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Business Grants for Women
Answer: Yes. And No. Total charitable giving reached the historic level of $240.92 billion in 2002, a growth of 1% in current dollars over the revised estimates for 2001. So there is money out there. And with more than 6,000 foundations that give business grants to individuals, it sounds pretty simple, right? The problem is, you have to know where to look, what you're looking for and how to match what you need with their giving guidelines! Not ALL government grant programs are advertised. That's why some of the grant
packages and programs are very valuable. They have found those resources
that you will have a hard time finding on your own. The grant packages
listed below have done all the work for you.
Although billions of dollars
are given away annually by Government Agencies and 30,000 + grant-making
Foundations in the United States, Most Americans do not even know these
Agencies and Foundations exist, or how to contact them!
Question: So, how do I get started? Answer: Business Grant availability varies greatly by region, by state, and even by the type of business you are going into. If you're serious about wanting a business grant to start or expand your business, you're going to have to do some work. And actually, DW has a great page of resources for you already. They include the Small Business Administration, (SBA), SCORE (Senior Corps of Retired Executives) that is a free service for you. So, explore the DW Website, and see what you can find. Next, check with the Small Business Development Center in your area. Sometimes they will know about available business grants, and sometimes have business grants for small business owners. Are you disabled? If you are, your local Vocational Rehabilitation Center offers business grants from $6,000 to $10,000 for you to start your own business. You have to be accepted into their program, and you have to write a solid business plan, but there are plenty of resources available to help you do that! Do you have a women's business center in your area? What about local foundations that focus on women or women's issues? Check into Micro-enterprise...you can find more information through your local Chamber of Commerce, or Economic Development offices. Check your state's webpage too. Often they will list resources for small business owners. Question. I’ve heard there is business grant money available for small business owners. Where can I find a business grant for my small business? Answer. Research. Research. Research. (And then more research!) The first thing you need to know is that business grant research takes time. You are (probably) not going to find a business grant within an hour of looking. You may not find one within a week, or even a month of looking. The reason is that there are so many potential business grant sources out there, and you’re going to need to spend some time to check each one, to see if you fit their criteria, find out their deadlines, their guidelines, etc. To give you an idea of what I’m talking about, a couple of weeks ago I did some background research for another article I was writing, and out of curiosity, I googled “Small business grants” just to see what I’d find. Guess what? There were over 3 million hits! That’s a lot of information - even if two thirds of those Websites were irrelevant, broken links or repeats, that’s still over a million sites for you to look at! So, where do you look? If you’re a professional member of Digital Women, you have access to a very comprehensive database right now, with links to more than 1,200 corporate foundations. (If you’re not a professional member, then I recommend that you think about becoming one. Having access to the database alone is worth the membership fee!) Next, start locally. Talk to the following organizations in your community: Chamber of Commerce Mathew Lesko | Govt. Grants & Money | American Grant Directory | Govt Grants When you hear about all of the business grant money that our federal government is giving away to help small businesses, chances are, if it’s available in your area, these are the people who either know about it, or are giving it out. Do you have a woman’s organization in your area? What about a microenterprise lending group? They also may be “in the know” about what’s available in your area. And don’t forget your local librarian. She/he is a great resource for information from writing a business grant to who’s who in giving it away! By the way, if you are low-income and disabled, check with your local Vocational Rehabilitation Office. If you qualify for their program, you can receive a business grant of between $6,000 and $10,000 to start or expand your business. Each area has their own rules, regulations and requirements, but it’s worth checking into. Here are some other great resources to help you find business grants: The Foundation Center for grants
Grants
for Women - the scoop
About Cheryl: Cheryl Antier
is the president of "Dream Weaver Enterprises" a business and fundraising
consultancy firm that specializes in helping you to "weave your dreams
into reality". She recently married for the second time, has three
children at home and lives bi-continentally in Southern France and Southeast
Utah.
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