One possible exception is for companies developing or exporting agricultural goods, including food and forest product. Another exception could be the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) or Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs http://www.sba.gov/aboutsba/sbaprograms/鈥?/a> , which fund the research and development of technological innovation that meets specific government needs.
Your best bet actually will be from the states if they offer grant programs for women (or any other special interest groups -- minorities, women, disabled, veterans, etc). Or check with non profit organizations, particularly women organizations if they offer grants. Examples include
Iowa Women's Foundation http://www.iawf.org/
New Mexico Women's Foundation http://www.nmwf.org/guidelines.html
Even SBA does NOT give out grants. From the SBA website http://www.sba.gov/mostrequesteditems/CO鈥?/a>
';The U.S. Small Business Administration does not offer grants to start or expand small businesses, although it does offer a wide variety of loan programs. (See http://www.sba.gov/financing for more information) While SBA does offer some grant programs, these are generally designed to expand and enhance organizations that provide small business management, technical, or financial assistance. These grants generally support non-profit organizations, intermediary lending institutions, and state and local governments.';
Nonetheless, you can go to the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) http://www.cfda.gov and Grants.gov http://www.grants.gov - these are two sites created by the federal government to provide transparency and information on grants. Browse through the listings and see if you can find any grant that would support a for-profit venture.
Here is a listing of federal grants for small businesses. See if there is any available for individuals for starting a business -- THERE'S NONE.
http://12.46.245.173/pls/portal30/CATALO鈥?/a>
Most of the federal grants are given to specific target groups with specific requirements (e.g. minority business owners involved in transportation related contracts emanating from DOT - Grant#20.905 Disadvantaged Business Enterprises Short Term Lending Program
Grants are also often given to non profit groups or organizations involved in training or other similar activities (grant 59.043 Women's Business Ownership Assistance that are given to those who will create women's business center that will train women entrepreneurs
I suggest you read the following books to get ideas of how to finance your business:
Financing Your Small Business http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1鈥?/a>
Small Business Financing: How and Where To Get It http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0鈥?/a>
Financing the Small Business: A Complete Guide to Obtaining Bank Loans and All Other Types of Financing http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1鈥?/a>
The SBA Loan Book http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1鈥?/a>
Angel Capital : How to Raise Early-Stage Private Equity Financing http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0鈥?/a>
Financing Your Small Business (Barron's Business Library Series) http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0鈥?/a>
For private grants, you may want to check the Foundation Center's Foundation Grants for Individuals Online http://gtionline.fdncenter.org . It's a subscription based website ($9.95 per month) but their opening blurb only says that the database is ideal for ';students, artists, academic researchers, libraries and financial aid offices.'; Entrepreneurs are apparently not one of them, so I take it they also don't have listings of private foundations who give grants to would-be entrepreneurs.My wife is interested in starting a small business. How can she apply for free grant monies to start.?
She can't. There is no such thing as a grant to start a business.My wife is interested in starting a small business. How can she apply for free grant monies to start.?
Go to http://www.grants.gov for a list of government grants and how you can apply for them. What you will learn is that there is no free lunch.
There isn't anyone who hands out free money to start a small business. You might be able to find a small business loan, but she'll need a business plan, collateral or evidence that she has risked her own money in the venture.
If she hasn't invested much or doesn't have a killer business plan, then it might be hard to convince a loan agency that she has confidence in her own venture, thus begging the question, why should they?
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