How to Get a Grant for A Women Owned Business

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By Gardengates
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how to get a small business grant for women

Women owned business is growing in the United States. A recent Census Bureau's survey showed that women owned 26% of the nation's 20.8 million non-farm businesses. As a result, funding, like grant money, is becoming more available for women to use for their businesses. But financial help is still not easy to get. Here is some information on how to get a grant for a women owned business. Hopefully, it will aid you on your search.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Step 1

Despite all the promises floating around, getting a grant for a for-profit business is not easily found. There are some exceptions like in the agricultural markets and technology innovation, because these areas appear to have good investment returns. Other areas will require more research and effort to find.
Step 2

To cut your odds, you might first want to search for grant offers within your own industry. Try government and non-profit offerings or resources. For example, if your business centers on health care, first check out opportunities within the medical field rather than seeking general grants.
Step 3

You might also want to consider non-profit standing for your business. There is a lot more grant money available for non-profit businesses than those which are for-profit.
Step 4

Federal grants are harder to come by. So try state and local resources where you might fare better. Even the SBA does not offer grants, but they can help lead you to sources that might help.
Step 5

Research non profit woman's organizations.

For example, you might try one of these:
Colorado Women's Foundation at http://wfco.org/
Iowa Women's Foundation at http://www.iawf.org/
New Mexico Women's Foundation at http://www.nmwf.org/guidelines.html

Another source worthy of checking on offers new and existing business grants you can apply for at Womens-finance (in Resources, below).
Step 6

Online, look up the Ladies Club 2000.com. After signing up you can access their information on qualifying and locating sources for grants. You might find something there, too.
Step 7

Know that you will have to write a cover letter, a grant proposal and you will have to fill out applications carefully. Mistakes can cause your application to be thrown out. Proposals should also be properly written, so don't hesitate to get some expert help if you need it.
Step 8

One word of caution: there are many who would have you believe that finding a grant is as simple as paying them for their lists, books or recommendations. There are more scams out there than good advice, so take everything you learn with a certain amount of care, and research carefully before paying for anything.
Step 9

For more information on how to get a grant for a women owned business, please see the links listed below under Resources.