Has anyone ever received a government grant?

Question

I'm wondering if anyone has ever gotten a government grant. I'm looking for a grant for my brother who just started his own cab company but is having a bit of a problem getting it off the ground because of the insurance and such. I am also looking for educational grants other then the ones offered through school, I am 20 years old and paying for college all on my own and also supporting myself through college. I have no problem if they investgate this before giving me the money because it is all very vaild information. Please do not refer me to those "grant sites" because its the last place on earth I would pay and give my information to. Thank you in advance.

Answer 1

Check out Federal Student Aid Web Site or FAFSA http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/

Aside from FAFSA http://www.fafsa.ed.gov  and Pell Grant http://www.ed.gov/programs/fpg/index.htm...  , you may want to explore private foundation grants

Also check out Fastweb http://www.fastweb.com

For private grants, you may want to check the Foundation Center's Foundation Grants for Individuals Online http://gtionline.fdncenter.org . It's a subscription based website ($9.95 per month) and their opening blurb says that the database is ideal for "students, artists, academic researchers, libraries and financial aid offices." You may be able to find grants from private foundations.

As for your brother's cab company, it is hard to find grants to start a business. Unlike the myths that some perpetuate, federal government and even private foundations hardly give grant money for starting a for-profit business.

One possible exception is for companies developing or exporting agricultural goods, including food and forest product. Another exception could be the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) or Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR)  programs http://www.sba.gov/aboutsba/sbaprograms/... , which fund the research and development of technological innovation that meets specific government needs.

Your best bet actually will be from the states if they offer grant programs for women (or any other special interest groups -- minorities, women, disabled, veterans, etc). Or check with non profit organizations, particularly women organizations if they offer grants. Examples include

Iowa Women's Foundation http://www.iawf.org/

New Mexico Women's Foundation http://www.nmwf.org/guidelines.html

Even SBA does NOT give out grants. From the SBA website http://www.sba.gov/mostrequesteditems/CO...

"The U.S. Small Business Administration does not offer grants to start or expand small businesses, although it does offer a wide variety of loan programs. (See http://www.sba.gov/financing for more information) While SBA does offer some grant programs, these are generally designed to expand and enhance organizations that provide small business management, technical, or financial assistance. These grants generally support non-profit organizations, intermediary lending institutions, and state and local governments."

Nonetheless, you can go to the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) http://www.cfda.gov and Grants.gov http://www.grants.gov - these are two sites created by the federal government to provide transparency and information on grants. Browse through the listings and see if you can find any grant that would support a for-profit venture.

Here is a listing of federal grants for small businesses. See if there is any available for individuals for starting a business -- THERE'S NONE.

http://12.46.245.173/pls/portal30/CATALO...

Most of the federal grants are given to specific target groups with specific requirements (e.g. minority business owners involved in transportation related contracts emanating from DOT - Grant#20.905 Disadvantaged Business Enterprises Short Term Lending Program

Grants are also often given to non profit groups or organizations involved in training or other similar activities (grant 59.043 Women's Business Ownership Assistance that are given to those who will create women's business center that will train women entrepreneurs