Judging from many of the recent post I've read in the discussion forum, there
seems to be a lot of misunderstanding and confusion on the topic of small
business getting grants. The long and short of it is that the vast majority
of small business will not qualify for any type of grants and would make
better use of their time and energy pursuing other means for funding their
business venture. Grants are mostly received by nonprofit-charitable,
research or educational types of agencies. This does not mean you should
strive to become a nonprofit...But, it does mean you should not waste your
time pursuing this type of funding if you are not a good fit.

True... grants are basically non-existent for the for-profit company. However ... to create jobs, many municipalities are offering greater amounts of small business funding and support.

For more information, read The Truth About Government Grants here at Business.gov.

True for the most part. There are grant opportunities. Most government grants do go to local city governments - thus, if you can convenience your local government that your business's services are needed in your community - they may be able to apply for a grant on your behalf - then dole those funds out to you - with their restrictions and requirements. Exceptions would be businesses like road construction - where many cities already have the grant funds and will hire your business to fulfill their needs. Also, I have noticed lately that many large multi-national corporations - like Pepsi - offer grant opportunities as part of their marketing efforts. In an attempt to show that they are a social company - they will allow businesses to create a profile and request - then let other users vote for the best. There are grant opportunities - even those that are promoted via commercials. The problem is that they are so narrow in scope that very few businesses or individuals will qualify. Further, when searching for grants for your business - do not fall for the fly-by-night companiess that state they can get you a grant for a small upfront fee. These never work. But, if you are really interested in a grant - do your homework. As stated, many large corporations will provide grants in their local communities (those areas they usually headquarter in). You just have to really look/search hard for them and do your homework. If you find one - you may have to modify your business to fit the program and not try to get them to modify their program to fit your business. Lastly, know that all grant programs are competitive - so, find a way for your business to stand out - you really have to work at it - no one will just give you money for nothing.

Since there seems to be so many questions about grants and loans I thought that I would post these links for those interested in where to find out about U.S. Government Grants & Funding Resources: Find information from all federal agencies. Find and apply for a grant (Grants.gov) Check your eligibility for government benefits (GovBenefits.gov) Check availability of government loans (Govloans.gov) Find business contracting opportunities (FedBizOpps) Find descriptions of all Federal assistance programs (Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance, CFDA) As mentioned earlier, most grants are for nonprofit 501c3 organizations and small businesses might do better looking for loans.

Do you doadvertising for the grants.