Small Government Grants - How to Jumpstart Your Small Business

Small government grants can indeed be a much-needed shot in the arm for any business. Especially for those just starting out, a government grant can mean a push in the right direction. The problem is that they are not so easy to get - what's worse; some people think that these grants are nothing more than free money! Not only this, government grants money is one area where you tend to run into a lot of scams. Before you think of applying for a grant, you need to be clear about a few important things.

Check First

The first thing to remember is that grants often come and go - grants that may have been available a couple of years ago may not exist today. This often happens when the grant loses its funding. It's important to check current grant listings first to see what's available. Secondly, it's important to remember that some grants are more plentiful than others. For instance, student grants for women and grants for minorities or the disabled are the most numerous. If you are specifically looking for small government grants for businesses, remember that these are limited at both the state and federal level.

Another thing to bear in mind is that some areas are given preference for start up grants. For example, places that are disaster areas, low-income areas and those undergoing development have a much higher chance of securing funding. You also need to be clear about exactly what kind of assistance you'll be getting. For instance, some non-profit organizations will assist you indirectly in getting grants.

The Scam Factor

If you do decide to get a small government grant, be careful about the kind of scams you may come across. First of all, let's say you get a phone call saying that your grant application has been approved. Don't believe it - if you do get the grant, the government will not contact you by telephone. You might also come across people who will charge you a fee to find grants for you. This is also a scam - all the resources you need to find the right grants are free and readily available.

It's also a good idea not to bank solely on the grant money. The scramble for government grants is extremely competitive. Apart from that, the process can take a very long time and there is no guarantee that you will actually get the money. If you are strapped for cash and need something in a hurry, it might be better to consider a loan or to borrow the money from elsewhere.

When it comes to these kinds of grants your best bet is to make absolutely sure you are eligible for the money. Complete the application as clearly and thoroughly as possible. You will also be working with a grant officer at this time - make sure you meet up regularly and inquire about the status of your application. It's also a good idea to draw up a complete business plan and keep it ready. Finally, make sure you have a back-up plan. Landing small government grants are great but you need to have an alternative in mind if it doesn't work out.

For more on small government grants including expert insights, tips and strategies, visit us at http://primegrants.com

Information About Government Approved Mortgage Loans

In the world of mortgages or more specifically government mortgages there are a few that are available to the average lender today. In fact, nowadays there are even more options for you to consider than ever before and the ability to qualify for those programs is easier than ever before! In this article I'm going to specifically talk about a few of the options you have such as FHA, VA, Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac.

The FHA term is often used to describe a direct particular marketplace lending intersection. What are FHA loans and how do you apply them? Your choices for application programs now are through through a approved lender, or via the Internet. FHA, or the Federal Housing Authority was established in 1934 as a part of Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal. It worked incredibly well and in 1965, the FHA became a part of the Department of Housing and Urban Development! Since then the FHA has become one of the largest insurers of home mortgages in the entire country!

The VA Loan is really a simple spin off of the FHA loan which is open to Veterans having served in the armed forces. The VA loan was conceived in order to supply returning veterans with the opportunity to purchase homes and start their lives once again. Fannie Mae, or the Federal National Mortgage Association, was established to allow for an secondary market for the FHA mortgage loans. In 1938, when President Roosevelt established the Federal National Mortgage Association it was intended to allow for a alternate market for lenders to sell mortgages in order to originate new ones. Freddie Mac, followed them in a few years, and was applied to serve a bigger foundation of mortgages.

Although Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are not verbatim lenders, our latest mortgage system would not be in operation nor would we have experienced the success with home ownership we enjoy in today!

Of course there are also other options available to you such as HECM and HUD and the well-know SNAP which stands for safe neighborhood action plan. The SNAP is actually an FHA supervised effort to improve urban communities. by providing education, activities for schools and assistance for "project" residents. As you can see the government has played a HUGE rule in where we have ended up today and its truly what makes it possible for people like you and me to buy ownership in our country.

But its also true that Teddy Roosevelt really put down the first stepping stone for us to really get to the point that we are now, after all more Americans nowadays can actually have the dream of owning a home, and making it come true than in any era before!

This author is a huge fan of http://www.government-grants.tv/blog

What Can You Use Government Grants For?

A lot of people do not know how to get government grants, forget about knowing what these funds can be used for. They would be surprised to know the different grants available from the common to the obscure. Whatever the case, what is important is to have a good source who would be familiar with all the available grants and the prerequisites so that you can be guided through your application process and obtain approval with ease.

Here are some grants and their uses that people are not aware of:

Though you can find funding to help you with your debts or other financial burdens through government grants, there is also funds for starting up a new business and continuing education funds.

First lets determine where you will gain access to the government and private grants we are about to discuss. You can start by searching in Google for "foundations", "foundation center" or "philanthropy":

If you want help with putting together a business plan or proposal, try searching for "SBA", "bplans", "onlinewbc" or "business plans".

Here are some of the unique yet needed resources for a needy segment of our community:

Alfred I. Du Pont Foundation For needy elderly

ANGELCARE Aid poor needy children and families

Improving Teacher Quality State Grants - improve student academic achievement through improving teacher and principal quality

John Anson Kittredge Educational Fund For artists & scholars for travel

Japan-US Friendship Commission Grants promotes educational, intellectual, artistic / cultural exchange & research between USA and Japan

Mi Casa Resource Center for Women
571 Galapago Street Denver, CO 80204 303-573-1302 or fax 303-595-0422

Ready-to-learn television educational programming for preschool thru early elementary children & their families. Develop educational television programming geared towards increasing school readiness for young children in limited English proficiency

Special Education Parent Information Centers

Grants for adult students with financial need. New Careers Scholarships for Adult Students University of Pittsburgh Bruce Hall, Second Floor Pittsburgh, PA 15260 (412)624-7488 P/D: funding adult students w/financial need. Contact: Dr. Betsy Porter, Director of Financial Aid.

High Hopes Foundation Grants grant wishes of chronically ill children between ages 3 & 18 who live in New Hampshire

New York - Job Creation Thru Entrepreneurship: help unemployed start & operate start up business and help existing businesses expand. Center for Practical Solutions 350 Motor Parkway, Ste. LL1 Hauppauge, NY 11788 516-273-4782 or fax 516-273-4709

New York State Department of Economic Development Aid for start-up businesses to help survive the first 24 months of business or to help existing businesses with relocation and expansion efforts. Queens County Overall Economic Dev. Corp. 90-04 161st Street, Ste. 801 Jamaica, NY 11432

New York State Department of Economic Development Entrepreneurial Assistance Program Queens County Overall Economic Dev. Corp. 90-04 161st Street, Ste. 801 Jamaica, NY 11432 718-262-8383 or fax 718-262-9185 help new business survive

As you can see there are various funding sources for various needs. The money is out there, all you have to do is contact these sources and be on your way to getting the funding you will need with you business or personal life.

Start the process now. Get a complete list of grants contacts at http://www-government-grants.com

Where Are The $140 Billion Worth Of Government Grants?

These are not rumors of funds available for you to use without having to pay it back. It is not welfare or some sort of public assistance for the entitiled poor. These are funds set aside to help you go back to school, fix your home, start up a business in your community to name of a few. The key is finding them and knowing how to complete the application process. Once you know where to find these funds and that you qualify all you need to do is apply.

A lot of people do not know that these funds are not for just the poor. But all groups are entitled to these government grants. Anyone who is a USA resident or legal resident would qualify for these grants. There is over $21 billion set aside every year for businesses of which women minority business owners apply and get. $5 billion is designated to students who wish to further their education. There are no credit checks for individuals or businesses. You do not have to have or provide collateral. These funds are unsecured funds. So if your business fails, no one is going to go after your house to recoup the funds.

The key to these grants is that in addition to an application, you have to submit a full proposal as to what you intend to use the funds and how it will help you accomplish your goal. This is requires patience as oppose to a loan or tap or pell grant where the decision process is quicker and the approval process is predominantly based upon your income, credit and grades.

Sources to find out where these funds are located and how to apply are found by Googling "fedmoney", "foundationcenter", "red cross", or "Catholic charities".

Some of these portals only offer government grants but some of the above offer fellowships, scholarships, funds from governmental sources as well as non profit organizations who offer grant monies to help support certain causes. Whether it is a business or money to pay for bills and rehab your home, the resources listed are there to help you through or to help you accomplish your dreams.

There are also experienced grant writers who can help you accomplish getting approved your first time around or every time you apply. Some applications can be lengthy and discouraging to apply for, oftentimes it is cost effective to pay someone who have experience with these applications and are familiar with the decision makers to get you approved.

Above is a brief description of the funds available each year, where to find them and within those sources you will find out what you qualify and what information you need to apply. Then you have everything you need to apply and qualify.

For more information about government grants visit http://www-government-grants.com

How To Really Get Approved For Government Grants

Yes there is free money. Money that you do not have to pay back, ever. But if it is free, why are't people rushing to get some of that free money? Detailed below is the process to demystify the government grants approval process. This will help you determine if you are willing to undertake what seems so mystical or difficult for others and if you feel the process to be overwhelming, what options are available for you to gain access to some of this free money.

The key step in getting approved is researching and planning. You see different agencies and foundations have different qualifications and before applying you need to know what their prerequisites are in order to determine whether you will be able to qualify. It makes no sense to start getting all the documents they ask you and filling out the application and making the proposal if you do not meet the qualifying for funding. Research carefully and plan dilengently, that is half the battle.

Now you have found a couple of government grants you qualify for and can meet the requirements for funding, what do you do, start by preparing the grant proposal. The summary is the key for approval. They look to the summary to determine if you meet their funding guidelines and if they understand your funding need. You must make your summary compelling an convincing. 90% of grants get rejected because they fail in this one area of conveying the need for the funding and how it meet the grantor's funding requirements. If its unclear, it will not get approved.

Now organize all your paperwork in chronological order. Make sure to make a list of all the items they are requesting and you check off the list as you gather the paperwork and put it in the order they request.

Now write your proposal and be thorough and to the point. You must justify the need for your need or the needs of the community and how you and the grant provider can meet that need together. Justify how you receiving this grant will contribute greatly to the community and how badly the community needs what you are offering. You must find a way to convey that you are trying to meet a need, reach a goal, not just find ways to spend money. How this seed money meets your long term goals and how they will get so much publicity for making this happen for the community.

Then complete the application, make sure not to leave anything out on the application as this will delay the approval process. Once you have completed the above processes, you are ready to submit your application for funding.

Get more tips for applying for government grants at http://www-government-grants.com

The Way A For-Profit Daycare Can Benefit From Government Grants

Lots of for-profit business can benefit from government grants. One of which is your typical day care center.

One recently got a grant to build an outdoor playground. They were awarded twenty five thousand dollars from two government grants. The way they went about this was to hire a professional grant writer. One of the teachers attempted to do it herself, however she soon got overwhelmed with all of the paperwork. When they hire a professional grant writer things came into place.

The first thing the grant writer did was gather all the information that was needed to put the grant together. This included gathering the necessary paperwork and talking to the people who wanted the grant written. Essentially the grant writer spent the day at the daycare center and got a feel for the whole operation. This gave the grant writer a better idea of which grant giving organizations would most likely award a grant to them.

Next the grant writer did a fair amount of intense research that narrowed down the number of the most likely government grants that the daycare would qualify for. The next thing the grant writer had to do was put all the information that he collected into some sort of resemblance of order. This included putting everything down on paper and make several revisions. After all of this was done he submitted the grant papers to the appropriate agencies and they all waited for the government grants to come in.

One thing that came up early in the association between the daycare center and the grant writer was compensation. The grant writer wanted an upfront fee that included his time and all of his expenses. The daycare wanted to make his pay contingent upon the grant being awarded. The writer explained to the daycare center owners that lot of government grants are not awarded based on the contingent based pay the way the daycare owners wanted to pay him. He explained further that the grant givers were giving grants to fulfill a need of the daycare center and not the fees of a grant writer.

After this was explained to the daycare center owners they saw where this could be a problem. Each party finally decided that an hourly wage would be a better way to pay the writer. In these tight economic times the contingent upon award type of compensation is on the rise.

To find out more tips for government grants visit http://www-government-grants.com

How Government Grants Can Help a Minority Business, Especially Beauty Salons

Recently my wife had been looking into government grants. Specifically we were interested in grants that were given to minority groups. These types of grants can offer some incredible opportunities to those that would otherwise never be able to realize their dreams. Every year there are billions of dollars in grant money that is given to minorities that want to start a business.

Everyday minority owned business are given these type of grants. By getting these government grants minority owned businesses can not only start a new business, but can buy an existing business as well. These grants can also be use to expand an existing business. There are lots of sites on the Internet that can be utilized to find information on government grants. The first step in getting a minority grant is to identify your specific needs as grants can be for pretty much any purpose. Once you identify the need you need to find the agencies that offer those type of grants. There are lots of sites, however sometimes its best to go directly to the government site that is offering the type of grant that you want to apply for. When applying for grants one needs to remember that not all grants are alike. There are different requirements for different grants. One should not be intimidated by this and follow the directions when applying for a grant.

One thing that people should remember is that its best to apply for as many grants as possible. By doing this you increase your chances of getting a grant or possibly even two grants. One question people often ask themselves is should they write the grant themselves or get a grant writing professional to do the grant writing for them. Sometimes filling out the grants forms can be a little tedious. One needs to remember that this is all part of the process and that if you don't have very much patience you need to get some. When getting a professional grant writer its best to find one that will work with you one on one. Its important to be able to have an open line of communication with this person so you both can get all of the relevant facts down on paper. One important thing to remember is that writing grants and actually receiving the grants can take quite a bit of time, waiting is the name of the game.

To find out more about government grants visit http://www-government-grants.com

Government Grants For a Non-Profit Equine Therapy Center

One thing that a lot of people don't know is that non-profit organizations can apply for and receive government grants. This is a major source of funding for lots of non-profits. Since non-profit have a lot of volunteers their overhead is usually a lot less than the typical for profit business. One non profit recently applied for and received a large government grant to improve their equine therapy center. The people at this center use horses to help both disabled children and disabled veterans improve the quality of their lives. The government grants they received will help them buy more land and more horses. It also went to help with the maintenance of the entire facility. I was informed that in the next year they will apply for six more grants.

One thing that they and many people find very helpful is to have a professional grant writer. Grant writing can at times be very frustrating and time consuming. Grant writing has become a very competitive field and there are a lot of professional grant writers available. A lot of non-profits don't have the extra funds to hire a professional grant writer. In these cases many grant writers will offer their services at a reduced rate. If a grant writer does require payment for their services there are different ways to pay them.

One way to pay a grant writer is to make the payment continent on getting the grant awarded. Then the grant writer is given a percentage of the grant that is awarded. This is where things can get a little tricky. The organization needs to come up with a percentage that is fair to the organization and to the grant writer too. This type of pay arrangement is sometimes troubling to a lot of the agencies that give out money. The grant money is earmarked for a specific purpose and not to pay for the services of a grant writer. This could cause some problems getting government grants. Its a lot of peoples opinion that grant writers should be paid a one time fee and or an hourly wage. Either way its a better practise than going the contingent pay option. The hourly wage or flat fee method of payment for grant writers is better for them too. Not all grants are awarded. It would be an awful lot of work to write a grant and then not be paid due to reasons that are beyond the grant writers control.

To find out more information about government grants visit http://www-government-grants.com