Writing (and finding) Grants

Pantra · 06-10-2010, 07:03 AM

I've been hired by a client to write some grants for her small business. She is totally new and knows nothing about grants. My niche is PR copywriting but I am pretty versatile and agreed to take the job. I provided her with a list of foundations and resources, based on some cursory research, and told her to let me know which seemed applicable.

She came back to me and said most of them were too small - that she is looking for big grants, twenty thousand dollars or more, not just one or two thousand dollars. Unfortunately I am not finding foundations offering major grants to small for-profit businesses. I mean, if that kind of money was being handed out to everyone who started a business, we'd all be entrepreneurs.

Does anyone here write grants and if so, do you have any resources to recommend? I've had a few non-profit clients who got major funding through grants but applying for them was a consuming business with its own dedicated staff. And they were non-profits with laudable goals, not just a small business trying to make money. Any ideas?

Tsu Dho Nimh · 06-17-2010, 01:35 AM

What sort of business?

Getting grants for a non-profit is hard; expecting to get a grant or grants of $20K or more for your small business is wildly optimistic ... unless she has some sort of unique quality to the business.

Pantra · 06-19-2010, 04:32 AM

Thanks. It's actually a for-profit business, a small construction company that is operated by an all-women, mostly minority crew. That's what she sees as her selling point to get a grant, but honestly, woman-owed businesses these days simply aren't that rare. And most grants that I've come across are slated for non-profits. The grant money for regular businesses seem mostly available to tech companies.

I talked to her again about this, because she seems to think I'm just not working hard enough to find big grants, and it turned out some guy at a credit union put a bug in her ear. So now it's up to me to gently break reality to her.

Tsu Dho Nimh · 06-19-2010, 10:13 PM

"a small construction company that is operated by an all-women, mostly minority crew"

She can probably get on the "short list" for government jobs and see some preferential treatment in bidding, but they aren't handing out grants to construction companies that I know of.

Look into that end of it and see if you can help her with the paperwork to be on the right lists.

06-10-2010, 07:03 AM	#1
Pantra New Fish; Learning About Thick Skin Join Date: May 2009 Location: AZ Posts: 8	Writing (and finding) Grants I've been hired by a client to write some grants for her small business. She is totally new and knows nothing about grants. My niche is PR copywriting but I am pretty versatile and agreed to take the job. I provided her with a list of foundations and resources, based on some cursory research, and told her to let me know which seemed applicable. She came back to me and said most of them were too small - that she is looking for big grants, twenty thousand dollars or more, not just one or two thousand dollars. Unfortunately I am not finding foundations offering major grants to small for-profit businesses. I mean, if that kind of money was being handed out to everyone who started a business, we'd all be entrepreneurs. Does anyone here write grants and if so, do you have any resources to recommend? I've had a few non-profit clients who got major funding through grants but applying for them was a consuming business with its own dedicated staff. And they were non-profits with laudable goals, not just a small business trying to make money. Any ideas?

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06-17-2010, 01:35 AM	#2
Tsu Dho Nimh practical experience, FTW Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: West Enchilada, AZ Posts: 1,340	What sort of business? Getting grants for a non-profit is hard; expecting to get a grant or grants of $20K or more for your small business is wildly optimistic ... unless she has some sort of unique quality to the business.

06-19-2010, 04:32 AM	#3
Pantra New Fish; Learning About Thick Skin Join Date: May 2009 Location: AZ Posts: 8	Thanks. It's actually a for-profit business, a small construction company that is operated by an all-women, mostly minority crew. That's what she sees as her selling point to get a grant, but honestly, woman-owed businesses these days simply aren't that rare. And most grants that I've come across are slated for non-profits. The grant money for regular businesses seem mostly available to tech companies. I talked to her again about this, because she seems to think I'm just not working hard enough to find big grants, and it turned out some guy at a credit union put a bug in her ear. So now it's up to me to gently break reality to her.

06-19-2010, 10:13 PM	#4
Tsu Dho Nimh practical experience, FTW Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: West Enchilada, AZ Posts: 1,340	"a small construction company that is operated by an all-women, mostly minority crew" She can probably get on the "short list" for government jobs and see some preferential treatment in bidding, but they aren't handing out grants to construction companies that I know of. Look into that end of it and see if you can help her with the paperwork to be on the right lists.