Small Business Ideas, Grants & Plans to Start & Run a Business: Ask Questions Share Tips People in Biz - Profiles Coffee Talk with Experts Biz Planning | Sample Plans Idea Name Plan $ Do It! Marketing | Sales | Customers HR | Employees | Contractors Legal | Biz Forms Managing | Operations Financing Your Business eCommerce FREE Trade Publications Biz Books Small Biz News Gen X Biz Work @ Home The Fridge - Biz Info on Ice Send Awards & Greetings Yoga @ Your Desk Guide to Find FUN Online Idea Cafe in the News Kudos for Idea Cafe Advertise on Idea Cafe Privacy Policy Contact Idea Cafe Link to/from Idea Cafe Site Map Find a Business, Person, or     Directions at SMARTpages Biz Web Guide
		You Want a Government Grant? You've got a great biz idea and all the waitresses at your favorite cafe say you can probably get a government grant to launch the biz. Logical thought, but the unfortunate reality is that the government doesn't easily give grants. But, you say, on TV ads I hear about government grants all the time! Yes, the federal government gives grants, but they don't give money to folks just to follow a dream, start a new biz or buy out the boss. Instead, they give money to state and local agencies and nonprofit organizations and those groups use the money to accomplish the government's goals. They can give grants (read this as "contracts") to contractors who can the various services and products designated in the overall project description. No Money?!? Does this mean you'll never be able to get government money to get your biz off the ground? Not necessarily. It does mean your biz will have to serve up some "guvmint" dishes to earn that money. If you can modify your idea to meet Uncle Sam's needs, getting a government contract is a way to generate cash flow and get the biz going or growing. Be Ready Before you apply for a grant, be sure you're ready. First, make sure your biz or project fits the funding criteria. Like, if you're a gift shop you might structure your application to fit a foreign trade development grant, but forget about trying for money to develop innovative energy resources. Second, be organized. (Around here we say make sure the place settings are correct.) You'll need a good biz plan and the numbers to show that what your're proposing will work. Particularly in the realm of government grants, be prepared with numbers relating to cost of insurance, other funding sources you have or are seeking, and ways in which what you propose will meet Uncle Sam's goals. Finally, make a copy of the application and fill it out in pencil, double and triple-check everything before your final copy. For other grants, see corporate grants and Idea Cafe's Grants du Jour.	Cut to the Chase We like to keep the menu simple here at Idea Cafe, so here are some programs most likely to offer help to the small biz owner. NEW! Found! Government Dollars There's a little known pot of federal money we've uncovered that funds revolutionary new products. Check it out Idea Cafe's Time-Saving Guide to U.S. Government Grants The SBA's Website Though they don't dish out grants themselves, the Small Business Administration's website does have some links to other Federal agencies that do. We show you the ropes and help you navigate the SBA's site. The CFDA A huge source of government assistance can be found at the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA). It can be overwhelming , so check out our tips first. We found a few CFDA links for federal grants for specific situations, such as research (of all kinds), foreign trade, minority businesses, & more. We give you the scoop, so dig in! NEW SBIR/STTR Programs These federal programs are a major source of venture capital for small businesses who specialize in various technologies. Millions of federal grant dollars are awarded each year to qualified small businesses! We've put together a menu of what it's all about and how to get started in this unique program of federal grants. See if your business can take advantage of the SBIR/STTR programs.
		Enter your search terms Submit search form       Search Idea Cafe Web Small Business Tax Center • Idea Cafe Home • Sign Up • Biz Grant Center • CyberSchmooz •Coffee Talk with Experts • People in Biz Profiles • Starting Your Biz • Biz Planning • Running Your Biz • FREE Trade Publications • Marketing • Financing Your Biz • Human Resources • Legal & Biz Forms • Managing Your Biz • eCommerce • You and Your Biz • Gen X • Work@Home • The Fridge • De-Stress • Send an Award • Send an eGreeting • Yoga @ Your Desk • Web Guide • Idea Cafe in the News • About Idea Cafe • Advertise on Idea Cafe • Contact Us • Privacy Policy • Site Map • Small Biz News Copyright 1995-2008, Idea Cafe Inc. Downloads are for personal use only, not for resale to others, and may not be reprinted in any form without written permission from Idea Cafe Inc. DISCLAIMER: We hope whatever you find on this site is helpful, but be cautioned that it may not apply to your own situation, or be totally current at any given time. Idea Cafe Inc. and all of its current and past experts, sponsors, advertisers, agents, contractors and advisors disclaim all warranties with regard to anything found anywhere on this family of websites, quoted from, or sent from Idea Cafe, Inc. and its related sites, publications and companies. We also take no responsibility for comments published by others on these pages. TRADEMARKS: The following are Registered Trademarks or Servicemarks of Idea Cafe, Inc. or M.F. Ward: Idea Cafe®, Online Coffee Break®, The Small Business Gathering Place®, Take out Info®, Biz Bar & Grill®, Complaint-O-Meter®, A Fun Approach to Serious Business™, CyberSchmooz™, and BizCafe™.