Sigh. If only.
Contrary to what the guy in the question mark suit likes to say in his TV commercials, the government is not sitting around with billions in grant dollars just waiting for you to get around to asking for a few thousand of it to open your flower shop, computer store, archery range, etc.
Here's the deal on grant money (and how you might be able to tap into that line of income):
YES, the government does award grants from a few hundred to many millions of dollars to entities. But there are a lot of qualifiers as to how they do it, who gets it, etc.
First, grants are only awarded to advance government goals: improving our roads, training more police officers, improving literacy, that sort of thing. So if your business specializes in building custom hot rod cars, you're probaby not in the hunt for any of that cash.
Next, grants are almost exclusively awarded to larger, more established businesses and institutions like colleges, hospitals and non-profit organizations like Goodwill Industries. Self-employed people rarely, if ever, receive grant money directly.
That's the bad news. Here's the good news: if your business provides a service that would be in line with the goals of a grant - let's say you can run a class teaching ex-offenders about job seeking and interviewing skills - you might be able to work as a sub-contractor for one of those larger institutions that's receiving grant money to help them fulfill their obligations. Your business may be able to be "extra manpower" when they need it, or be able to serve a specific need or geographic area where they can't efficiently do it themselves.
There's an even more proactive way to approach this: if your business is poised to meet a government need, you an approach one of those institutions and propose co-writing a grant with them: basically using their reputation and your expertise to pull in grant money.
Lastly, writing an effective grant proposal is an art. Espeically if it's your first time, seek out a professional grant writer to assist you This will greatly increase your chances of success.
Ever received a grant for your business? Subcontracted to someone else with a grant? Ever applied for one? What was your experience?
Contrary to what the guy in the question mark suit likes to say in his TV commercials, the government is not sitting around with billions in grant dollars just waiting for you to get around to asking for a few thousand of it to open your flower shop, computer store, archery range, etc.
Here's the deal on grant money (and how you might be able to tap into that line of income):
YES, the government does award grants from a few hundred to many millions of dollars to entities. But there are a lot of qualifiers as to how they do it, who gets it, etc.
First, grants are only awarded to advance government goals: improving our roads, training more police officers, improving literacy, that sort of thing. So if your business specializes in building custom hot rod cars, you're probaby not in the hunt for any of that cash.
Next, grants are almost exclusively awarded to larger, more established businesses and institutions like colleges, hospitals and non-profit organizations like Goodwill Industries. Self-employed people rarely, if ever, receive grant money directly.
That's the bad news. Here's the good news: if your business provides a service that would be in line with the goals of a grant - let's say you can run a class teaching ex-offenders about job seeking and interviewing skills - you might be able to work as a sub-contractor for one of those larger institutions that's receiving grant money to help them fulfill their obligations. Your business may be able to be "extra manpower" when they need it, or be able to serve a specific need or geographic area where they can't efficiently do it themselves.
There's an even more proactive way to approach this: if your business is poised to meet a government need, you an approach one of those institutions and propose co-writing a grant with them: basically using their reputation and your expertise to pull in grant money.
Lastly, writing an effective grant proposal is an art. Espeically if it's your first time, seek out a professional grant writer to assist you This will greatly increase your chances of success.
Ever received a grant for your business? Subcontracted to someone else with a grant? Ever applied for one? What was your experience?
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