To begin with, we want to make one thing very clear. You've probably seen one of those lengthy paid airtime commercials or heard on a radio talk show that for $99.99 you can receive a wonderful starter kit and information packet complete with CD Rom that will lead you to literally thousands of sources for all sorts of government funding to start any business. These folks want you to believe that you're going to get a magic box that has all sorts of secrets that will make you rich off the government, or at the very least will make it possible for you to get your hands on government money to get your dream Car Dealership or Beauty Parlor started.

The Reality is, according to the Small Business Administration:
 

Locating government agencies that offer grants for the development of an ongoing operation can take a lot of time, and  will definitely require a lot of research. In the end you can find yourself making a career of the search itself. If you decide you want to do this search on your own, you will find the lists below to be a great place to start.  We've also provided a link to a nifty little "Funds Availability Generator" that you might find very helpful.  These lists are NOT all the information there is available though.

NOTE: You may ask yourself why we offer this information free of charge when so many businesses are charging the $99.99 to give you the same information. The answer is easy.  We at Money 4 Dummies offer a multitude of other services and products to help you get your business going and help it become successful. By offering this free information it's our hope that you will realize that we are sincere in our hope for you to achieve success and  that you will return to us when you need to the other information or resources we offer here. And of course, if you just don't have the time to do the research, we also offer for a fee:

• Grant and Government Funding Research
• Private Foundation Sources Research
• Attorney Research (In your area)

Grants to individuals are most often given for educational support (financial aid), the arts, and various types of scientific or other research, although some agencies award grants to individuals for other purposes. Again, good research is the key to finding this information. If you are looking for financial aid to begin or continue your education,  there are many other excellent sites on the web that contain information on this subject. The U.S. Department of Education's Student Guide and Yahoo's Financial Aid Directory are good places to start your search. You can also find additional information on grants for individuals in the Foundation Center's Online Orientation Guide, and on Michigan State University's Grants for Individuals Page. These resources provide information on both government and non-government grants.

Getting a grant is hard work. Don't be fooled by advertisements and promotions that state that you can get "free money" just by asking for it. There is a lot of competition for grant funds. To be successful in winning a grant, you must provide the funding with a well-written proposal which clearly states your objectives and sets forth a plan and budget for your activities. Grants are "free" in that you do not have to pay back the money. However, if you are awarded a grant you may be required to provide periodic progress, program evaluation, and/or financial reports to the government.

There are hundreds of thousands of dollars in government grants paid out every year to people just like you, so the money can be gotten. But it's not going to be easy and you need to understand from the beginning that the government doesn't hand out money to people just because they ask for it.  You need to be prepared to work hard and prove to the government you're deserving of the money they have to offer.

Foundation Resources

Educational Grants, Scholarships, and Funding for Research