Thanks to the American Recovery Reinvestment Act (ARRA) there’s never been a better time to find small business grants.
The hottest grant opportunities right now, as a result of ARRA, are in energy efficiency, pollution control, and broadband. But those are by no means the only areas where you can find grant funding.
Start by finding out if you qualify for any of the special small business certifications such as minority-owned business, disadvantaged business, woman-owned business, veteran-owned business, and so forth. If you do, you will have priority for some types of grants and should start the certification process. Being certified under one of these categories will also give them an advantage in winning government contracts.
Next, get on the mailing lists of the various grant-giving organizations, and learn all they can about writing grant proposals or find someone who can do it for you. Some Small Business Development Centers (SBDC’s) provide free assistance, in fact.
While there’s no such thing as free money, there are grant programs that will pay for specialized products and services if you can deliver them.
If you are a small business owner, the SBA’s Small Business Loans and Grants Search Tool is a great way to find specialized small business grant programs.
If you are a non-profit organization or a for-profit business involved in scientific and technology research and development, take a look at the following resources:
The following is a selection of major grant programs provided by federal government agencies.
Arts, Humanities and Education
- Education - U.S. Department of Education
- Humanities - National Endowment for the Humanities
- Libraries and Archives - National Archives and Records Administration
- Museums - Institute of Museum and Library Services
- Visual and Performing Arts - National Endowment for the Arts
Community and Social Services
- Employment and Labor Grants - U.S. Department of Labor
- Housing - U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
- Law Enforcement - U.S. Department of Justice
Health and Medicine
- Cancer Research - National Cancer Institute
- Health Care Services - U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration
- NIH Grants - National Institutes of Health
Science, Technology and Environment
- Energy Sciences Grants - U.S. Department of Energy
- Environmental Grants and Fellowships - Environmental Protection Agency
- Natural Resources - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
- Scientific Research Grants - National Science Foundation
- Small Business Research and Development Grants
- Technology Grants - National Institute of Standards and Technology
- Telecommunications - National Telecommunications and Information Administration
For more information about Small Business Grants, visit the grants page of our sister site FindingMoneyAdvice or, better yet, order a copy of our book, Finding Money—The Small Business Guide to Financing.
