l wanna get a grant to open up my own little small business.. And l do not know how old you have to be or is there an age limit. As long as you have a legitmate and good idea it may work out? CAN l GET SOME FEED BACK PLEASE..??? Help

As a grant writer l am sorry to disappoint you. People ask me all the time if l can find them a grant to start a business with their brilliant idea. The sad fact is that the world is full of ideas, but no one wants to fund them. You can try http://grants.gov or http://angelsoft.net or http://fdncenter.org Look all u want but at best u will find an angel that wants at least a prototype. Unlike Lesco promises there r no government grants for start-ups. They do fund lots, but u at least need a bonified company with a product that meets the parameters of that their RFP requires. The Foundation Center has grants for individuals, but they r mostly for people pursuing PhDs,.and even if u do find someplace that funds ideas (which is impossible) u can expect the competition for the grant will be extremely competitive. Some grants have hundreds, even thousands, of applications for one grant.

Regarding your: age, 18 - 21 is considered to be of legal age, but if u r younger, work with an adult to serve as ur sponsor to pursue any type of funds.

As a Grant Writer, l have to agree with Doug. There really r not many grant choices out that there for small businesses as most funds go to non-profit organizations.

Here is the best online answer l have found yet, & closely aligns with what l provide when l give a small business start-up training. It is from the ABC is of Small Business website at http://abcsmallbiz.com/index.html, a site that specializes in working with small business entrepreneurs. They r a bit sarcastic but they make their point.


''Dear ABCs,
l would like to start a business but do not have a lot of money. How do l get a free government grant?

Best Regards,
Gotta Get A Grant!

Dear Grant,

So, you've been watching late-night television, & there is this guy wearing a suit with question marks all over it blathering away about ''free government money''. Then there r Real™ People talking about how they received bundles of money to start their business, & they do not look any smarter than you. Besides, the ''Question Mark Guy'' guy is waving around all that cash, & anyone dumb enough to wear a suit coat like that can not be getting it from his good looks. Well, bucko, the money he is waving around is the money he is made off of guys like u buying his book.

The best things in life r free, but unfortunately, ''free government money'' is not easy to get & usually comes with strings attached. Federal government agencies r required to provide 2.5% of their outside-of-the-agency research in excess of $100 Million dollars yearly for Small Business Innovation Research grants. These grants r competitive & carefully administered by the government. They're directed at areas of research that the government wants solved, particularly in military & scientific areas. Read our resource section on SBIR grants.

You may have better luck within ur local community, so we always advise people to get in touch with local colleges, Small Business Development Centers & the Chamber of Commerce to find out what (if anything) is available locally.

Outside of the U.S., a number of countries do have programs available that provide direct grants to entrepreneurs to start business. Canada, for example, leaves this help up to the provinces but there r grants available for young entrepreneurs, artists & others.

SBA-guaranteed loans for small business r available. They require u to put ur credit & own finances at risk - but then again, if u do not believe in ur own business, who will? Read our overview on SBA loan programs.

If ur business is something that will help the U.S. government with energy problems, find new agricultural uses or solve some of the biggest problems for the Department of Defense & you're good at meeting deadlines & filing paperwork, there r indeed millions of dollars in government grants available. If, on the other hand, that much supervision makes u feel that Geppetto is holding ur puppet strings, the best bet for ur business is to work on ur credit profile, save some money & qualify for a loan. Loans can be really a good deal, can last a lot longer than the period a government grant is available for & the interest is tax-deductible.''


l hope this helps a little. Good luck to you!