Writing A Business Plan:
Business Funding Grants Are There If You Know How to Get Them

There really are a lot of business funding grants available. Thousands upon thousands of them. Many of them go unused each year.

The reality is that most companies -- well over 90% -- just don't qualify to go after these business grants. In determining whether or not your company might qualify, consider these issues:

1. Is your company focused on a social or scientific issue? An ice cream parlor in a nice neighborhood probably won't qualify. An ice cream parlor that trains kids coming out of juvenile detention centers is a real possibility.

2. Do you have the experience to do what you say you are going to do? Don't expect a $10 million grant to start out with. If this is your first grant, look at more modest grants.

3. Do you have the backing of your community? This is a biggie. With an Advisory Board comprised of seven of the top non-profit leaders in your area, it's a shoo in. Without community support, there isn't much chance at all.

4. How flexible are you in your plan? If you really have to build out your clothing store with a marble floor and velvet curtains, you probably don't have the flexibility to meet the requirements of business funding grants.

So Where Do You Find These Grants?

Lots and lots of places. Here are a few to get you started.

Centers for Disease Control. Highly sophisticated scientific based grants. Most grants are pre-determined to accomplish specific goals. Some are more open to new concepts.

Wisconsin Business Grants. Wisconsin is one of many states that works to promote business grants in its state. Your business will need to be located in the state that provides the grant, but these grants are good enough that they are well worth checking out.

SBA Hotlist. A great source for business grants of all sorts. Direct links to major US Government granting agencies.

Inventions and Innovation Program. The Department of Defense provides small grants for innovative research and testing.

Small Business Development Center. Sponsored by the Small Business Administration, this project has backed hundreds and hundreds of new and emerging businesses.

Grants for Non-Profits. A project of Michigan State University Libraries, this describes over 100 grants for nonprofit organizations.

Rural Development Grants. Announcements are made here as funds become available for rural development projects.

Florida State Grants

Starting a Business in California

National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research provides grants for specialized research

Corporation for Public Broadcasting. For the more creative amongst us, this is a prime source of funding.

Fund for Jewish Documentary Filmmaking. Sponsored by Steven Speilberg, it is a targeted fund.

Australian Government Grants. Broken down by agriculture, tourism, automotive, entrepreneurship and others, this is a very broad based funding site for Aussies.

Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development. A great funding and program finder.

Minority Business Development Agency. A database full of opportunities for minority entrepreneurs of all kinds.

This is barely touching the surface of what is available. A lot of information is available online. A lot is not. I do recommend that you pick up a good Grants Directory that lists all kinds of grants from government grants to non profit grants to minority grants to business funding grants. It will make your grant search go a lot faster and a lot smoother.

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