Sunday, April 30, 2006

Grant(s) for a Web Designer?

Well that is going to depend.  Web designers have been hired by organizations to design websites for the organizations (it's the organization that gets the grant and the grant money is used to pay the web designer).  There is one grant that comes to my mind that is for women to start an online business (depending upon if you are a woman).....

So obviously you are going to have to be a bit more specific.  In a word the answer to your question is "Yes" but it will depend on what kind of design.

Thursday, April 27, 2006

What do I do?

Hi Rose, I just forund your site while searching for something eles.

I am working with another grant writing service and I am begining to believe they are not quite on the up ane up,  nothng concrete yet, just a few things they have metioned and talking with so many different people.

Do you write proposals or just do research for the funds?
I would like to know more about your service and what your fees are if you write the proposals.

Thanks J~


Thank you for your email.

My basic service is to find the grant and funding programs that clients are eligible for.  Basic service is 20 hours of research and all grant information including application forms and contact information are emailed to the client.  Then the client decides whether or not they want to apply themselves or whether or not (regardless of whether it is me or not) they will want to hire a grantwriter.

Both the information about my services and my fees are located on these 2 pages:

http://members.aol.com/Roseb441702/grants.htm

and

http://members.aol.com/Roseb441702/payinfo.htm

Wednesday, April 26, 2006

Helping To Make Your Dreams Come True!

You have to remember when looking for funding that you simply keep looking.  I am currently helping a woman apply for a $500,000 grant so that she can start a daycare for "special needs" children.  This funding program is not being provided by the government but by a private foundation whose sole objective is to help people fulfill their dreams.  And I think that $500,000 would definitely help towards that end!  Such funding programs are available for both for-profit and non-profit endeavors - it doesn't matter because the main objective is to help people make their dreams come true.  It is just as simple as that.

So if you still want to search for funding before going the "loan" route then you should find out more about these grant programs.

Call It A Scam If You Want But.....

Call it a scam if you want but I have just got finished helping a woman get a $100 payment that is going to be applied towards her heating bill! 

This little "grant" came as the result of a simple phone call and faxing a copy of the heating bill.  No questions - other than the basic contact information - and no form(s) to fill out!  The whole process took 2 days!  So to all of you that still think it is a scam - unfortunately you just don't know what you are talking about.

Tuesday, April 25, 2006

"What are my chances of getting a grant?"

I would like to know if you help individuals as myself obtain a grant for personal needs please?,and if so what are the chances of me getting a grant to pay off my school loans and to purchase a car?

Thanks G~

As is noted on my website I find the grant programs that a person is eligible to apply for.  I find the information, compile it concise form and send it to the client.  All program information includes contact information, eligibility requirements and guidelines.  Once the client has this information they can decide whether they will want to apply themselves or whether or not they will want to hire a grantwriter - whether it is me or someone else.

According to my Grants Basics 101 page at:

http://members.aol.com/Roseb441702/grants.htm

no one can be guarenteed a grant.  You have to go through the process of applying.  The applications that best meet the needs of the organization supplying the grant will be awarded the grant - it is as simple as that.  So the better your application is prepared the better your chances.

There are some funding programs to help with paying student loans however you must know the specifics of these programs to know whether or not you are eligible.

There are funding programs that cover "transportation" costs which may sometimes include buying or providing a used car.  But again - like I have noted above - you must know the specifics of these programs to know whether or not you are eligible.

Monday, April 24, 2006

Help?

hi rose.you had sent me an email on not to give up on my dream that grants and funding id out there if you could please help me find that grant or funding to start my business i would be grateful,Right now we are ..............and i have no where to go and i have 2 kids and if i dont find something  we will .......i have been trying for a yr to find something but i just cant find it,I want to rake care of my kids and make sure they have things but that is not working out for me.So if you can please help me find that grant or funding ot would take alot of stain of me right now.if you need more information on my gift store you can call me at...........I am looking for a grant for 85,000 for start up to open my gift store.


Thank you for your email.

I have been on the phone all this morning helping a client to get mortgage assistance.  The same thing applies to rental assistance as well. 

There are some basics you have to understand about grants.  The basic process is that you will have to apply for a grant and your application is assessed.  The applicant(s) that get the grant award are the ones that best meet the objectives of the organization giving out the monies.  One of my past clients has informed me that she will be receiving a $20,000 grant to start her daycare and she emailed me to thank me.  If for no other reason this just proves what I have been saying all along and that is that there ARE grant programs for those who want to start their own business.

Unfortunately you are not a client and in such cases I always advise that one should find this information for theirselves.  That way they will see what time and what effort are required to find this kind of information and that is exactly what I advise you to do.

Sunday, April 23, 2006

Loans?- I talk a lot about grants but there are also a lot of good loan programs

In particular for first time home buyers!  If you are considered low-incomed there are many loan programs for you that would be favorable for you.  First-time home ownership is something that the government (our government) wants to encourage - that is why there are a lot of good programs for it!

Saturday, April 22, 2006

Young People Seeking Jobs

I have seen posts from a lot of younger teenagers who are looking for jobs.  Unfortunately their young age will make it difficult for them to get a conventional job so the thing that they can do is make their own job!  It's not as impossible as it sounds either.  You could start a dog-walking service, do errands, have a paper route or do yard work.  As a matter of fact you could combine some of these and earn even more money and have more clients.

How hard would it be for you to design a cute little flyer and pass it around?  I once helped someone who had an upholstery business.  We put flyers on parked cars at the local mall and in a few days he started to get calls and some of those calls turned into customers.  You might even start to get more customers than you can handle and then you could get others to work for you - then you'll be a manager!

As a side note this isn't a bad idea for adults either.  You could do the exact same thing that I mentioned above!

Thursday, April 20, 2006

Still think there's "no hope"?

If you still feel that there's still "no hope"
then tell that to:

the single mother who was one of my clients who got a $20,000 grant to start her own business, has an application that is still pending to help pay back her student loan

my very first "grant" client that is a writer who got a $20,000 grant

the woman that got a $150,000.00 grant to start a daycare center

the disabled man that got a grant to start his own business.  He got a $10,000 grant - last year his business made over $500,000 in sales!

the woman that got a grant to buy more play equipment for her daycare which was in her home and FOR-PROFIT

our government's website that lists who got what federal money for the past 5 years (last year over 5 BILLION DOLLARS was given out in (just) federal monies alone!

the woman who got a $700 grant to start her quilting business.  Now that may not seem like a lot of money to you but she MADE it work for her because it was enough for her to buy material and equipment to get buyers for her quilts.  As she made more money she was able to get a more conventional loan.

Planned Parenthood who receives 250 million dollars per year in government grants!

Sheri Winchell of Maryland who lost her job in telemarketing and received government money to start a  monogram store in a shopping mall.

Composer/singer/songwriter/lyricist, Bobby Robinson received a grant to help write music for film.

the daycare providers in Cambria county who were recipients of a $3 Million Dollar grant funding.  They were considered "subcontractors" who provided daycare services and some of them were friends and relatives and neighbors who simply agree to provide daycare services...

these people/recipients didn't give up hope

How did you start? And what advice would you give to aspiring grantwriters?

Actually I started it on a more personal note and didn't even consider myself a grantwriter until I saw the specifics of what a grantwriter does.  It was the same thing that I was doing all along but didn't know that there was a name for it.  I was doing it as a personal kind of thing for family and friends.  Then when I started talking more about it, telling people that there were indeed funding and grant programs of all kinds I was called a scam!  So that really got me PO'd which made me want to know more about it.  And you know what I found out?  I found out that there were indeed grant programs to help start a business, people who have actually received grants to help start their business and how "big" business gets grant funding all the time!  I dug even deeper and found out the most unusual things like the man that got so much grant money that he gave some back saying that it was too much, the people that got a monthly check to grow weed for "patients" and just the most surprising information that one could find.  And it taught me a very valuable lesson and that was don't take what someone says as the end all be all.  If you have your doubts then check it out yourself and that is exactly what I did!  Do you know how good it makes me feel when I see someone saying that "there are no grants......" when I know for a fact that there are!  I started doing it on a personal level and then I start doing it professionally.  My very first successful client was a writer that got a $24,000.00 grant!  Doing grant research/consultation/writing is part of my "full-time" work but I do do other things as well.  I still have my very first business card client that I still do work for.

Yes I do enjoy my line of work because I can decide my own hours.  And I am quite suited for this type of work since I was a "bookworm" in school, worked for both H&R Block and the IRS and love researching things anyway.  There is a great deal of satisfaction when someone says there are no grants for.......and yet and still I have had clients - both personal and profession - that have gotten grant funding for the very thing that these people say that there are not grants for.  I will say that it is quite tedious and very detailed work but there are some people that are well suited for that kind of thing and I am definitely one of them.  I have worked during the night all the way to the sun coming up and me wondering where all the time went!

What would I recommend to an aspiring grantwriter who has a pession to help people?  Well I would recommend that you get yourself prepared to research!  Essentially you will be finding "needles in a haystack" and once you find those "needles" you are then going to have to make those "needles" make sense in other words you are going to have to interpret the sometimes complex wording used in grant applications/guidelines.  Remember you are going to have to explain these programs to your clients so the better YOU understand them the better they will.  As it is with starting any kind of business you are going to have to let people know that you ARE in business.  I have seen the very good piece of advice of starting locally by helping a few organizations for free - that way you start to get a reputation and "word of mouth" is the best kind of advertising their is!  

Job Openings!!!

I belong to a number of boards where people both post about having jobs available and needing jobs.  I sometimes wonder why the two don't get together?

For instance I listed some jobs that were available in the field of lighting design (or related to that kind of job).  Since the person wanted to work in the Chicago area that is where I limited my searching to.  Just as a preliminary search I was able to find five current job openings for that particular field! 

Still in another instant the subject of caregiving is the main topic of discussion and there were those that were looking for a caregiver position and those that were seeking caregivers.  Again I wonder why the two don't get together - especially when both sides say that they can't find someone to provide caregiving and those who want to provide it can't find any positions.  Their both in the same forum but no one says they were able to find what they are looking for - which to me seems strange because they are both in the same forum.  Even if you are not familiar with any of these kinds of forums you can - so to speak - start a forum of your own.  Regardless of whether or not you are either seeking or providing caregiving you can let people know by having a website.  If your Internet Service Provider doesn't provide you with webpage hosting you can take advantage of the free webhosting sites.  There is more than one of them.  The disadvantage to having a webpage via one of the free hosting sites is that they will put advertising on your pages.  However this still gives you enough room to put your own content on it.  Lots of people have websites via the free webhosting sites and what may surprise you is that they are making a living - even using a free webhosting site!

Wednesday, April 19, 2006

Are there grants for for-profits? (Again I Say) Yes!

Yes there are, in fact, grants available to for-profit daycares - both in the home and out of the home.  I just think that the woman that you went to is just not familiar with them. That is why this kind of work is so rewarding because of knowing that there are funding programs such as these.  If there are no grant programs for for-profit daycare then someone forgot to tell the organizations that provide the funding! 

In a past post I have listed some daycare grant recipients both of whom were non-profit and FOR-profit - a few were a combination of both!  As a matter of fact you would be shocked at the types of grant programs that there are.  I suspect that since people find it hard to find these programs they comfort themselves with saying that there aren't any of these types of programs out there.  And sometimes the grant recipients themselves don't divulge the programs because there will be less competition and they will more likely be awarded another grant.  This is what a lot of grant awardees do - they apply for the same grant over and over again and they get it - so why would they want to tell anybody else about it?  Some of the funding programs receive little or no applicants that the funds just go back into the "pot".  And even more shocking still is that some funding programs are discontinued simply for the reason that there were too little or no applicants!

When you are finding grant programs for the first time it is going to seem like a science.  First you have to find the funding programs and then you have to make sure that you are eligible to apply.

Unfortunately I have dealt with many social agencies who were shocked (and surprised) that I knew of the many different funding programs.  After you find the funding programs you should go right back to this woman and show her just how wrong she is.

The bottom line is that there are programs out there for for-profits - it is sort of comparable to finding a needle in a haystack.  They may be hard to find but they are there just the same and if you can't find them then that still doesn't mean that they don't exist - it just means that you haven't found it yet.

Tuesday, April 18, 2006

How do you get a grant without paying a fee?

The simple answer is you do the work yourself.  You can also go to a social agency because they know about different programs.

Want to become a real estate investor..................but no money......

If you have absolutely no money then you still have some choices/options.  I read about one guy that want to become a real estate investor and he didn't have any money so what he did was get some investors.  He targeted doctors and sent them a letter and a proposal.  Of course not every doctor accepted his proposal but enough did to help him get started.  He found the properties and used the investors' money.

Now if you don't want to do that then you can start small with single residences and work your way up.  There are government programs to help those who are first time home buyers.  These programs were started because the government wants there to be homeowners (why they want it is a topic for another time).  How do you find these programs?  You look!  They don't come to you - you go to them!  You have Internet access - use the Internet and start looking.  Go to your nearest library and start looking!  90% of every grant program information that I have found I have found online!  So no one can tell me that these kinds of programs don't exist because I know that they do.

If you don't have the money then you use what you do have and that is your time and effort!

Monday, April 17, 2006

Can you apply online for a grant?

Absolutely!  A lot of the organizations that have grant programs also have websites that let you either download their application or let you fill out the application online and submit via their website.

Would it also surprise you to know that some of these organizations provide email addresses so that you can contact them for more information?

But don't forget about the organizations that aren't online yet.  They still have phone numbers and regular "snail" mail addresses too.

Saturday, April 15, 2006

"Where can I get free grant help?"

The suggestion about doing some research at the library was very good and I will even take it a step further and suggest you do your research online.  Over 90% of grant program information I have found online and since you have internet access you should use the Internet.

I'm also sorry to tell you that the non-profit that you mentioned is EXACTLY the type of program that gets grant funding(s).  Now you can either find an organization that does the same thing that yours does and ask them how (and where) they got their grant funding, you can ask someone that specifically does this kind of work and ask them to provide you freely with the kind of grant information that you are looking for and then there is the additional option of attending community seminar-like lectures - that are free - that are being held in a lot of communities.

Austrailia Farmers To Get Grants!

These farmers were hit by cyclones which damaged their farmers very badly.  It was recently announced that tax-free grants of $10,000 would be available!

Monday, April 10, 2006

Grants and Daycare?

I  am wanting to open a daycare here in ga. I have been a homedaycare provdier before, so now I want to become a larger building and have alot more children. I would love to create jobs for the people here in brunswick. How do I write a grant? where do I go? Just point me in the direction I would love it!!<<

Even though your enthusiam is good you need to know some basics about the whole grant process.  I can find at least one grant program for 95% of my clients and that goes up to 99% if I really dig for the information.  However the only reason that I can do this is because I have been doing it for a while now.  You have to understand that there is no one place to apply for a grant/funding program. Basically speaking you dont "write" a grant until you know what kind of application materials that you have to submit and you won't know that until you know which funding program you are going to apply to and you won't know that until you find the funding program.  How do you find the funding program(s)?  You look!  It's just like going to the library and doing research - you find the information.

Getting a grant(s) for day/childcare has been a very often asked question.  When you start finding the funding programs that you are eligible to apply for you will see the different criteria that these funding programs will want as far as you applying for them and usually no two are alike so it will depend on the specific funding program.

You should also look "outside" the box meaning that you shouldn't just apply for daycare-related funding programs but funding programs that you can additionally qualify for such as those that are business related, those funding programs that are available for women and if you are a minority you should also look for those kinds of grant programs as well.

Sunday, April 09, 2006

Grant?

Hi Rose,

I love your blog site. You provide valuable information. I am interested in starting my own Network marketing business. I have been looking at acquiring a grant to do so.  I currently work and I am a Network marketer, that has a web site, with products and services in the telecommunications area. I no that there are alot of business out there for this type of services and products.  Schools, government agencies local and federal are in need for this. The question is are there any grant monies for my type of business that I want to start?

Any information that you could provide would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

S~


Thank you for your email.

My most latest client is a single mother who is looking for grant programs.  I was able to find her 3 grant programs that she is eligible to apply for and an additional funding source for her to continue her education.

Your post reminds me of the article I read about the woman who had heard all the talk about grants and decided to find out for herself if she could get one.  She did her own investigating and did find a grant program that she was eligible for.  She applied and she got the grant.  What was the type of business she was in?  Marketing!

Friday, April 07, 2006

Front Page Express?

A potential client emailed me about doing some webpage and graphic work for her.  She mentioned that she is currently using Front Page as her webpage editor.  Personally I don't like using the Front Page program as a html editor because it adds a lot of unnecessary coding.  Mind you I'm talking about an earlier version and the program could have improved since then but I have my favorites that I use for editing my (and others) webpages.  Sometimes I even prefer to edit pages using notepad because I can edit more precisely.