Start Up Grants For Small Businesses

Orlando Downtown Commercial And Residential Building Improvement Program

This Orlando program provides business grants between $15,000 and $120,000 for organizations that make improvements to buildings within the downtown Orlando Community Redevelopment Agency boundaries. This program encourages the reuse of vacant or underutilized properties and hopes to improve the appearance and support the long-term viability of downtown Orlando.

Small Business Administration Grants

The US Small Business Administration is a federal government agency that provides support for small businesses with the goal of strengthening the nations economy. The SBA has Small Business Development Centers across the country and offers a wide variety of federal grants, loans, and other programs helping to connect small business owners with funding from federal, state, and local governments.

• The COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan offers relief in the form of federal grants for businesses that have been affected by the pandemic, such as restaurants, concert venues, and other businesses.

The State Business Incentives Database

The State Business Incentives Database offers a wide variety of funding opportunities across the United States. They currently have over 2,000 financial programs available, 537 being grants. To access programs, initiatives, and networking opportunities, you must be a member of the Council for Community and Economic Research team. As a regular research professional, it costs $345 annually. For teams of up to 10 people, it costs $1,055 annually.

• Award amount: Varies
• Where to apply: For more information, visit their website.

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Corporate Small Business Grants

Corporations, like Visa, offer small business grants to nonprofit organizations, startups and other organizations.

• Visa Everywhere Initiative: This is a global competition designed for startups that focus on solving commerce and payment issues. Winners receive free money, as well as global exposure for their business. You can sign up to be notified when 2022 applications become available.
• Walmart Local Community Grants: Walmart gives grants that range from $250 to $5,000 to nonprofit organizations that benefit the community. The application deadline is December 31, 2021.
• Nike Community Impact Fund: Nike, in partnership with the Charities Aid Foundation of America, awards funds to nonprofits in select metro areas that have a positive impact on communities through sports and other community-focused initiatives.

Is My Small Business Eligible For These Startup Grants

Each of the following grants is eligible for UK SMEs should you fulfil their criteria. Region specific grants will obviously only be eligible for businesses in their current area, and other grants may have additional criteria for SMEs to qualify.

However, you should be eligible as long as you:

• Have fewer than 250 employees

• Are geographically suitable for the grant in question

• A turnover of less than £50 million

• A balance sheet total of less than £43 million.

At least, that is how the UK government defines SMEs. But lets crack on with your list of grants for SMEs.

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Before You Start Your Business Grants Search:

Prior to starting your business grants search in BC, it is a good idea to know that each government agency has different criteria for applications. To ensure that your applications can be successful and that you can obtain the needed business grants or funding, review the below primary application factors and secondary criteria before proceeding with your search:

Primary Application Factors:

âï¸ Your location

âï¸ The business industry you are in

âï¸ Your specific funding need

âï¸ The application deadlines

âï¸ Your business plan

âï¸ Knowing how much funding you require

âï¸ Your credit score/personal history

If you believe you are ready for the funding search and to find the relevant business grants in BC, best to first know the different types of government business grants that are available.

Grants And Help For Your New Business

If youve launched a new business or become self-employed, help is at hand. Government support such as grants, low-cost business advice and mentoring will help you get off the ground.

Help from the government shouldnt be mistaken for free money. If your business is still young, most government assistance focuses on building your skills and knowledge, and linking you with advisors and networks.

There are many free or low-cost opportunities available if youre in the early stage of business.

The more fully formed your business idea is, the more help youll be able to get. Whether youre self-employed, own or run a business, its a good idea to do some business planning before you approach any advisors, mentors and funding officers.

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Business Grants For Veterans

Many veterans go into entrepreneurship after their service. Unfortunately, while there are a lot of loans that are specifically for veterans, there are very few grants.

Your best bet is to visit a Veterans Business Outreach Center, where they can point you to any local grant that you may be eligible for. Each center also offers training and access to other small business resources for veterans.

The Streetshares Foundation: The Streetshares Foundation is the only reliable online source for veteran grants. They offer grants and loans for small businesses run be veterans or their spouses.

Grants are awarded each month to businesses based on how much social impact they have, and how strong their business idea is.

GrantWatch: GrantWatch doesnt offer any grants themselves, but keeps on top of new grants that are available for veterans.

Its a great way to find local grants that you might not find using the other databases on this page.

State Trade Expansion Program

The STEP is a collection of government grants, and other support the Small Business Administration can offer assistance with obtaining or understanding STEP. This program focuses specifically on helping small businesses with export development. Grants are awarded to state entities. Small businesses can then apply to programs offered by these entities so that they can benefit from export development opportunities. Feel free to send an email to to better understand how your business can benefit.

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District Adventures Accelerator Program

Twice a year we invest $130k with 10 Canadian food/beverage and health/wellness entrepreneurs in exchange for a minority equity stake of their company.

The founders take part in a 5-month accelerator program designed to rapidly increase valuation through sales, distribution, and marketing support. The accelerator also provides members with access to blue chip service sponsors, like ATB Financial, Bennett Jones LLP, and BDO Canada to deliver workshops on debt financing, legal, and tax and accounting management.

While we encourage all the companies to move to Calgary for 5 months to work alongside their peers, where it is not feasible, we require each company to spend a minimum of one full week per month in the accelerator during programming weeks.

At the end of the program, founders will pitch their companies at Demo Day, where you will be introduced to investors to attract your next round of funding, including the possibility of receiving follow-on investment from District Ventures Capital.

Throughout the course of the program, we will broadcast your company through public relations efforts, a profile on Youinc.com, our website, and on our social channels.

Contact: | 2540 Kensington Road NW Calgary, AB T2N 3S3

Website:

Quick Tips For Getting More Grants

There are a lot of simple things you can do to improve your chances of winning grants. Most are easy to understand, but you need to make sure you keep them in mind.

Heres how to get more grants:

• Always look for new grant opportunities .
• Make sure the time spent to apply for a grant is actually worth the grant amount.
• Read over the individual application instructions to each grant. Some are similar, but few are the exact same.
• Double-check that you are eligible before spending a lot of time on an application.
• Provide specific numbers on how the grant will be used and how it will help.
• Double-check your spelling and grammar.
• Submitting your application early may make you look more prepared than late-submitters.
• Back up claims with credible citations.
• Be realistic when mentioning your business costs or revenue.
• Find a book from your library on grant writing if you want to write better grant proposals.

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Who Qualifies For A Start

Unfortunately, the government does not give grants for setting up a business, covering expenses, or paying off business debts. That is unless your start-up is a nonprofit or a project related to medical research, education, or technology.

There are a variety of grants available depending on the owners and business types. There are start-up grants for innovators, women, veterans, minorities, green businesses, and nonprofit organizations.

Do You Have To Pay Back Small Business Grants

No! Thats what makes them grants.

Unlike loans, grants do not require you to be paid back, and can be used for just about anything business-related.

Some grants do require you to report back how the grants were used and how they helped, but thats usually for them to get more publicity or to try and help you further.

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South African Micro Finance Apex Fund

Samaf gives financial services to small-scale entrepreneurs living in rural and outer urban areas. Samaf does not lend money directly to the public. It uses existing institutions within communities to handle the funds and lend to qualifying entrepreneurs. Samaf has three products: the Micro-Credit Fund , the Capacity Building Fund and the Savings Mobilisation Fund .

The Usda Rural Business Enterprise Grant Program

The USDA’s mission is to help improve the economy and the quality of life throughout America. Their team offers grants to increase job opportunities and stimulate economic development. Services include healthcare, first responder services, water, electric, and communications. Most recently, they enacted a small business enterprise grant program assisting rural small business owners.

• Award amount: Varies.
• Where to apply: For more information, visit their website.

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Natural Resource Sales Assistance Program

In addition to the billions of dollars spent purchasing goods and services, the federal government also sells large amounts of natural resources and surplus property. The SBA Natural Resource Sales Assistance Program sets aside a percentage of these goods for bidding by small businesses only. In addition, federal agencies sometimes divide surplus materials into smaller parcels, making it easier for small businesses to purchase. The five categories are:

• Timber and related forest products.
• Strategic materials.
• Leases involving rights to minerals, coil, oil and gas.
• Surplus real and personal property.

The program also provides training for small businesses on government sales and leasing.

Texas Workforce Training Grants

The Texas Workforce Commission offers the Skills for Small Business grant. This supports businesses with fewer than 100 employees and incentivizes training for new, full-time workers. Support is also available to upgrade the skills of existing full-time workers. Training is provided through community or technical colleges, or the Texas Engineering Extension Service .

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Government Startup Business Grants And Resources

Some government programs offer direct funding to startups looking for business grants, but those that dont may point you in the right direction or help with applications:

Grants.gov. Government agencies routinely post new grant opportunities on this centralized database. If you see an opportunity relevant to your business idea, you can check if startups are eligible. Many of these grants deal with scientific or pharmaceutical research, though, so they may not be relevant to Main Street businesses.

Local governments. Lots of federal grants award funding to other governments, like states or cities, or to nonprofit economic development organizations. Those entities then offer grants to local businesses. Plugging into your local startup ecosystem can help you stay on top of these opportunities.

Small Business Innovation Research, or SBIR, and Small Business Technology Transfer, or STTR, programs. These federal grant programs are designed for businesses with innovative technology or scientific research ideas. Federal agencies list the types of research theyre hoping to fund, and if you think your idea qualifies, you can submit a proposal. Unsolicited proposals arent allowed.

Sd Tech Fund Seed Fund

The Seed Fund is another SDTC fund focusing on environmental aspects of business. Early-stage Canadian entrepreneurs with ideas in clean-tech can apply for one-time grants of $50,000 to $100,000 for projects with environmental benefits.This grant differs from the SDTC Clean Fund grant in that potential applicants must be nominated by one of SDTCs partners.

Highlights

• Must be focused on the environment and clean-tech
• Innovations in food, water, energy and clean communities are being looked at

Where is it available?

• Must be nominated by an SDTC partner
• Have an idea that brings new technology to a significant environmental problem
• Must be finished the R& D phase of the planning and working on commercialization

How to apply

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Unsecured Small Business Loans

QuickBridge offers unsecured small business loans and working capital loans that can help you grow your business, maintain cash flow, make payroll and more. QuickBridge loans could be funded within 24 hours if you meet requirements, making it an option to consider if you need money fast. Payments on loans are made daily or weekly, and if you pay off your loan early, you could qualify for early payoff discounts.

Interest on loans from QuickBridge are expressed as a factor rate rather than an annual percentage rate . To determine the cost of borrowing, you can multiply your desired loan amount by the factor rate. For example, if you borrow $30,000 at a factor rate of 1.10, you would owe $33,000 in total with $3,000 in interest.

Government Sources For Small Business Grants

There are a wide variety of grants from the government from both the federal and state level.

Grants.gov: The first place all small businesses should go to look for a federal grant. Its a database of thousands of grants with powerful filters that will help you quickly narrow down the results to grants that you have a good chance of getting.

Small Business Administration Grants: The SBA mainly helps small businesses find conventional means of funding .

But they also have a few grant programs, targeted specifically at businesses involved with research or exporting.

Here are the primary grants they sponsor:

SAM.gov Grants : This is another great federal grant database with a modern re-design. While there is some overlap with Grants.gov, youll find a few unique ones as well that makes it worth your time to check. You can use the advanced search filters to only see grant results, or also see other funding sources like loans.

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Good For: R& d Companies

The DoD offers grants to small businesses through the STTR program and a number of other initiatives, like the Defense Enterprise Science Initiative. The Office of Naval Research, the Air Force Office, and the U.S. Army Research Institute are all looking for research and development of technology that will help them reach their goals.

State And Regional Small Business Grants

State governments also offer funds to small business owners. You can search for these grants online or by contacting your states economic development office.

• Economic Development Administration : The EDAwhich is a part of the U.S. Department of Commercefunds regional and national economic development projects.
• Small Business Development Centers : If you need help finding a small business grant in your state or region, contact your local SBDC.

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Small Business Grants: Here Are 32 You Can Apply For In 2022

Written by Dale Cudmore

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Who doesnt like free money? Thats what small business grants are, right?

It could help you pay salaries, buy stock, or reach new customers.

While grants are free in the sense that you dont have to pay them back, theyre not handouts.

You cant just go to a website and ask for 1 small business grant please, and expect to get one.

In all cases, you need to apply for a grant, which can take a decent amount of work and effort. Then, youre up against other small businesses that also want the grant. Its common for even small grants to get hundreds of applicants.

If you understand that, and that theres no guarantee to get a grant, your head is in the right place.

Ive compiled a list of 32 small business grants that you may be able to apply for on this page, but before I get to that, there are 3 more things you should understand: