Writing A Business Plan:
Free Government Grants

While there are literally billions of dollars available for free government grants, actually obtaining one may require using the back door approach.

There are two distinct approaches to acquiring free government grants: begin with the business, or begin with the grant.

Begin With Your Established Business

What's your business? Cake decorating? Biodiversity research? The first one will have probably have trouble locating government grants that are already set up. The latter will fare much better.

This is because the government funds those things that will benefit society as a whole. Anti-terrorism devices and identification equipment are really hot products right now.
There are even grants available for stem cell research, although the federal government would have us believe otherwise. The government of several states, including California, provide grants for stem cell research. Even the federal government provides funding for established lines of stem cell research.

Cake decorating is harder. Searching "cake decorating government grants" isn't likely to yield much. Cake decorating doesn't benefit society as whole. Except ...

Begin Looking At Free Government Grants Before Forming Your Business

So we will work it the other way around. What is government looking to fund? Start with your local government, your city, county or state government, and all the various quasi-government agencies floating about. Look for agencies that work with businesses. Inquire about all possible grants, and what they are intended to accomplish. Look for grants to train people for new professions, grants to help develop under-served areas, grants to provide employment for the under-employed.

Not every business is a candidate for this type of grant. Your business will really have to meet the specific needs of the grant. But if it can, you've got your grant.

Your cake decorating business may actually turn into a bakery school, training workers transitioning from jobs that have left your area, or serving as an apprentice program for high school drop outs. (And you will have enough money to still do your cake decorating on the side!) It could also be a home style bread bakery based in a low income area, but one that services higher end clientele in nearby towns.

There are a lot of options. There are a lot of grants out there waiting for you to latch onto them.

The Secret To Locating Free Government Grants

Be creative. Be flexible. Develop a real ability to get people to talk to you and want to help you - not out of pity, but because they enjoy being with you. In fact, if you don't personally have the "likeability" quality, partner with someone who does. It will make all the difference in the world between your success and failure.

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