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How can I find a Gov. Grant

EarlllEarlll subscriber Posts: 3
edited September 2008 in Startup Funding
Hey everyone iv`e been looking website after website to find a gov. grant application for multiple cases such as start-up buisnesses, real estate and so on. If anybody can give information on how to get these grants that`ll much help. Thank you

Comments

  • ktmdooleyktmdooley subscriber Posts: 0

    http://sites.google.com/site/governmentgrantlinks/

     
    I found this site useful.  Gave me links for loans as well as grants. I was able to search the entire database to see if there was anything out there for me.
     
    $5 wasn`t that bad a price and they were honest.  They sent me the links I paid for, plus some I didn`t know I would get.
     
    In the end I found a loan to help out with start up costs.
  • DrewParkerDrewParker subscriber Posts: 0
    Have you tried the government websites? They`re free
  • jazzylgjazzylg subscriber Posts: 0
    It`s difficult to get government grants,despite some of the website claims, unless your`re a 501 c or non-profit organization in most cases. Most corporations do this with no problem. I`ve recently come across a very affordable program called fundraiser 1.0  Give it a shot, I`m still in the early phases of fund raising myself. http://is.gd/2Ul0jazzylg9/21/2008 9:17 PM
  • AskVikiAskViki subscriber Posts: 0
    Jazzy, try these...
    http://www.grants.gov/
    http://12.46.246.173/cfda/cfda.html
    However, you should be aware there are very few grants available for `for profit` businesses.
    Good Luck!
    Viki Garrison
    www.askviki.com
  • SilenceDogoodSilenceDogood subscriber Posts: 9
    THE site to go to is FedBizOpps
    It is an official .gov site.  You can search on contract opportunities as well as grants.  If nothing else, it is kind of fun to just look around at what the government is buying.
    The comments above about getting a grant is not easy - spot on.
    A few years ago, I applied for a SBIR (Small Business Innovation and Research) grant.  I teamed up with a research university.  The legal counsel (with much experience getting SBIR grants) for the University told me bluntly: You don`t stand a chance.  These grants are inside, good ol` boy money.
    He encouraged me and the university to apply anyway - for the practice and exposure.  He said that to actually land one of these grants, I would need to spend time in D.C. promoting myself with the powers that be (e.g. try to become one of the good ol` boys myself).
    I did apply.  Made the first cut (which I was told was highly unusual for a first attempt) and got feedback from a panel of experts (the grant was for development of first responder simulation training software). 
    This effort took months of time.
    I do not go after grants anymore.
  • jazzylgjazzylg subscriber Posts: 0
    How right you are. I spent many a dollar trying to get grants, from so called `grant sources` books, websites, even the official federal government sites, and ended up with a big zero. The websites that sell the `sources for free federal grants` are the ones making the real money selling false promises. It`s a great moneymaker, if you`re naive enough to buy into it. As the poster above put it, you mainly have to be a non-profit entity(church, homeless shelter,red cross,university,school district, etc. to even get a dime!
    jazzylg9/22/2008 11:53 PM
  • SilenceDogoodSilenceDogood subscriber Posts: 9
    Jazzylg:
    We even reorged the company a bit: Made wife president so we could be woman owned. We applied for and got HUB (Historically Underutilized Business) zone status, and other designations supposedly helpful in getting gov grants.
    These are inside deals - pure and simple.
  • robertjrobertj subscriber Posts: 0 Member
    Silence,
    Several years back, I worked for a non-profit consulting company that supported small businesses. We helped several companies to get SBIR grants (both phase I and II). I didn`t see any evidence of the "good ol` boy" situation. However, it was clear to me that knowing how to prepare the application plus what to do before and after it is submitted will improve the probability of success. It is rare that a SBIR grant is awarded to a pure startup - so congratulations on getting as far as you did.
    I`m not aware of any federal grants for startups. However, there are usually some local or regional programs which vary widely depending upon your location. Most that I have heard about are geared to helping people start local "lifestyle type businesses and provide small amounts to each successful applicant.
    If one is intending to create a substantial business - I would not include grants in my overall capital strategy.
     
  • EarlllEarlll subscriber Posts: 3
    Thanx for the advive ya`ll I love this website bcuz everybodies in tune its great..But yeah I really didn`t want to give those web sites any of my money so thank you Jazzyig, it was very tempting. I also checked out the books and all of that is not much of a help.
  • grabitpackgrabitpack subscriber Posts: 5
    Great info on this thread.
    I`ve been seeing those infomercials for the Government Grant seminars again.  Their scam is that you pay them $1800 and they do all the paperwork for you and you never hear from them again.
    The only problems I`ve had starting up my business was WITH the government.  I don`t see them making it any easier or being friendly by GIVING me money.
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