The good news is there are grants for a woman-owned small business. The bad news is, it is a difficult, time-consuming task to find and apply for one. You must be patient, apply for more than one, and present a meaningful portrait of yourself and the successful business. There are many grant sources from federal, state and local governments, women's organizations, and private foundations.
Finding Grants for a Woman-Owned Small Business
You will find three general sources for grants: the actual grant sites, information about grants, and assistance for finding and applying for grants. These are found through online research. Be wary of websites that charge a fee for finding grants for a woman business owner. They are in business to make money from fees paid, and the results are usually not very substantive. There are a number of websites that provide free assistance for finding and applying for grants. They are organizations that encourage women to succeed in business and federal government grant search websites.
Online Searches for Grants To Women In Business
The two search engines provided by the federal government include the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and Grants.gov. The SBA search includes grants by state and local governments and private organizations, as well as special small-business loan programs for a woman. Information for investments by venture capital groups is another source. The search is tailored to you specifically by identifying the state, industry, purpose and women business owners. Be aware that many grants are to nonprofit institutions that provide assistance and services to a woman-owned small business.
Women's Business Organizations That Provide Grant Assistance
Makemineamillion.org offers information about women in business, including webinars and podcasts on a variety of women's business issues (makemineamillion.org). WomanOwned, business networks for women, provides a listing of grant information and opportunity sources for women-owned businesses (womanowned.com). The Women's Funding Network connects 160 women's organizations and provides information about their programs (womensfundingnetwork.org). The National Association of Women Business Owners provides networking access to woman-owned businesses, including a section about accessing capital (nawbo.org).
Grants From Private Women's Foundations
Researching business women's groups is a good approach to finding grant sources. There are private business financing organizations for a woman-owned small business that provide small grants. A few of these include, Women's-Finance, offering grants to business women that range from $1,000 to $5,000 in 2011, with online applications available (womensbusinessgrants.com). Women's Net offers Amber grants of $500, as well as resources for a woman-owned small business (womensnet.net).
