The Small Business Administration (SBA) offers both grants and loans. Grants are harder to get, but don’t have to be paid back. The SBA also offers other forms of assistance that may be more useful for some businesses than grants or loans.
The SBA provides grants to non-profits and educational institutions through their Office of Innovation and Technology (OIT). The National Science Foundation awards research and development grants primarily in science, engineering, mathematics, and technology education. You may be eligible for a small business grant if you meet the criteria outlined by one of these agencies.
What is a grant?
A grant is a sum of money given to an individual or group by a government or other institution. Grants are not loans, and do not have to be repaid. They’re typically awarded based on merit as opposed to financial need (although certain grants do exist that require that applicants demonstrate financial need).
Grants are often given to help with research, education or public health—but they can also be used for any personal purpose the recipient wants. For example, if you want to start a business but don’t have the capital necessary for it yet, you might apply for a grant from your city council in order to get started. Or perhaps you see yourself moving out west someday but don’t know how much it would cost; applying for some sort of travel grant might help ease those fears!
How easy is it to get a grant?
If you’re looking for money, it’s important to know that grants are harder to get than loans. Grants are not always available and awardees are selected by a competitive process based on specific criteria. The grantor’s mission may have relevance to your business or project, but only one applicant per grantor can be awarded.
How Much Grant Money Can I Get?
How much grant money you get depends on the program. Some grants are highly competitive, while others are more accessible. When deciding how much money to ask for, think about the type of grant program you’re applying for and the guidelines associated with it.
If you’re applying for a competitive grant program that requires an application fee, it’s best not to ask for more than your minimum requirement in case your proposal doesn’t make it past preliminary review. If a non-competitive grant is all that’s available to you or if there isn’t an application fee associated with the grant program (this situation is rare), then feel free to ask as much as possible—but remember that “as much as possible” will vary depending on various factors such as whether or not there’s an application fee associated with submitting proposals; how many other applicants are vying for this money; etcetera ad infinitum!
In comparison, how easy is it to get an SBA loan?
The Small Business Administration (SBA) provides loans with lower interest rates than other loans. The application process can be lengthy and complicated, but if you qualify for an SBA loan, you’ll usually have a better chance of getting funding than with a grant program. In addition, after your business pays back the money from its first successful loan application, you might be eligible for additional funds from the SBA as long as your business continues to meet certain financial requirements.
However, unlike grants that don’t require repayment (although some do), SBA loans must be paid back in a timely manner and at scheduled intervals throughout their life cycle; this means that even if you’re not sure whether or not you’ll make enough money from your new venture to pay back investors before they want their money back—or if they want it at all—you’re still obligated by law to pay them back according to specified deadlines outlined in contracts signed at inception.
How can you apply for a grant or an SBA loan?
● You can apply online at sba.gov.
● You can also apply by phone at 866-574-5719
● Finally, you can apply via mail by sending your completed application to SBA, 409 3rd Street SW, Washington, DC 20416
The Small Business Administration offers both grants and loans. Grants are harder to get, but don’t have to be paid back.
The Small Business Administration (SBA) has two options for small businesses who need funding: grants and loans.
Here are some differences between the two:
● Grants are harder to get, but they don’t have to be paid back. Loans must be repaid, often with interest.
● Grants give you more flexibility than loans. For example, if your business starts failing or doesn’t take off as quickly as you’d like it to, grants allow you to stop making payments without going into default; whereas with a loan, stopping payments can lead directly to defaulting on repayment obligations—and possibly losing your property or assets as a result. On the other hand…
● …grants generally have more restrictions on how they can be used than loans do. For example, some grant funds may only go toward affordable housing projects; others may require that recipients use American-made materials when constructing new buildings or refurbishing existing ones in order not spend foreign capital overseas.”
We know that getting started in business can be tough. So when you’re ready to apply, we recommend checking out our free online course “How to Get Started as a Small Business Owner.”