SmallBusinessGrants123.com

There are three major steps that you will have to follow if you are hoping to obtain a successful grant. Firstly, you must be able to properly identify potential grant makers who might be interested in supporting your business project. You should use the several different websites out there in order to hunt down the grant which is most perfect for you. If you require additional reference materials, you might wish to consult other publications in the Grants information database or contact the nearest Foundation Center Library near you for assistance, which will contain reference books on private foundations in your region as well as some more basic information on government and corporate grants. Of course you can also call the Foundation Center at 1-800-424-9836 for the location of the collection which will be closest to you.

Secondly, after you have found and located your list of potential prospects, you should contact all of the key people who might be able to help you plan your proposal before you begin to write it in the first place. What this really implies is that you must do your homework if you are going to be successful. A sure way to fail in grant seeking is to write a proposal without talking to the right people who can maximize your potential for success.

Thirdly, after you have qualified your prospects and planned an effective approach, you must produce a carefully written, very well thought out proposal. Some grant proposals are not accepted because they might contain bad ideas; nevertheless, the most common reason why grant proposals are rejected is usually because they contain good ideas that are nevertheless very badly written. There are basically two types of grant proposals which are: long proposals that you write to government agencies, and more concise letter proposals that are generally given to private sponsors. Have good knowledge of who you are talking to and what they will expect from your application.

Click here to read Part 5 of this course.

Or click here to go back to the start of this business grants course.