Personal and Business Loans

There is a lot of misinformation being spread around about the availability of grants for businesses–especially since the economic stimulus funds were announced in February, 2009. Perception is not reality though and the truth is that there is not an abundance of “free government money” available to small businesses just for the asking. 

You’ve probably heard or seen the advertisements and websites that that claim that they can show you how to tap into hundreds of millions of dollars in grants to start or expand a business that the U.S. government “gives” away each year. Despite what these people would have you believe, the government isn’t just “giving away” money to small businesses. There are however, lots of opportunities for small businesses to connect with Federal dollars. First though, you need to understand a few things. Here are the facts about business grants: 

1. Nearly all federal grants–even stimulus grants–go to states, local government agencies, schools or universities and qualified nonprofit organizations. Most Federal grants given to businesses are for specific purposes relating to the development of advanced technologies and renewable energy development.

2. Every federal grant program is for a specific purpose, has required activities and requires that the recipient account for every dollar. If the specified activities aren’t carried out or the money isn’t accounted for properly, there are very serious consequences.

3. All of the “secret” information that people will try to sell you is available for free at your local library or on the Internet. 

What the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) says:   

4. Don’t ever pay any money for a “free” government grant. It’s not free if you have to pay for it. Government agencies would never ask you to pay a processing fee for a grant that you have already been awarded – or to pay for a list of grant-making institutions. The names of agencies and foundations that award grants are available for free at any public library or on the Internet. The only official access point for all federal grant-making agencies is www.grants.gov

5. Never give your bank account information to someone you do not know. Scammers pressure people to divulge their bank account information so that they can steal the money in the account. Always keep your bank account information confidential. Don’t share it unless you are familiar with the company and know why the information is necessary.

6. Look-alikes aren’t the real thing. Just because the caller says he’s from the “Federal Grants Administration” or something similar, it doesn’t mean that he is. There is no such government agency. Take a moment to check the blue pages in your telephone directory to bear out your hunch – or not. 

7. File a complaint with the FTC. If you think you may have been a victim of a government grant scam, file a complaint with the FTC online on their website (www.ftc.gov) or call 1-877-382-4357. 

If you are interested in learning about legitimate sources for business grant information, a good place to start is with your local Small Business Administration (SBA) office. The SBA does not offer business grants but they can help you connect with the proper resources for uncovering local, state and Federal business grant opportunities and they also may be able to guide you in the proper direction if you’re interested in pursuing cooperative agreements or contracting opportunities with the Federal government. 

Alternatively, you can also work with a professional business grants consultant. These are persons who are skilled in navigating the Federal maze and can help your business connect with local, state and Federal dollars. Before hiring a business grant writer, check them out and make sure you’re dealing with a professional who knows what he or she is doing and has a track record of success.

Author: R. Flavin
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Smart cooker

Government Small Business Grants are a great way to fund a business start up.

Look at it like this. Suppose you have a great idea for a business, the know how to make it succeed, but no start up capital. Well, you can find friends or family who might want to invest in you. Easier said than done, unless you come from a family with trusting family members who have some money and are not afraid to risk it. You could go to a bank. Young, or even beginning, entrepreneurs often do not have stellar credit. So a bank loan might not be that easy to get. Besides, the thing about loans is you have to pay them back. Or, you could get a grant!

You can get grants from government entities and also from private organizations. Both can be used to fund a business start up. The great thing about grants is you do not have to pay them back. The down side is there is a lot of paperwork and red tape you have to deal with to get the grant. And, also, since the money is free, there is a lot of competition for these grants.

Quite frankly, if you can not deal with the problems and headaches of getting a grant, you might not want to go into business for yourself. Entrepreneurs must be fearless problem solvers, or else they get beaten by the competition.

Having said that, there are a ton of resources on the Internet for you to use, two of which are The Foundation Center and Grants.gov.

The Foundation Center is the nation’s leading authority on philanthropy. They have a number of online courses and webinars you might want to check out. Even if their thrust is not necessarily geared toward grants for entrepreneurs, you can still gain a lot of skills that will help you apply for grants.

Grants.gov is a fabulous website that lists thousands of federal government grants, including government small business grants. You would do well to browse their site to learn about what types of grants are available. They also have a pretty good search engine that can help you find what you are looking for.

Do not let lack of capital stop you from starting that business you have always dreamed about! Spend some time and money educating yourself about government small business grants. Who knows, you might just find what you need.

Author: Lee Cole
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Smart cooker

photo credit: markhillary

If you are a small business owner that has toyed with the idea of a SBA loan, is there anything beneficial in the new economic recovery act (“The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009″) that will help me? It may surprise you to learn there is. No, I am not a paid spokesman for the U.S. government. Let me go one step further. What if there was a program paid by taxpayer dollars that actually reduced your cost of doing business in procuring a loan? You would probably think it was another chimerical attempt by Congress to bluff the American public. But it’s actually true.

Here is how it works. When you get a SBA loan from your local banker (come on now–it is possible in this economy), you have to pay at closing what is called a “SBA guarantee fee”. These fees are dutifully collected and sent off to Washington to create a war chest. If you have the misfortune of defaulting on your loan, the lender can tender this default to the U.S. government and receive between 50% and 85% (possibly 90% under new laws) of the loss as reimbursement. In fact, that is one the purposes of the SBA: to cover defaults through the SBA guarantee loan program. But as the applicant, you have always had to pay this out of pocket. And it wasn’t cheap. For a loan up to $150,000, the fee was 2% of 50% of the loan value (the 50% in this example is the guarantee amount). It was 3% for loans above that amount. For example, with a $150,000 loan, you would be paying approximately $1,500 ($150,000 X .02 X .50) just for the guarantee fee, in addition to additional costs such as the processing fee, appraisal, etc. This is money that would ordinarily have gone into your pockets for business use. For the hearty among us who like to read the actual provisions of the statute, here you go (15 U.S.C. 636(a)): Read more of this >>