Small Home Business Grants

Your business will go places with a grant from a major corporation such as British Airways.

One way to finance your home-based business is to apply for a grant. Grants, unlike loans, do not need to be repaid. Therefore, the competition is fierce to get your hands on these coveted prizes. Plan on doing your homework to research the criteria for each program before you apply.

British Airways Face of Opportunity Grant

There's more than one way to skin a cat, just like there is more than one way to give a grant. British Airways is encouraging small businesses to go global and increase their face-to-face meetings with clients and vendors through its Face of Opportunity Grant program. Rather than getting a cash award, recipients of the small business program receive round-trip airfare to anywhere British Airways flies. In 2010, 100 small and medium sized businesses received airfare grants from British Airways.

Caleb Brown Urban Excellence Community Grant

Chicago-based Caleb Brown Venture Capital and Consulting, LLC awards a $1,000 grant and 500 hours of consulting 12 times per year. While the $1,000 is excellent seed money, the business advice you can receive via the consultations might be the competitive edge that leads your venture to the front of the pack. Applications are accepted by the 15th of each month; the winning business is chosen on the fifth of the following month.

Intuit Love a Local Business Grant

Intuit, the financial software giant famous for Quickbooks and Turbotax, awards a business each month a grant of $25,000. Unlike other grant programs that require lengthy application forms that require you to plead your case for the funds, Intuit's program simply asks you to have your customers write a review of your business. The more reviews and "likes" your business gets, the better the odds of your business winning the grant. Intuit explains on its website that each review or "like" you receives acts like a raffle ticket. One winner is chosen at random at the end of each month. The business with the most votes has the best odds of winning.

MillerCoors Urban Entrepreneurs Series

Small businesses in urban areas can apply for the MillerCoors Urban Entrepreneurs Series grant. The beer-making giant has been awarding grants to small businesses since 1999. To be eligible, businesses must be start-ups or less than five years old and owned by young adults between 21 and 35 years old. Grants range from $25,000 to $50,000.

References

• British Airways: The Face of Opportunity From British Airways
• Caleb Brown: The Urban Excellence Community Grant Criteria
• Intuit: Love a Local Business
• Miller Coors MUES: MUES 2010 Announcement News Release

Resources

• Caleb Brown: Urban Excellence Community Grant Application