Where can i obtain a free grant or monies to start a floral shop ?

Alluremn (the first poster) copied my answer WORD FOR WORD. Here is my answer given a month ago where this person has lifted WORD FOR WORD my answer



http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...



And from 5 months ago

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...



Grants are not given to start a business. As long as a venture is for-profit such as a floral shop, grants are not given for that purpose.



You can check with the two government websites on grants -- Grants.gov http://www.grants.gov (where you apply for grants) and Catalog for Federal Domestic Assistance http://www.cfda.gov (where you find listings of grants) -- and you can find NOTHING for starting a business

Where can i obtain a free grant or monies to start a floral shop ?
You stand a greater chance of getting a government-guaranteed loan through the Small Business Administration http://www.sba.gov/financing than a government grant. Read the SBA Financing page to learn about criteria needed for borrowing



It is hard to find grants to start a business. Unlike the myths that some perpetuate, federal government and even private foundations hardly give grant money for a for-profit business. And yes, grants mean PAPERWORK - lots and lots of it, that is why a cottage industry of grant writers was born.



Nonetheless, you can go to the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) http://www.cfda.gov and Grants.gov http://www.grants.gov - these are two sites created by the federal government to provide transparency and information on grants. Browse through the listings and see if you can find any grant that would support a for-profit venture.



Even SBA does NOT give out grants. From the SBA website http://www.sba.gov/expanding/grants.html...



"The U.S. Small Business Administration does not offer grants to start or expand small businesses, although it does offer a wide variety of loan programs. (See http://www.sba.gov/financing for more information) While SBA does offer some grant programs, these are generally designed to expand and enhance organizations that provide small business management, technical, or financial assistance. These grants generally support non-profit organizations, intermediary lending institutions, and state and local governments."



Here is a listing of federal grants for small businesses. See if there is any available for individuals for starting a business -- THERE'S NONE.

http://12.46.245.173/pls/portal30/catalo...



Most of the federal grants are given to specific target groups with specific requirements (e.g. minority business owners involved in transportation related contracts emanating from DOT - Grant#20.905 Disadvantaged Business Enterprises Short Term Lending Program



Grants are also often given to non profit groups or organizations involved in training or other similar activities (grant 59.043 Women's Business Ownership Assistance that are given to those who will create women's business center that will train women entrepreneurs



I suggest you read the following books to get ideas of how to finance your business:



Financing Your Small Business http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/asin/1...

Small Business Financing: How and Where To Get It http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/asin/0...

Financing the Small Business: A Complete Guide to Obtaining Bank Loans and All Other Types of Financing http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/asin/1...

The SBA Loan Book http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/asin/1...

Angel Capital : How to Raise Early-Stage Private Equity Financing http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/asin/0...

Financing Your Small Business (Barron's Business Library Series) http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/asin/0...



For private grants, you may want to check the Foundation Center's Foundation Grants for Individuals Online http://gtionline.fdncenter.org . It's a subscription based website ($9.95 per month) but their opening blurb only says that the database is ideal for "students, artists, academic researchers, libraries and financial aid offices." Entrepreneurs are apparently not one of them, so I take it they also don't have listings of private foundations who give grants to would-be entrepreneurs.



Source(s):



http://www.cfda.gov

http://www.grants.gov

http://gtionline.fdncenter.org

http://www.powerhomebiz.com/vol66/grants...

http://www.sba.gov/expanding/grants.html...