Grants

Where can I find a grant to start my small business?

 

You may have heard that there are grants or free money available to start a business. In most cases, this information is incorrect and misleading. Promoters of these programs will ask for money before they send you additional information on "grants and free money," but you will often find that what you've paid for are only photocopied lists of companies to appeal to for money, or information on grant writing that is already freely available to you through programs such as the SBA.

The SBA and SBDC organizations do not provide grants for starting or developing a business. Although there are some grants available, they are generally targeted towards specific groups, specialized organizations, or activities. These grants may be targeted to non-profit organizations or educational institutions. An example of such an SBA grant would be the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grants, which are coordinated through the SBA but are provided by other federal agencies including the Departments of Health, Education, or Agriculture.

Please read this article for more information about grants. 

Here's another article from BusinessWeek by Kerry Miller called Busting the 'Free Money' Myth.