Government grants provide funding to solve specific problems.
Government grants allow a nonprofit organization the ability to perform specific activities for the common good of a community and are offered to 501(c)(3) organizations, according to "The Complete Book of Grant Writing." Nonprofits must prove they receive their funding from a variety of sources, which makes seeking government grants an important part of business management. Reactive grantseeking -- the act of supplying a proposal to a grantmaker to solve a particular problem -- is a heavily-used method in government grants. A small woman-owned business can use a variety of resources to find government grants.
Instructions
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance
1. Go the the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) website (see Resources) and click the "Programs" link.
2. Click the "Advanced Search" tab and select "Minority Group" and "Small Business" from the "Applicant Eligibility" drop-down menu. You can also enter keywords and select "Assistance Types" to further define your search. Click the "Search" button at the bottom of the page to execute the search.
3. Click the view icon -- which looks like a magnifying glass over a piece of paper -- to open a program and view detailed information. You can print the program information by selecting the "Print" button at the bottom of the page. Record the agency and contact information to submit a proposal.
Grants.gov Federal Grants
4. Go to the Grants.gov website (see Resources) and click the "Find Grant Opportunities" link on the left side of the screen.
5. Click the "Advanced Search" button and select "Small Businesses" from the "Search by Eligibility" section. You can also select additional criteria including dates, agency and instrument type. Click the "Search" button to begin your search.
6. Click the link for a grant that interests you. Click "Full Announcement" to review the entire RFP or select "Application" to submit a proposal.
