How to Get Grants for Daycare Centers

Many people dream of opening their own daycare centers. These people have already selected the daycare name and written their business plans. They visualize the layout of their dream center and even begin hunting the for the perfect location. The next logical step is going to the bank and beginning the financing process. Unfortunately, this is as far as many people get because they can not get backing they need to start a daycare. There are legitimate ways of securing grants to make running a daycare a possibility.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Network of business contacts
• Determination

1. Check the small business association (SBA). Besides providing help with business planning and development. Many small business associations will provide start-up grants. The SBA should be your first stop in planning your daycare.

2. Look for grants helping woman, if you are a female. There are several organizations thats are aimed at helping women succeed in business. These organizations offer numerous grants, the secret is seeking them out. There are several website that will help you find these grants.

3. Seek organizations that will help minorities, if applicable. There are many organizations who want to promote business ownerships among African Americans, Native Americans, and Hispanics. Get in contact with these organizations, see what they can do for you.

4. Look to the state. Many states will give grants to help start or a small business. These would be direct grants to help you open your daycare.

5. Join the Chamber of Commerce. Depending on the location, the Chamber of Commerce may also give grants. Since networking is key to helping your daycare succeed, its advisable to get to know other business owners in your city. These fellow business owners would be able to tell you what grants would be available from your local Chamber of Commerce.

6. Visit local universities. Many universities run special business development programs. These would be a wealth of knowledge from experts in business. Along with offering small grants to assist you with getting your daycare funded.

Tips & Warnings

• When looking for grants make sure to focus on small business grants instead of the daycare grants, as most daycare grants go to nonprofit centers first.
• Do not count on making grants a part of your yearly income. Although you can renew many grants, your goal should be to make yourself self-reliant as soon as possible.

Resources

• The Minority Business Development Agency
• grants.gov- Has a listing of grants available from the United States Small business association