Aug-7-2008
How can women get grants to start businesses?
“They” say it’s easy to be a female business owner because of the grants you can get and tax breaks you get. Yet noone has been able to tell me how I can get into this ellusive world.
Where do I locate these grants, find out more info, or talk to someone about this?
what?
GET A BUSINESS LOAN AT A BANK.
You heard wrong. Women have access to more loan programs from the SBA as well as certification programs (8A Certification) that allow women-owned businesses to compete better in the government procurement process. But not grants.
It is hard to find grants to start a business — whether you are male or female, a minority or not. Unlike the myths that some perpetuate, federal government and even private foundations hardly give grant money for a for-profit business. The keyword here is “FOR PROFIT” — and if your business is for-profit, then you’d be very hard pressed to find a grant to help start the business.
Nonetheless, you can go to the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) and Grants.gov – these are two sites created by the federal government to provide transparency and information on grants. Browse through the listings and see if you can find any grant that would support a for-profit venture.
Even if you buy books on “how to get grants” or list that supposedly has information on grants — all of them are mere rehash of what CFDA has, albeit packaged differently. But still the info is the same – hardly any grants for starting a for profit business.
Even SBA does NOT give out grants. From the SBA website…
“The U.S. Small Business Administration does not offer grants to start or expand small businesses, although it does offer a wide variety of loan programs. (See for more information) While SBA does offer some grant programs, these are generally designed to expand and enhance organizations that provide small business management, technical, or financial assistance. These grants generally support non-profit organizations, intermediary lending institutions, and state and local governments.”
Here is a listing of federal grants for small businesses. See if there is any available for individuals for starting a business — THERE’S NONE.
Most of the federal grants are given to specific target groups with specific requirements (e.g. minority business owners involved in transportation related contracts emanating from DOT – Grant#20.905 Disadvantaged Business Enterprises Short Term Lending Program
Grants are also often given to non profit groups or organizations involved in training or other similar activities (grant 59.043 Women’s Business Ownership Assistance that are given to those who will create women’s business center that will train women entrepreneurs
For private grants, you may want to check the Foundation Center’s Foundation Grants for Individuals Online. It’s a subscription based website ($9.95 per month) but their opening blurb only says that the database is ideal for “students, artists, academic researchers, libraries and financial aid offices.” Entrepreneurs are apparently not one of them, so I take it they also don’t have listings of private foundations who give grants to would-be entrepreneurs.
Go to to see what grants are available, if any, and how you can apply for them. Then, go to for instructions on how to write a grant proposal
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