There may be grant opportunities available to your small business, so it’s important to utilize reliable and trusted resources to find grant programs that are right for you. Steer clear of websites that require you to pay fees or make unrealistic promises about guaranteed funding. 
Some places where you can find grant funding opportunities include the following:

• Use Grants.gov to find federal financial aid
• Search your state and local government’s website for more information about grants in your area, including the U.S. Economic Development Administration
• Startups and small businesses across technology areas and markets may be able to take advantage of the SBA’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR)

NOTE: Government grants—particularly federal grants—can be complicated and may require specific small business certifications.​ Be sure to read all rules and regulations carefully to ensure you comply with the requirements.​

Dive into our grant portal

Grantors are looking to support and elevate small businesses with specific goals in mind. Grant eligibility may vary depending on the type of program you are applying for. Some factors include:

• Location
• Time in business
• Type of business and/or industry
• Size of business and annual revenue

Be sure to look at the grant eligibility to make sure your business qualifies for the opportunity before jumping to apply. 

Once you’ve identified the right grant programs for your business, start gathering your required documentation. You may notice that many grant programs ask for similar requirements, which may include: 

• Creating an account with the grantor’s platform
• Filling out a questionnaire about your business
• Sharing your business plan and other legal documents
• Creating a pitch to participate in a competition
• Creating a summary of how you plan to use the funds, which may be recorded as a video

While this is not an exhaustive list of grant requirements, this covers some key elements that are commonly found in grant applications. To accelerate your grant application process, be sure to create a folder with the above documentation so you can easily access it for future grant programs. 

Spend some time thinking about what you would like to accomplish with your business and its impact on your family and/or community. Get comfortable with advocating for your business, and be sure to weave in storytelling in your application. Grantors are often looking for stories of resilience, bravery, innovation and pivots, so be sure to tell your story in an authentic way—but keep it succinct.

Once you get comfortable with grant applications, you may catch yourself applying to several funding opportunities. This is a great strategy to maximize your chances of being selected, so it’s critical that you keep track of your application submissions and grant timelines. You can create a spreadsheet with basic information of each grant application, with deadlines and dates of when the announcement will occur. To ensure you’re not missing any communications from grantors, be sure to save their email addresses and/or regularly check your spam folder. 

NOTE: If you're looking for immediate financing needs, a grant may not be right for your business. Grants may take up months to be awarded and/or disbursed.​

We’re searching and vetting grant programs at the national, state and local level to help facilitate these opportunities for small businesses like yours. Explore our grant portal frequently, as new funding resources are added as information becomes available.

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