Finding Federal Grants for Woman Owned Businesses

by: Michael Saunders

Grants are not Benefits or Entitlements. A Federal Grant is an award of financial assistance from a Federal agency to a recipient to carry out a public purpose of support or stimulation authorized by a law of the United States. Grants are not Federal assistance or loans to individuals.

Since 2002, the federal government has been developing and implementing Grants.gov as a collaborative cross-government program focused on streamlining grants management for the Federal grant community.

There are many U.S. government grants that are available today. American citizens are not just aware or familiar with it because there is not advertisement about it. This is probably because there are no funds allocated for such announcements.

One specific type of grant gives focus on women alone. This can be research about women, other women oriented projects or businesses. Obviously the main requirement is that your project must focus on women, women's needs (like health) or you the grantee, must be a woman.

To be able to acquire that grant you need to focus on several things, these are the following:

- Know the different types of grants given for women

- Choose which one fits your needs

- Look into also if you are eligible for that grant you fancy.

- Get the application form or what some call as the grants application kit

- Review the necessary details necessary for the application

- Don't rush. Your writing must be well-written and succinct.

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Did you know?

Applying at Grants.gov can reduce your costs and the time required to find government grant opportunities and process your application. The site provides access to multiple grantors and reduces paperwork.  (continued...)

Finding Federal Grants for Woman Owned Businesses
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About The Author Michael Saunders has an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. He edits a site on Government Grants for Women Owned Businesses and also edits HandsNet - A Human Services News Website.

Additional Resources

category - Small Business Grants

Small Business Administration's Recovery Capital Loans
The Recovery Capital Loans Program provides financial assistance to small business with less than 500 employees to obtain a deferred payment loan from the agency, in order to meet existing debt payments, thereby giving the business the opportunity to refocus their business strategy.

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Department of Agriculture: Value Added Producer Grants
The Value-Added Producer Grants program is geared towards helping the Independent Producers of Agricultural Commodities, Agriculture Producer Groups, Farmer and Rancher Cooperatives, and Majority-Controlled Producer-Based Business Ventures in developing techniques that would create marketing opportunities and establish business plans involving viable marketing opportunities that involve the production of bio-based products from agricultural commodities.

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Community Development Financial Institutions
Community Development Financial Institutions are basically financial institutions who possess the ability to provide credit and financial services to underserved industries and communities.

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Federal and State Technology Partnership Program
The Federal and State Technology Partnership Program works around the objective of being able to boost and strengthen the technological competitiveness of small business establishments in the United States of America.

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