Business Starting Grants

Does any one have any information on getting a grant to start up a business?

I am planning to start a home day care and wanted to know if anyone could point me in the right direction of a business grant. Thanks in advance for any helpful info

Public Comments

1. There are grants for a daycare. Go to http://www.grants.gov for a list of government grants and how you can apply for them. 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. 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.
2. It will be hard to find any grants for starting a business, even daycare. And if you can get grants for your daycare, it will not cover the entire cost of your starting the business. Federal government or states will not give you 100% grant especially for this type of business Maryland for example has the Family Day Care Provider Grant Program http://www.marylandpublicschools.org/MSDE/divisions/child_care/grants/ but it only provides $500 for covering the costs involved in registering your business. In Connecticut there is a School Readiness Quality Enhancement (QE) Grants http://www.ct.gov/dss/lib/dss/pdfs/child_care_annual_report_for_sfy_2005-2006.pdf The best approach is to check daycare licensing agencies in your state and find out from them if there are grants that you can avail of to help you start your daycare business. Administration for Children and Families provide a state by state listing of contacts for licensing and regulations governing child care businesses: http://www.nccic.org/statedata/dirs/regoffic.html Or check with non profit organizations, particularly women organizations if they offer grants. Examples include Iowa Women's Foundation http://www.iawf.org/ New Mexico Women's Foundation http://www.nmwf.org/guidelines.html