Small Business Grants - Free or Low Cost Consulting for Your Small Business

by: Michael Saunders
Did you know that it is possible for you to receive free or low cost consulting for your small business? If it sounds too good to be true, rest assured it is actually possible. Not only does it make sense economically, but you would be receiving advice from professionals who have extensive business experience.

The Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) provides grants to fund either active or retired business management professionals to train and/or counsel existing small business owners or those who have an interest in starting their own small business.

SCORE works with the Small Business Administration and works with this agency to serve existing and aspiring small business owners. SCORE is the nation's largest volunteer business counseling service.

SCORE was established in 1964 and has been a tremendous service to small business owners. SCORE has provided advice on how to grow and start their small business to over 8.5 million people. SCORE's purpose is to connect volunteer business professionals (with extensive management experience) with the owners and/or managers or small businesses that feel that they would benefit from the expertise.

There are approximately 11,500 SCORE volunteers serving throughout the entire 50 United States. With over 370 local chapters, there is likely a SCORE volunteer within your vicinity.
  (continued...)

Small Business Grants - Free or Low Cost Consulting for Your Small Business
  Page 2

About The Author You can find more information on business grants for women and programs offered by both the federal and state governments at Top Government Grants. We also provide additional resources on wide variety of grants for small business and entrepreneurial topics on our home-based business site. Michael Saunders has an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Additional Resources

category - Small Business Grants

Program for Investment in Micro-Entrepreneurs Technical Assistance
The Program for Investment in Micro-Entrepreneurs Technical Assistance Program is designed to decrease the number of disadvantaged micro-entrepreneurs by helping them enhance their management capabilities, by way of providing them with technical assistance and training in the areas concerning activities that are associated with starting, expanding and growing their businesses.

---

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.

---

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.

---

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.

---