Government grant money for small business

Do a Contented course and improve chances for your grant application succeeding.

Below we list links to agencies that offer Government grant money for small business, plus tips for applying successfully. Government grants, loans and subsidies can make the difference between success and failure for start-ups and small business developments.

New Zealand: Enterprise Development Grants
Grants.gov: Find and apply for U.S. federal grants
Australian federal government grants & funding
UK government grants and support directory
Canada small business grants and loans

Tips for small businesses applying for government grant money

Give yourself the best possible chance by showing professionalism and commitment. Each agency has its own priorities for allocating government grant money, but will always be impressed by a professional approach.

Get it right! Study the requirements of the government agency. Email or phone the agency with your questions: the only silly question is the one you forgot to ask. Ask if you can show them a draft of your application. Check and check again that your application fits the specific government criteria. Just a few examples of compliance follow.

If they ask for a 5-year financial plan, provide it.
If they provide a format for your application, use that format.
If they set a word limit, don't exceed the word limit.
If grants are promised for strategic planning, don't apply for implementation.

These points seem so obvious, but time and again, small businesses miss out on grant money purely because they carelessly overlook government requirements.

awards, contributions, shared costs, subsidies

Present your case professionally . Government agencies don't expect your document's design to be as slick as a multinational's. But carelessness in your application will be interpreted as a sign that you will be careless in other details.

Make sure your application is neat and tidy.
Use large-enough fonts and generous margins.
Don't use fancy fonts.
Do use bullet points, and use them correctly.
Do use plenty of clear, complete headlines that summarise your main points.
Use plain language (taught in our Contented courses).

A business plan is nearly always a requirement for receiving government grant money for small business. Creating a business plan helps you in numerous ways not only in your grant application. Be specific in your business plan, and be sure to meet all the criteria of the government agency.

Your web site is the first thing government agencies will look at after they receive your grant application. Your web site is the face you present to the public. It is your primary marketing tool, and may be the core of your actual business operations. When applying for government grant money for small business, make sure the content of your site is as good as you can possibly make it.

A simple web site is fine, as long as it functions well.

The content must be concise, well organised and well written. You may have to write your own content, now and in the foreseeable future. Writing web content is not a one-off task. A successful business web site must change its content frequently. So before applying for government grant money, do register one or two staff members for a Contented course, and then edit your content. As a spin-off, you'll improve search results for your site, as good online writing is search-engine-friendly writing.

Do a Contented course and improve both your web site and your grant application.