I'm seeking a grant to start a small business but I don't have a credit card to get the grant kit I need .

Question

What should I do when I don't have a credit card. So many grant programs asks for a credit card. I'm really eager to get my business started but don't have the funding.

Answer 1

Go to grants.gov where you will find all the information about government grants and how you can apply for them

Answer 2

Hate to tell you, but you're not going to find a grant to start a small business.  Grants are almost exclusively for non-profit public benefit organizations.  You're going to need to get a loan from a bank or credit union to start your business, and you'll need a lot more than just an idea to get a loan.

You didn't give any detail about the type of business you want to start, or your experience in that field.  You need to be more specific in what kind of business you want.  

Before you go any further, I STRONGLY recommend you contact the Small Business Development Center (at your local community college) and talk to them; the counseling is free.  Then sign up for the NxLevel Entrepreneurial program...  it's a 12 session course that walks you through the ins and outs of starting or growing your business, and as part of that you will write a business plan.  At the end of the class your plan will be reviewed by a lending professional, and will be critiqued, telling you the strong points of your plan AND the weak points.  

Then you can work on the weak points and hopefully get it into shape to actually present to a lender and get the loan you need.  There is a cost for the NxLevel program ($375.00 last year at my SBDC), but it’s a lot cheaper than losing your investment.

Even if you hire a professional to write your plan, you should still take the NxLevel course.  It saved me from going into a business that would have failed within a year or so, taking my investment with it.  I realized by the third week of the class that I could not afford the business I was looking at and changed directions in the middle of the class.  I ended up not going with the second business either, but for non-financial reasons.

Business plans may be a pain in the butt to prepare, but without one, your business is doomed to failure.  To start with, you won't know what your startup costs are going to be, what kind of income to expect, what your ongoing expenses are, who your competition is, and even whether or not you can make a profit.  Without a GOOD business plan, you will not be able to get a business loan to get your business off the ground.

Answer 3

It doesn't take a credit card to apply for a legitimate grant. You're probably being scammed by some bogus company that claims they can "find grants for you!" but really only wants to get your money by selling you some kind of worthless "start-up kit".

Answer 4

The very short answer is that if you don't have the funding your business will not take off or survive. Capital and cash flowing in and out, hopefully more in than out, is the "blood" of a business. If you don't even have credit card you are unlikely to have enough of a credit rating to get any loans, let alone grants.

Talk to your local community college or university or local government about taking some small business courses.