There are a number of reasons that women seek business grants. Women who own small businesses are often interested in grant opportunities to help grow their business. Other women may be interested in starting their own business and are looking for business start-up grants. There are several avenues women can pursue to obtain business grants. Continue reading
Category Archives: Business
Training Grants
Workforce needs change on a regular basis. This requires ongoing training and retraining of employees. To help defray the cost of training, businesses and organizations rely on training grants. In addition, grants are available for individuals to obtain training and develop new skills. Continue reading
Technology Grants
Individual and organizations, including businesses, are eligible for a variety of technology grants. Grants are available from governments, foundations, and other organizations, both for-profit and nonprofit. How the technology can be used depends upon the specific grant program. Continue reading
Student Financial Grants
More students are turning to education grants to help cover the high cost of education. Grants for students are most often for tuition but some allow funds to be used to pay for books and fees. Student financial grants may even pay for living expenses. Continue reading
Small Business Grants
Small businesses seek business grants funding for a variety of reasons including start-up, expansion, and workforce development. Business grants are available for small businesses from several sources. The most common source is government small business grant.
Federal government grants are primarily for research and development activities. The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and the Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grant programs are two of the best sources for government small business grants. These grants are available from just about every federal agency or department.
SBIR/STTR grants are specifically to help businesses bring innovative ideas to market. Ideas may include technology or other cutting edge processes. Government small business grants are awarded in phases. The initial phase is for the research and prototype development of the concept. Even if the idea does not work out, small businesses do not have to repay the grant funds. As long as they have conducted activities as detailed in their proposal, they have met their business grants requirements.
The second phase offers substantially more funds, nearly $1 million for some agencies, to fully develop the concept and commercialize it. Projects that make it to the second phase of funding are typically those with wider impact and greater use to the country as a whole. Some projects may be eligible for a third round of grant funding to test different applications of the concept or resulting technology.
Research grants for small business are available through other programs administered by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). These grant programs have detailed outcomes that small businesses must agree to fulfill. They are less discretionary in approach than the SBIR/STTR programs.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) also provides several grant opportunities for small businesses. These focus entirely on uses of technology including new applications of older technology. Grants for small business are usually available only once a year from NIST programs.
Small business grants are available from state and local governments. State governments offer grants for small business activities that focus on technology or other skilled areas. The innovation the small businesses bring to the table is critical for state growth. In fact, states may fund regional business incubators that offer grants for small business for projects that address local needs. These can include new manufacturing processes or technology uses that promote workforce development activities supported by the state.
There are multiple avenues for small businesses to obtain small business grant funding. It is important that small businesses meet all eligibility and program requirements when applying for small business grant. Once awarded, grants are no different than other contractual obligations.
Research Grants
Research grants are one of the most common types of government grants. These grants are available from the majority of federal agencies and departments. Various types of entities including individuals, businesses, universities, and nonprofit organizations are eligible to receive research grants. Continue reading