Government Small Business Grants – Part I

Government Small Business Grants are a great way to fund a business start up.

Look at it like this. Suppose you have a great idea for a business, the know how to make it succeed, but no start up capital. Well, you can find friends or family who might want to invest in you. Easier said than done, unless you come from a family with trusting family members who have some money and are not afraid to risk it. You could go to a bank. Young, or even beginning, entrepreneurs often do not have stellar credit. So a bank loan might not be that easy to get. Besides, the thing about loans is you have to pay them back. Or, you could get a grant!

You can get grants from government entities and also from private organizations. Both can be used to fund a business start up. The great thing about grants is you do not have to pay them back. The down side is there is a lot of paperwork and red tape you have to deal with to get the grant. And, also, since the money is free, there is a lot of competition for these grants.

Quite frankly, if you can not deal with the problems and headaches of getting a grant, you might not want to go into business for yourself. Entrepreneurs must be fearless problem solvers, or else they get beaten by the competition.

Having said that, there are a ton of resources on the Internet for you to use, two of which are The Foundation Center and Grants.gov.

The Foundation Center is the nation's leading authority on philanthropy. They have a number of online courses and webinars you might want to check out. Even if their thrust is not necessarily geared toward grants for entrepreneurs, you can still gain a lot of skills that will help you apply for grants.

Grants.gov is a fabulous website that lists thousands of federal government grants, including government small business grants. You would do well to browse their site to learn about what types of grants are available. They also have a pretty good search engine that can help you find what you are looking for.

Do not let lack of capital stop you from starting that business you have always dreamed about! Spend some time and money educating yourself about government small business grants. Who knows, you might just find what you need.