Posts Tagged ‘government’

Small business grants through non-government organizations

by admin Posted: Monday, 12/15/2014

Many business owners have encountered the money problem in some moment of the existence of their business. Usually in this situation they are standing in front of the decision to get a loan or find business funding grants that will allow them expansion, going through tough moment or another thing. Usually when it comes to grants the first things most people think are the government grants. Truth is that also many profit and nonprofit organizations offer business grants to small business owners and here we talk for numbers from $5,000 to sums that contain six figures. Here is a list of some of the most popular American organizations that are funding businesses:

  1. Small Business Administration.

This is government agency that also supports non-government businesses. The grants SBA provides are not meant for expanding or starting a business. To receive them you need to provide solid proof that your project will be absolutely successful. It doesn’t matter if your organization is non profit or for-profit. Also the grants are separated in two sections: Construction and Non-Construction Grants. To see if your business falls into the criteria check here: https://www.sba.gov/content/research-grants-small-businesses .

  1. The Bank of America Foundation.

They support mainly non-profit organizations. For 2013 the BAF has given about $200 million in grants to organizations, visionary leaders and high-impact initiatives that aim in improvement of local communities, housing and other charitable causes. Their programs are not available for schools, sport organizations and many other initiatives. For full list of inappropriate candidates and description of the eligible ones see this page: http://about.bankofamerica.com/en-us/global-impact/eligibility-criteria.html#fbid=gCDRZHut4AV .

  1. The Mission Main Street Grants.

This is program of Chase that offers 20 grants of $150,000 each to small businesses throughout USA. The awarded companies are selected on viewers’ choice principle. The awards are annual and you can apply for them from 3rd September till 3rd October. The vote is taken from the opening till 17th October and the awards are received in January on the next year. The criteria that you need to cover are basically less than 100 full-time employees a year and to have your business running for at least 2 years before the launch date of Mission Main Street. Also these grants are available only for profit organizations. For full list of the requirements check the Program Rules: https://www.missionmainstreetgrants.com/rules .

And these are not all available organizations, keep looking for opportunities!

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What grants are available for online universities?

by admin Posted: Sunday, 11/23/2014

In our age of technology and communication, it’s no longer mandatory to be physically in a certain country or city to be a student in the university. You can pursue degree online in almost any field: literature, art, even you can get online business degree. There are a lot of classical universities that offer such option and there are also schools that are primary online. What is important is always to remember to check if the school you have chosen is accredited.

Only in the USA there are over 260 online colleges. These include most state universities. Usually part or all of the offered campus programs are also available for online students. For more information about the online colleges in USA, see this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_online_colleges_in_the_United_States.

Although it may seem easier than the traditional education, getting online degree has similar difficulties: funding, time, studying. For the funding you have a chance to get scholarship like in a standard university. Most online universities offer a list of the financial aids that are available for their students but there are also a couple of federal grants that may come in handy:

  1. Federal Pell Grant.

It’s well known grant for the campus students. If you are online student, you can also compete for it. It is meant for students that need financial aid and if your family outcomes are below $20,000, you have better chances to get it.

  1. Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant.

The qualification for these grants is made by the financial aid office o f your college. They are meant as extra help to the neediest students. They are additional even if you already receive another scholarship or other form of financial support. About 4,000 colleges participate in this program and keep in mind that the supplemental grants are only for undergraduate students.

  1. Academic Competitiveness Grant.

This additional scholarship is for sophomore and freshmen students with 3.0 college GPA and completion of a rigorous high school program.

  1. National SMART Grant.

The National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent Grant is also supplemental grant that can be added to the Pell one. You must be in your last two years of undergraduate study. If you have interests in the fields of math, engineering, technology, foreign language or life and physical sciences, this grant can add up to $4,000 to your incomes.

  1. Federal Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant.

These are just a couple of options, keep your eyes open for other.

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Practical tips on how to get business grants

by admin Posted: Wednesday, 11/19/2014

Theory is good thing. You can have a thousand advices on how a process should work but when it comes to something that should be made on practice, advices from people who have been through it are priceless. Here are a couple of things to o and think of before you head to the local government office to ask for grant.

  1. Ask around.

Contact the local government agency, local business networks and chamber of commerce . Ask them about small business grants that are available to you. Discuss and share the information with your own network of directors and business founders. Creating a tree of people who know what you look for makes it easier to keep yourself informed what grants are available at any particular moment. And don’t forget that this network works both ways and if you have the opportunity you should help and provide information too.

  1. Get to know the people who manage the grants.

Don’t stock them. Sometimes it seems endless torturing repetitive exercise to file a grant application. Gather as much information as possible before you go for it. This way when you meet the manager you will have an idea what he may ask from you and what will be expected from your project papers.

  1. Don’t wait for the last moment.

Sometimes it’s the worst you can do. Not that your documents will be rejected but in business if you want something done on time, you don’t wait till the last minute. Also some grants have limitation about the amount of applicants and being the last one may equal to be the first to be rejected.

  1. Give yourself time.

Documents may seem simple and easy to fill but sometimes they require extra declarations and reports that need time to be filed. Also if you are looking to start a project or to run your company in September, start applying for grants in June. It takes time both to you and to the authorities to take a look at the documentation and to pick the companies that will receive financial aid. Also getting the grant doesn’t mean you already have the money in your account. Sometimes the actual receiving takes up to month.

  1. Extra charges.

Some applications require outer assessment that may be chargeable for you. Don’t think that the process of grant application is always completely free.

And that’s from the practice: every grant has different requirements, read closely.

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What sources you can find to fund your small business?

by admin Posted: Tuesday, 11/18/2014

When you are looking to start new business or when you try to develop the one that you already have, you usually face one big problem: from where to get the money to do so? There are a couple of options: finding investors, trying to get government funding or getting partners. It’s not a big surprise that the second option is most desirable and hardest to get due to the big competition that you’ll face along the way. Here are some sources that you can use to get these needed business grants.

  1. Regional growth funds.

They are governed by organizations awarded with cash from the fund for Regional growth. These organizations perform programs that offer loans and grants to small businesses. Every program has different criteria but the common ones are these:

  • be based in the state;
  • want to grow, strengthen or consolidate their business
  • be investing own private capital
  • be unable to find funding for the application elsewhere
  • be compliant for state aid
  1. Local authority support.

Local councils offer awards, grants and schemes set to help the growth and development of small businesses. Check the site of your local council for such options or turn to them directly with letter.

  1. European Union funding.

If you want to outgrow the borders of your country, the funding from the European Union is one good way to do it. Every year about €375bn are distributed for small business grants passing through grant-awarding organizations. There are grants available for every region and country so check the site of the EU Commission to see the possibilities you have in your area.

  1. Specialized grants.

They are awarded by organizations to companies and individuals that match specific criteria or operate in specific industry. For UK such organizations are:

  • The Technology Strategy Board (TSB) that supports the development of products and technologies and offer funding and advice to small businesses that aim in innovations.
  • The Manufacturing Advisory Service (MAS) provides review of manufacturing businesses for free; also MAS offers grants in attempt to help with project or improvement costs.
  • The Prince’s Trust offers grants and mentoring to young entrepreneurs up to 30 years of age.
  1. Tax allowances.

This is one option that many governments offer to ease the costs and to promote creation of small businesses. Ask your local authority for specific allowances that you can use.

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Small business grants in UK

by admin Posted: Tuesday, 11/18/2014

Every country seeks for ways to develop its economics and it seems nowadays that this development is in the hands of the small business. That’s why many governments gladly fund small companies with grants, loans and other ways. One of the countries with long long history in the business area is the United Kingdom. Here is what you need to know for the grants that its government gives:

  1. Positive sides of the business grants.
  • You don’t have to return them or to pay interest on them, in other words they are non-repayable.
  • You have all the control over your business and the decisions connected to it.
  1. Negative sides of the business grants.
  • They are hard to get because there is a great competition.
  • There is a lot of information you need to get and a lot of documents to fill; besides receiving the actual money can take a long time. The process of application and receiving of the business funding grants is very time-consuming.
  • Grants often go to projects that haven’t been started yet.
  • No grant covers your expenses in 100%.
  • Most grants are pointed toward specific fields of the business and sometimes finding one that matches your can be tough.
  1. What authorities offer small business grants in UK?

Except the national Government, you can search for financial support from the Government of the European Union; local authorities, Regional Development Agencies, Chambers of Commerce and many others.

  1. What criteria are important when you apply for government grants?
  • Location – government often sresses on the development of certain geographical areas; is your business in the right place?
  • Business classification – usually there are forms of business that are promoted with grants: partnerships, limited companies, sole traders, etc. What is your company?
  • Industry type – many grants focus on specific sectors and industries; search for the ones that match your industry. Search for information for such grants in specific newspapers, magazines or from people who operate in the same area as you.
  • Grant purpose – depending on the project you can find wide range of financing opportunities. Develop your aim with some ecological or social benefits and your project will get better acceptance.
  • Business size – what matters here are your incomes, how many employees you have and what scale and legal form has your business.
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