Government grants for small businesses are often a misunderstood entity.
Many see the late night commercials and hear the hub-bub about how the Government will give any small business money and all you have to do is apply for the grant.
This is the furthest thing from the truth that there is.
Yes you can obtain Government grants for your small business but what you can't do is obtain Government grants in order to start a new business or even to further your existing business.
Government grant that are given out to small businesses are given out with certain eligibility and criteria that must be met.
Furthermore, the funds that are given will only be allowed to be used in a certain way.
However if you feel that your small business truly has something to offer that will better the good of the community on the local, state, or even national level then a Government grant may indeed be up your ally.
Keep in mind that many small business Government grants can require a wide variety of criteria to be met including location, sales of your business, your sex and race, year you have been in business, purpose of the funding, and much more.
The search can be exhausting but a great place to start is Grants.
gov.
You will have to register for a free account at the website but you will then be able to sift through their vast data base of grants and see what your small business may be eligible for.
Be advised that the process of finding the perfect Government grant can be an exhausting one and you can expect to spend several hours just to find something that your small business will be eligible for.
This time does not include all the additional time you will spend filling out all the proper documentation needed to obtain a Government grant.
Once you do find a grant that you wish to apply for you will need to request an information packet on the grant and obtain all the necessary paperwork that must be filled out for the application process.
Along with the paperwork you will also have to submit a grant proposal.
Writing a grant proposal is no easy task and at this stage in the game you may want to seek the help of a professional in order to make you life a bit easier.
Once your application and proposal are turned in you simply have to play the waiting game to see if you will be approved or not.
If you are lucky enough to be approved remember to use the funds exactly how they are supposed to be in accordance with the Government grant.
The government does not smile upon those who use their funds for purposes other than what they are outlined for.
If you do get caught misappropriating grant funds you can be sure that you will then have to pay the money back and you may be subject to a penalty as well.
You will also disqualify yourself from any future grants.
There is plenty of grant money that will be made available by the Government this year and every year hereafter.
Finding the perfect Government grant for your small business will require some thought as well as some time and energy spent on your part in order to obtain one.