their clothes) who are trying to sell you books, tapes, seminars, etc. It is all a scam. Governments do provide, for qualified potential business owners, low interest loans--not grants. Grants don't have to be paid back. The grant money you hear about for businesses usually relate to specific industries, business attraction or some other goal and involve grants paid in the future when the business reaches specific goals, like tax revenues collected by the government for new employees hired by the firm. Start-up money for new businesses is not made available from grant programs. Contact the SBA (www.sba.gov) for information about low interest loan programs (The 7a loan program is the most common). You can also check with your state government's economic development office to see if they have any state run programs. The SBA is a federal agency. A previous writer is also correct. These programs will require you to have a written business plan complete with pro-forma financial statements. Check out the SBA program or contact your local community college, many have classes. Don't pay anyone to write the plan for you. It's expensive, not necessary and no one knows your business idea better then you so you should write the plan.
4. Go to http://www.grants.gov for a list of government grants and how you can apply for them. However, there are no grants for a for profit business unless you are opening a daycare and then it is a minimal amount. If you need money, you will need to apply for a loan. No lender will talk to you unless you provide them with a valid business plan. Go to http://www.sba.gov , http://www.score.org or http://www.bplan.com for sample business plans and instructions on how to write a business plan. Then, go to http://www.score.org/ and in the upper left hand corner, enter your zip code. On the next screen, you will get information on the nearest SCORE chapter. Call them and arrange for a free meeting with a SCORE counselor to review your business plan and discuss various loan options available to you. SCORE is a nonprofit association dedicated to entrepreneur education and the formation, growth and success of small business nationwide. SCORE is a resource partner with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). SCORE has 389 chapters in locations throughout the United States and its territories, with 10,500 volunteers nationwide. Both working and retired executives and business owners donate time and expertise as business counselors.