Government Business Grants are like a genie for most of people. There are a lot of people talks about it but somehow we don’t have enough information to believe that it is really real. Some people might even committing semi-fraud using the name of Government Business Grants. They require you to buy expensive program from them with the prize of Government Business Grants. In a few cases they might help you get the grants, but more often than not you will come home empty handed.
There is some information that you have to know before you decide to use those kinds of programs. First, the government does not likely to give many Government Business Grants for businesses of any size. Most of Government Business Grants are provided for business that is registered to a nonprofit organization. Some other Government Business Grants are provided for established businesses that serve the community, such as manufacturers and health care facilities.
How to Apply Government Business Grants
After you familiar with the aforementioned information, here we provide some step to help you apply for the Government Business Grants that your business may be qualified to receive:
Identify your Business
Before you request any government business grants, the first thing to do is to identify your own business. Create an excellent business plan; identify the business cost, the profit margins, startup capital as well as how far you think the business will develop. This is important because the clearer the plan then the bigger the chance you can obtain the government business grants.
Look for Grants
The next step is to look for grants. You can do this by browsing into The U.S. Small Business Administration website. There you can get a free tool to search for grants, loans and other types of financing for both for-profit and nonprofit companies. You can also visit grants.gov for more grants.
Check your Eligibility
After you find out some grants than the next step to do is to check your eligibility. Government Business Grants had three types: federal, state and local. Big money is offered at the federal level but please notice that it is almost impossible for any for-profit business to receive. Meanwhile the government business grants provided by the local and state government are mostly provided for business that advantage employees or the community, not for starting or expanding a business.
Understand the Registration Process
Pay attention closely to the registration process; don’t miss any details of it. Some government business grant programs have you to register first with their department if you want to be eligible for any of their grant. You also have to register first before you apply for a federal grant. You can also download a checklist to help prepare for the registration and application processes at Grants.gov.
Recheck before Submission
Check and re-check. Take a time to review your grant application. Makes sure there are no misspelled words or grammar issues because it can lose you the grant.
After going through the steps then you are ready to submit the Government Business Grants application. Note that you can apply several grants at a time, so apply for more than one grant will improve your chance on actually getting it.
Government Grants
Start using Grants.gov to find the available programs from the federal. This site provides you comprehensive information about the available funding options from the government. There are thousands of grants available and your small business has the opportunity to meet the requirements.
It is important to note that not all the available grants are directly from the federal government to support small businesses. The government may distribute the funds to the state and the local government or bodies, non-profitable organizations, or other educational institutions. These entities will then distribute the funds or use the money to offer technical or educational support on a local level.
Other than that, you can check with your state and local governments. After that, use the resources below:
The Blueprint Medtech Small Business Translator Grant
This grant is available for a small business who is working on creating medical devices to support nervous system disorders. Also, this supports activities, such as making prototype devices, clinical studies, and safety testing to get approved by FDA.
This program is a cooperative grant since NIH helps the plan and monitors the research. The Blueprint Medtech Small Business also offers funding and access to important things such as patents, regulations, or manufacturing.
Illinois Infrastructure Grants
It was in 2020 Governor Pritzker introduced a solution to improve the infrastructure in Illinois. Governor Pritzker also allocated about $3 billion of capital grants through the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, known as DCEO.
Those capital grants, part of Illinois spent $45 billion for the infrastructure initiative, to support different projects that stand for the local businesses and communities. The DCEO has a transparent list of those grants, which can be general or specific grants. To get more information about those programs, you can visit at GATA website.
National Institute of Health Grants
The National Institute of Health (NIH) is currently offering research grant opportunities related to COVID-19. Those grants are for small business that build and research biomedical technology. There are some grants available with the deadlines from 2024 and beyond.
San Francisco Accessibility Grant
Do you have a small business in San Francisco? Well, then you can apply for a grant to add accessibility in the establishments. You can use the grant to cover expenses, such as constructions to deal with ADA barriers, design services, and other permit fees. The maximum grant is about $10,000.
For the eligible business owner, you must register it in San Francisco with less than $2.5 million of gross revenue for a single spot. Also, this grant is for a small business that has an average of 100 employees or less.
The application process is quite fast. You can expect response for about 15 days to submit the application. Also, you must provide proof of payment and photos showing accessibility improvements.
Small Business Innovation Research Program
The SBIR provides grants for a small business. The goal is to join in federal research and development.
However, this program has very tight competition. The program can help your business reaches excellence and innovation in science and technology. For the qualification of this grant, you must run a profitable company and meet other requirements.
