How Can I Apply to Get a Government Grant for a Small Business?
Grants provide funding for many nonprofit and for-profit businesses to further the goals of government programs. Unlike loans, you do not need to repay the grant funds to the grantor. You win government grants for small businesses through a highly competitive process and only for products or services that the government needs, as indicated through a formal solicitation. According to the Small Business Administration, the federal government does not provide grants to start or expand small businesses, although they do support opportunities for targeted small business research grants.
Other People Are Reading
-
Identify Grant Sources
-
For small businesses offering creative research-based solutions to challenges facing major federal agencies, such as the Department of Defense or the National Institutes of Health, the Small Business Innovative Research program offers competitive opportunities to win grant funding. To understand the types of SBIR and the Small Business Technology Transfer -- STTR -- grant opportunities, review current solicitations (see Resources). State grants for small businesses are few and only for specific purposes. To identify state government for small business, contact the office of economic development or search the grant indexes available at large metropolitan libraries.
Contact Grantor
-
Government grantors want applicants that provide products and services they need. Most government solicitations include a contact person who can answer questions and, in some cases, provide feedback on your project or product before you write a grant proposal. Talking with technical contacts and attending sponsored events, gives your organization insight into needs, operating environments and the grantor's evaluation criteria.
-
Get and Review Application
-
The government places information about applying for grant funds online at Grants.gov and on the SBIR site (see Resources). The application procedures specify the content required, the organization of the content presentation and document formatting requirements. The government also states the date when you must submit a proposal for consideration and any required supporting documents.
Write Proposal
-
The required proposal length and content vary by government agency. For example, the SBIR proposal instructions limit page count to 25 pages. Your proposal must contain all required sections and usually include a statement of the government need met by your business, a plan to execute your proposal and a budget that fits within the funding available.
-
References
Resources
- Photo Credit working hands image by Jon Le-Bon from Fotolia.com
