In 1953 the United States government established the Small Business Administration (SBA) as a way of assisting entrepreneurs in forming successful small businesses through government guaranteed loans. While the SBA does make many small-business loans itself, its primary function is to guarantee the small-business loans made by private lenders.

Most SBA loans are secured through any one of the SBAs many licensed partners nationwide. Besides establishing lending guidelines for their partners, the SBA also ensures reasonable loan terms by guaranteeing major portions of the loan in the event of a borrower default. Because of the decreased liability provided by the SBA, the lender is able to offer better interest rates and options to businesses in the early stages of development.

Before we get too excited about the potential benefits of SBA loans, it may be a good idea to first…

Finish Reading: SBA Loan, Qualifying and Applying here

HUD sells homes that are claimed as a result of failed FHA loans. HUD homes are sold “as is,” but often they can be very good deals. FHA will finance the purchase of a HUD home. FHA has home financing programs with down payment requirements as low as 3% -5% down.

You do not have to be a veteran to purchase a VA-owned property or qualify for vendee financing. All VA properties are available for sale to both veterans and non-veterans…

Finish Reading: Government Foreclosure Financing Programs here

To find out who is getting the money, check the foundations 990 tax forms, which are usually available online. That will tell you which nonprofit organizations to contact.

It’s important to keep an open mind and think outside the box when you’re looking for grants. Not all grants come in the form of cold, hard cash. You might be able to find funding that will pay for the training you need, business classes or get a scholarship to go to your local community college.

So how do you get started? Before you start looking for grant money, you need to…

Finish Reading: Grants for Women here