Thursday, August 28, 2008

Government Small Business Grants - More Information

By James Redder


This article will focus primarily on government small business grants. Having the ability to secure funding that does not have to be repaid is a primary advantage of this type of funding. The major shortcomings of this funding choice are the large amounts of forms that have to be filled out and the bureaucratic red tape that has to be endured. But given the goal it's a small price to pay.

Resources That May Be Needed

The federal small business government grant process is very similar to getting a loan from a traditional bank. You will need to provide at the very least tax information, financial reports and business numbers.

It would be wise to locate an accountant who works in your specific corporate industry with related businesses. This will help you construct a grant application whose commerce information makes sense and can actually work. By enlisting the aid of an accountant that is familiar with your industry you will be saving yourself time and unnecessary effort.

Since you will need a business plan as part of the grant process. The accountant mentioned before can also assist you in making sure the numbers in your business plan make sense.

Finally you want to get the help of a competent attorney who has experience in working with grants. Keep in mind that your specific grant may not be large enough to need a lawyer. But if it is large enough then don't hesitate to get an attorney.

This attorney should have a focus in the grant application genre and should be able to guide you past common novice mistakes as well as introducing you to other resources you may need along the way.

Which Grant?

It can be time consuming and frustrating trying to locate the right grant. To prove my point just one look at some of the grant sites out here and you will see what I mean. There are literally thousands of grants grouped by state and sometimes foundation waiting to be claimed. To find the right grant funds requires the right education.

Your main concern at this juncture should be to find a grant that matches your situation. Checking the resource box will give you a solution to this concern. In fact most of your time and effort will be to find suitable grant matches unless you choose to save effort and time and look into the resources in the resource box.

In Closing

The government small business grants process has been briefly discussed in this article along with the major pain points associated with it. The biggest being the effort and time required to sort through the thousands of grants available and find the ones that fit your specific situation. One way to avoid that is to follow the information found in the resource box immediately following this article. Also keep in mind that there may be some professional consultation needed up front to make sure your application is in the form with the right kind of data it needs to get accepted. Once more if you are short on effort and time and want a comprehensive strategy for approaching the grant application process then check the resource box.

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