Business Starting Grants

How do I Find the right Government Small Business Grant?

Located in the state of California.

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1. try fast grant
2. There are no small business grants to help you start or grow a business.
3. Start at the US Small Business Administration website below. Although not a grant it has solid information and advice on the how to's of doing what you are asking. Probably the premier expert on what governement benefits are available and for what reasons is Mattew Lesko. He is, in my opinion, quite an eccentric. He looks like a bit of a nut case in his picture, but he gives you detailed information about all of the government programs, inlcuding grants that may be avaialble, how to apply for them, including the information for small businesses. He charges for his compilation of all this information, but it should save you hours of researching this same information yourself. However you can still research it for free yourself. It will just cost you your time. I have no connection, financial or otherwise with Mr Lesko. I just know him and about the information he makes available.
4. You stand a greater chance of getting a government-guaranteed loan through the Small Business Administration http://www.sba.gov/financing than a government grant. Read the SBA Financing page to learn about criteria needed for borrowing It is hard to find grants to start a business. Unlike the myths that some perpetuate, federal government and even private foundations hardly give grant money for a for-profit business. Nonetheless, you can go to the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) http://www.cfda.gov and Grants.gov http://www.grants.gov - these are two sites created by the federal government to provide transparency and information on grants. Browse through the listings and see if you can find any grant that would support a for-profit venture. Even SBA does NOT give out grants. From the SBA website http://www.sba.gov/expanding/grants.html "The U.S. Small Business Administration does not offer grants to start or expand small businesses, although it does offer a wide variety of loan programs. (See http://www.sba.gov/financing for more information) While SBA does offer some grant programs, these are generally designed to expand and enhance organizations that provide small business management, technical, or financial assistance. These grants generally support non-profit organizations, intermediary lending institutions, and state and local governments." Here is a listing of federal grants for small businesses. See if there is any available for individuals for starting a business -- THERE'S NONE. http://12.46.245.173/pls/portal30/CATALOG.BROWSE_BENEF_RPT.show Most of the federal grants are given to specific target groups with specific requirements (e.g. minority business owners involved in transportation related contracts emanating from DOT - Grant#20.905 Disadvantaged Business Enterprises Short Term Lending Program Grants are also often given to non profit groups or organizations involved in training or other similar activities (grant 59.043 Women's Business Ownership Assistance that are given to those who will create women's business center that will train women entrepreneurs I suggest you read the following books to get ideas of how to finance your business: Financing Your Small Business http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1572484500/powerhomebizguid Small Business Financing: How and Where To Get It http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0808007386/powerhomebizguid Financing the Small Business: A Complete Guide to Obtaining Bank Loans and All Other Types of Financing http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1580626815/powerhomebizguid The SBA Loan Book http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/158062202X/powerhomebizguid Angel Capital : How to Raise Early-Stage Private Equity Financing http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0471690635/powerhomebizguid Financing Your Small Business (Barron's Business Library Series) http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0764124897/powerhomebizguid For private grants, you may want to check the Foundation Center's Foundation Grants for Individuals Online http://gtionline.fdncenter.org . It's a subscription based website ($9.95 per month) but their opening blurb only says that the database is ideal for "students, artists, academic researchers, libraries and financial aid offices." Entrepreneurs are apparently not one of them, so I take it they also don't have listings of private foundations who give grants to would-be entrepreneurs.