{"id":3720,"date":"2013-04-15T07:11:35","date_gmt":"2013-04-15T11:11:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.123print.com\/?p=3720"},"modified":"2015-07-21T20:13:19","modified_gmt":"2015-07-21T20:13:19","slug":"grant-writing-for-small-businesses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.123print.com\/blog\/grant-writing-for-small-businesses\/","title":{"rendered":"Grant Writing for Small Businesses"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"SmallFinding the funds to start or improve your small business is not always easy. Have you ever considered looking into the possibility of getting a grant? There are all kinds available, but keep in mind that a grant probably won\u2019t be your major<\/em> funding source.<\/p>\n

\u201cGrants are typically a donation of a set amount of money made by foundations, other businesses, government agencies or nonprofit organizations to companies or individuals that meet specific requirements and quality for the grant. Grants do not have to be paid back. Grants for businesses follow strict requirements and are typically offered for minority- or veteran-owned businesses or to individuals that have a disability,\u201d outline the experts at BusinessInsuranceQuotes<\/a>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Before you dismiss grant writing for your small business because you don\u2019t think that you fit into one of the above categories, know that you have options if you know where to look and how to write a killer proposal. Here\u2019s a step-by-step guide to developing grant proposals that mean serious business:<\/p>\n

Get your creative juices flowing.<\/span><\/strong>
\nIf you\u2019re not a veteran, a minority or you don\u2019t have a disability, does your business fit into one of the below categories by chance?
\n\u2022 Construction of streets, neighborhood centers, recreation facilities and other public works
\n\u2022 Rehabilitation of public and private buildings
\n\u2022 Public services
\n\u2022 Planning activities
\n\u2022 Assistance to nonprofits for community development activities
\n\u2022 Assistance to private, for-profit entities to carry out economic development activities
\nIf so, you may be able to apply for a Community Development Block Grant<\/a> (CDBG). \u201cIf your business can perform, or participate in any of these activities, then you have a good shot at receiving CDBG funding,\u201d says business blogger Wilton Blake<\/a>. Think outside of the box. How can you offer your products or services to already-funded projects as a contractor?<\/p>\n

In order to accomplish your small business grant writing goals, first arm yourself with information, including finding out who the key community leaders are, what government entity is in charge of administering CDBG funds and what their current funding priorities are.<\/p>\n

Next, here\u2019s a down-and-dirty checklist, of things to make sure you do before you start the actual grant writing<\/strong> (thanks again to BusinessInsuranceQuotes):
\n\u2022 Complete your business plan.
\n\u2022 Identify financial needs and purpose.
\n\u2022 Write an executive summary of your business\u2019 needs.
\n\u2022 Research funding sources for grants.
\n\u2022 Identify granting organizations that match your business vision and goals.
\n\u2022 Get a hold of grant application guidelines, information and contact person.
\n\u2022 Before you start writing, clarify any questions about the application you may have.<\/p>\n

Set aside ample time.<\/span><\/strong>
\nNow that you\u2019ve figured out where your small business fits the bill, and have a clear vision of your business goals and objectives, you can start developing the first draft of the grant proposal. Set aside plenty of time to strategize what you want to say and tweak the verbiage. Plan on revising your draft two or more times until it\u2019s just right. You usually only get one shot \u2026 no pressure!<\/p>\n

Fine-tune the grant writing.<\/span><\/strong>
\nTailor your grant specifically for the grant package in front of you, and follow the package\u2019s instructions very carefully and in order. This includes any instructions on format, style, timeframe \u2014 even what type of paper and binder to use. \u201cMirroring the verbiage in the document helps to let the organization providing the grant know that you understand their organization\u2019s purpose,\u201d advise the experts at Excellent Proofreading and Writing<\/a>. Make sure everything that you write is very clear and to the point so that there isn\u2019t any room for questioning. You don\u2019t want your grant to end up in the trash for not being thorough and following their directions to a tee.<\/p>\n

Include a cover letter.<\/span><\/strong>
\nYou should include a cover letter with your grant application just like you would when applying for a job. In one page, the cover letter should include your contact information and a synopsis of the grant application. \u201cLet the granting organization know that you understand goals and purposes by dovetailing your business needs in with that purpose,\u201d says Excellent Proofreading and Writing.<\/p>\n

Proofread, proofread, proofread.<\/span><\/strong>
\nOnce you think it\u2019s 100-percent good to go, don\u2019t send it off just yet. Let your final draft sit for a whole day (seriously, put it down and come back to it later, 24 hours later if possible). Then, reread it. Also have at least two other people that you trust read it to help you catch any small mistakes that you might have overlooked. No mistakes? Clear and concise? Follows the rules about order, format and style? Congrats, you\u2019re ready to submit your grant application.<\/p>\n

Do you have another great tip about grant writing for small businesses? Leave our readers a comment on our 123Print Facebook<\/a> page, tweet us @123Print<\/a> or write a note below. Thanks in advance!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Finding the funds to start or improve your small business is not always easy. Have […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,8],"tags":[533,534,535,1033,1062,1077],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.123print.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3720"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.123print.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.123print.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.123print.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.123print.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3720"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blog.123print.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3720\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9299,"href":"https:\/\/blog.123print.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3720\/revisions\/9299"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.123print.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3720"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.123print.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3720"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.123print.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3720"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}