Have You Considered A WebPage?

So many people want to work at home but they just don't know what they want to do (or how to do it).  Have you considered having a webpage?  "A webpage about what" you may ask?  What is your dream job?  There are lots of people out there that want to be actors, singers, designers, etc.  A webpage can help almost any type of career that you want to be in.  You can post your resume/portfolio on your webpage so people will know about you and about what you want to do.  You can make a recording of your voice and put it on your webpage.  Whatever it is you want to sell you can take a picture of it and post it on your webpage.

If you want people to know that you are "open for business" then you are going to have to let them know (and see) that you are open for business.

Yet, still people don't know what kind of work they could do at home and a lot want to do something that has to do with their computer that they can make a living at.  You could start a community newsletter type of thing and get advertisers for it.  You could take an interest of yours and turn that into a career using your computer.  If you are really good at something you could offer tutoring or advice online.  How about your favorite TV show or sports team - you could make a career out of those or almost any interest that one could possibly have.

I know a lot of people want the convenience of working for a company that will pay them.  While I do know of a few of these companies you should definitely find out for yourself if their terms are suitable for you.

Are there people who are successfully working from their home?  Of course there are!  There are astrologers, tutors, teachers and writers who are successfully working from their homes!  And you can too!

Teachers! - Grant Program for teaching Energy Conservation

Many times I have posted about how grant programs were started to help bring a greater awareness of something - in this case it is about energy conservation.  17 teachers in Texax are going to share in a $1 Million Dollar Grant and Scholarship Awards program because they were teaching energy conservation projects to their students.  Some of the projects included students building a fuel efficient car and cooking with solar power. The individual grant awards were either $5,000.00 or $10,000 grant awards to the teachers.  This grant program was started so that the students would learn to become more energy efficient (and provide better and alternative uses of energy and energy conservation.  The teachers were also awarded $300,000 in scholarships so that they could attend a three-day conference, a science kit and related material to help teach their students about energy conservation.

The above information is also a very good example of a grant program that is provided not by the government but by a business corporation. 

You have to look at more than just the government sites for grant funding because many, many other entities are providing grant programs for teachers.

Still Think That There Are No Government Grants For (For-Profit) Businesses?

Here is an excerpt from an Entrepreneurship Newsletter:

Q: My company just launched a health care product for post-surgery and emergency room care. The product has been well received in the medical community but I need money for marketing and new product development. I'm finding that our product line is just not sexy enough for local venture funds even though we solve major patient care issues in all hospitals. I'm about to give up on the investor route and just get a loan from the Small Business Administration. Is there anything I'm missing?

A: Raising capital for an entrepreneurial business is very much like navigating bad rush-hour traffic. Yes, you want to drive fast, pass other cars and avoid slowdowns. But sometimes when entrepreneurs are so determined to drive in one direction, they never see how taking a different route can get them to their destination.

Think of it this way. When the state Route 520 bridge is clogged, practical drivers with an opportunistic outlook take Interstate 90. So where is your I-90 funding alternative?

Let's start with grants for the small business.  These grants are available from various departments of the federal government, such as the Department of Defense, Department of Energy, etc. Each participating department sets specific priorities, or topics of interest, for its research dollar. Small companies that best match these broad research topics receive grant awards.

I like this grant program because it can provide "free and clear" capital for innovative, for-profit companies. This means that business owners like you can receive funding without repayment obligations or equity dilution. This is a better deal than an SBA loan or a venture fund investment.  Grant recipients' only obligation (not to minimize this) is to complete the proposed development work on time and within budget.

These grants are funded in two phases: Phase I awards provide up to $100,000 to help businesses test the technical feasibility of a new product or service idea. This is extremely valuable to entrepreneurs who pursue less sexy business goals or have been told they are not "far enough along" to warrant serious attention from investors.

Top-performing Phase I grant recipients can then apply for a second grant of up to $500,000 to help bring their technologies to market. I'm told that there is considerable emphasis today in funding technologies that can meet U.S. market needs plus serve our military interests in Iraq. To the extent your technologies can potentially improve the care of U.S. causalities, you may ride the express lane to this kind of grant funding.

It's important to know that the administrators of these grant programs are supported by an elite team of technical advisers. They are highly knowledgeable in specific technical areas and favor well-researched, well-reasoned applications. They also will carefully evaluate the likely ability of a company's management team to build a prosperous business. Much like venture fund investors, these administrators want to fund companies with the best chances of long-term commercial success.

To improve your funding prospects, I encourage you to learn as much as they can about their funding priorities before starting proposal work. Identify the names of companies that have received this same type of grants from your targeted federal government agency. Speak to the "principal investigator" of several approved grant projects. Also ask how to boost the perceived technical stature of your investigative team.

There is one other benefit to this grant program. With extra capital in hand to achieve meaningful business progress, most grant recipients find they have greater appeal to investors and lenders. So don't give up. There are many ways to reach your destination. You can do it!

Working From Home?

So many people are searching for "work at home" opportunities and the majority seem to want to be able to work for companies that will let them work at home.  Although there have been many of these kind of opportunities that have been posted a lot of them are scams or have some hidden kind of agenda.  However there are some out there that are completely legitimate.  For instance I have found information about 2 different companies hiring people to work from home.  One is an auto club that uses "at-home" workers to take and screen calls.  Another company has hired people to work from their homes taking calls from customers/people who want to order their forms.  Although these employers do not offer benefits they do allow you to choose your own hours.

Option number two would be for you to start your own business working from home.  What kind of business could you start?  Almost any type of business!  What kinds of businesses have people started from their own homes?  Writers, artists, graphic designers, desk-top publishing, tutoring, and almost anything else that you could imagine.  If you would like to see some good examples and read questions from others (and my reply to them) you can go to my consultation page at:

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

I am an example of someone who works at home.  I started my own business because I hated the job that I had and lots of people have done the very same thing!  Even though I love working at home I also have to remember that a certain amount of discipline is needed when one is working from home.

How Do You Know When A Grant Offer is a Scam?

One of the things that you should definitely look for is "we guarentee that you will get the grant".

One of the things that you have to realize is that no one can guarentee that you will get a grant.  The only exception is when that person is on the committee that makes the decision of who does and who doesn't get a grant - and even then you should be wary of that.

The basic grant process is this:

1.  you apply for the grant

2.  a decision is made as to which applicant(s) will receive the grant funding

3. if you will be awarded the grant you will definitely be notified!

Getting A/The Grant?

If you are new to this whole "grant" process there is one thing that you have to know (actually there is more than one thing but I'll get to that later).

It seems to be a common belief that grants are automatically guarenteed.  They are not!  A lot of people are searching for grants to start a daycare and/or their own business and they automatically assume that once they find the grant that they will automatically receive it.  That is not true.  The truth is that you will have to apply for the grant and you will have to apply using their rules and guidelines.  You can't just take one standard grant application and just send it off to everyone.  You will have to follow the specific guidelines and requirements of each grant program's application process.  One of the main reasons why applications have been turned down or denied was because the application process was not followed correctly.

Your application may be amongst many applications and there may even be the occassion where your application is the only one!  The best rule of thumb to follow is that the application that best meets the objectives of the entity funding the grant will most likely be the application that receives the grant.

You don't get a grant right away by applying for it.  It has to go through of a process of evaluation along with the other grant applications that have been received.

What Type Of Grants Are Available For Childcare and/or Daycare Centers?

There is grant money available for providing childcare/daycare care services at both the state and federal levels.  However these grant programs will only be available to you if and only if you meet certain eligibility requirements.  What are the eligibility requirements?  Well it will depend on each and every individual grant program that you are interested in.  They all have their varying requirements and criteria and no two grant funding programs are exactly alike!  This means that you will have to go over each and every available grant program that you think you are eligible for and see what their specific requirements are.
Here is an excerpt:

"There are specific grants available for infants, toddlers and childcare, ranging from infants with disabilities, special education requirements. These grants for these purposes must be use for specific purposes: quality expansion; infant and toddler quality improvement; and child care resource and referral and school-age child care activities. "

And while non-profit entities are eligible for these programs, for-profits and individuals are also eligible for some of these programs as well.  In fact you may be surprised at the number of funding resources that are available for child/day care services that are run by both individuals and for-profits!

In one county $3 Million Dollars in grant money was provided to those that provided daycare in their homes (as well as other kinds of daycare providers) - they were classified as subcontractors and this grant money was provided simply because the need for child/day care was so great!

"All the research shows kids brains are developed at an early age," S~ said. "We need to emphasize quality child care and early childhood education."S~ said neither of the local counties had a licensed daycare center.  So B~ plans to open her daycare at her residence using $23,600 of the grant funds. Her facility will have four infant/toddler slots and six pre-school age slots. The remodeling is finished. I'm waiting for the children's equipment to come in," she said. "It should be here in the next five days. During summer months she will take kids ages six to 12. K~ plans to open her for-profit daycare in June with $26,800 in grant funds. This facility will have four infant/toddler slots and 16 slots for kids up to age five. "

Grant monies have also been awarded to those providing daycare to women who wanted to finish their high school education.  An interesting example is where in one community neither the school board or the community wanted to provide such a service so the grant program was amended so that a for-profit daycare could receive the grant funding!

There is also a program in place to help provide "seed" money to help with starting up your business.

Can You Get Grant Money To Start A Business Without Buying One of Those Books?

The good news is of course you can. The bad news is that you will have to find the information yourself. With the exception of hiring a grant writer or consultant or getting someone to help you for free you will have to hunker down and find the information yourself. Don't feel bad though because how do you think the books and the others got the information? They went and looked for it. As a matter of fact looking for and finding the information yourself will help you keep up with the
latest and most current grants. For example I recently found out that the IRS will be starting a new grant program in the year 2006 for the 2005 tax year. I have also been able to find out about castles being for sale at a reduced price in Germany.

Many conventional grant funding resources don't have ALL the grant funding resources that are currently available. Did you know that there is a competition for the best business plan using a particular piece of software and of course it is being sponsored by the software company itself. A 2004 recipient of that grant started a lingerie boutique! There is a grant awarded to 5 minority applicants for the best business idea/plan and the grant award is $20,000 and the program itself is
annually. There are also quite a few programs out there where the main requirement is coming up with an endeavor/vision to help community and society as a whole - the largest grant award that I
have seen so far is $100,000! These kinds of programs are from more than one source and while they are not impossible to find they do seem to be quite hard to find - especially the grants relating to starting a business. That helps you because the less people that know about them the less competition there is for you when you apply.

How does grant money work?

As I have said many, many times before no two grant programs are alike so this also means that the way(s) that one receives grant money will not be the same.  However the answer that a lot of people want to know is if they will get the money in check form.  The answer to that is that it will depend on the grant program itself.  Yes there are some grant programs that issue a check made out to the person (or organization) that has won the grant award and I can tell you that in an example my client was issued the check, it was deposited and it took 2 days for the check to clear.  In this particular case the money could be used for anything and that is EXACTLY what it was used for - ie buy food and paid some bills!

In other cases the grant money is not paid directly to the person it is paid to a creditor, supplier, merchant, etc., - it will depend on what the grant is being used for.

So as with all questions about grants there is no one simple answer.  It will depend on the individual grant program itself.

Are there any grants to buy a car?

The answer is "Yes" and maybe.

Disabled Vets and those in the armed forces are eligible to apply for a grant to buy a car.  But don't get greedy because this program is for buying a used car and not a new one!

One program got a million dollars to use hybrid school buses.

If you are applying to a grant program that allows it you may be able to get enough to buy a good used car IF and only if you can prove that having a vehicle is necessery for what you want to do.

There is also talk about being able to provide money for buying a used car (or "transportation money) for needy families but this isn't official yet.

"Writing Grants............."

This is a very broad and often misleading term.  Grant programs come in all shapes and sizes and how you "write" a grant will depend on the specific grant program's guidelines.  As far as "writing" grants go the process can vary widely from a simple telephone call all the way to a complex myriad of forms and additional information like copies of documents that have to be submitted.

Anyone that tells you that "one form fits all" is ENTIRELY wrong!

"I Have Found The House of My Dreams.........

I have found the house of my dreams +, it has all the amenaties to start my own business of Bed and Breakfast. It would be in the O~ county, in the country. I am in need of $200,000.00 to purchase the home and the 2 small single dwellings that come with it. Can ANYONE help me find the funding or fianancing for this? I am 53 yr, disabled, low income, and really want this place. I mean it just screams "g~, buy me".


I do know of a grant program that helps people pursue their dreams and have often recommended this grant program to my clients since it is open to both profit and non-profit endeavors.  If I were you I would find out more about this program and see if you qualify because their grant award is currently for $500,000.  Unfortunately it is not all paid at one time but if you think you qualify to apply then you should definitely find out more about this particular program since it is a grant program and not a loan program which means if you are granted the award you don't have to pay the money back.

Working From Home?

I see lots of people are doing searches looking for information on how they can work from home.  A lot of these searches have been from people trying to find out how to start their own porn and/or webcam business.

I have oftentimes given suggestions about successful businesses that one can start from their own home such as starting a cleaning business, starting a daycare and even starting a dog-walking business.  Each of these types of businesses have been recommended by others besides me because these are businesses where these kinds of services are in great demand.

A lot of people want to be able to just use their computer to work at home but they don't want to start a business of their own.  They want to work for a company.  I'm sorry to say that most times these "work at home" offers are scams but I am glad to say that I have found some legitimate work at home opportunities too.  For example a woman works at home using her computer for an automotive company and another works at home for a federal organization.  So there are legitimate work at home opportunities out there.  You just have to be able to tell the good from the bad.

Questions About Grantwriting?

Rose,

Hello, my wife and I are just now starting down this long road of trying to find assistance in starting a daycare in a newly developed area in Colorado. I understand the service(s) that you provide, and have a couple questions. Mainly, I know your research services are $875, but I did not see your fees for the actual grant writing services...It appears to me that just as important as finding the grants is making sure you know how to fill out the forms properly. Second, this would be a for profit daycare, does that severely hinder the ability to get a grant? Third, S~ is the developer in our area, do you check with private organizations in your search for grants?

My wife has approximately 8 years in home daycare experience. She also
has a B.A. in Behavioral Sciences, is a licensed teacher, and has her
M.A. in Early Childhood Development...She is looking to create a
literacy based childcare center with a pre-K program, Kindergarten
program, as well as before and after school program...This particular
area has been deemed by our county as an "economic growth" area, they
offer plenty of tax incentives but no "grants"...Anyway, the specific
grants we would be looking for would be for new construction,
educational resources, equipment, etc....

Any help is greatly appreciated, I look forward to hearing from you.


Every client is required to fill out the questionaire that appears on the same page as the payment information sheet which is located at:

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

Amongst other questions, one of the questions asked is whether the project will be operated as a profit or non-profit or both? I ask that you please refer to this page because it answers some of your questions. For-profit daycares have received and will continue to receive grant funding.

Since the research that I do requires me to send the client ALL the information about the specific grant programs that information includes how and what is needed to apply for the funding program. Not all requirements are the same and some grant programs have simple application procedures while others are more complicated. No two grant programs are the same. Once the client has this information they can decide whether or not they want to apply on their own or whether or not they will want to hire a grant writer whether it is me or someone else.

My basic grantwriting fee is the same as the research BUT it will depend on the individual grant program that is being applied for and what is required for the application. The more information that is required and the more application work that has to be done - the higher the fee will be. So it will depend on the individual grant program and what they will require as far as application procedures are concerned. No two programs will be alike in what they require.

Becoming A Webcam Model?

Unfortunately this brings some very dangerous situations to mind.  I'm sure some of you have heard on the news about the woman who was killed because she answered a "webcam model" ad.

However if you still want to become a webcam model you might just want to consider doing it on your own.  It is a lot safer and you will be cutting out the middleman and you will be your own boss.  All you need to start is a webcam, of course.  You should also have a website - even if you use a free hosting site to start - there are even some hosting sites that are specifically for adult fare.

"Clearing the air"

It would be good to clear the air and understand some of the basics of the "grant" process.  Basically speaking you must first find the grant program(s), read their guidelines and application instructions to make sure that you qualify.  Once you are sure that you qualify you can then submit your application.  the grants are awarded to those applicants that best fit the objectives of the person/organization that is funding the program.

If you are asking about me and my services  I find the grant programs that the individual or entity is qualified to apply for.  Take for example my latest completed research job which was for a single mother.  She is currently in school and wants to start a business of her own.  Doing 20 hours of research for her included a grant program that provides one award of $50,000 to a minority to start their own business.  Past recipients of this award were both women - one who used the award to start her own film company and the other that used her grant award to start her catering business.  Also included was a program specifically targeted towards single mothers especially those who are in bad financial shape and this program helps with paying back the single mother's student loan!  Now how many people know about THAT program?  Apparently not enough because if there were a lot of people that knew about this program - especially when it relates to helping to pay back student loans - then this organization would be inundated with applications but it is not.  I prepare all the information about these funding programs and 95% of the time the information about the grant programs are emailed to my clients - usually in zip format because the copies of the applications and other material(s) from the grant programs are also included - including as much contact information as I can find.  It is then up to the client whether or not they want a grantwriter to handle the work or whether they feel confident enough to do it themselves - but that decision is up to them.  Sometime the application process can be as simple as a simple "letter of intent/introduction" and a lot of people feel confident enough to do that on their own.  But again I leave that final decision to the client.

How Can You Tell When A Grant Offer Is A Scam?

One of the things that you should definitely look for is "we guarentee that you will get the grant".

One of the things that you have to realize is that no one can guarentee that you will get a grant. The only exception is when that person is on the committee that makes the decision of who does and who doesn't get a grant - and even then you should be wary of that.

The basic grant process is this:

1. you apply for the grant

2. a decision is made as to which applicant(s) will receive the grant funding

3. if you will be awarded the grant you will definitely be notified!

Grants For Single Mothers?

Do you know that there is an actual organization dedicated to helping single mothers?  And did you also know that this organization has a program to help single mothers pay off all (or at least part) of her student loans?

If you want to find these programs you have to look for them.  They won't come to you - YOU have to go to them!

Excerpt from a newspaper in my state

The state government regularly spends hundreds of millions of dollars a year on loans and grants to subsidize major civic projects or to help businesses expand ...

How long does it take to get a government grant?

Or any other kind of grant?  Of course the answer will depend on the grant program itself.  I managed to get a $100 grant towards the payment of a client's heating bill.  It took a couple of phone calls and faxing a copy of the bill to the organization.  They approved the grant within 2 days and the payment was sent to the utility company in time to show on the next bill - so it took about 1 week for the utility company to get the payment from the time I first contacted the organization.

With more complicated grant programs, on the average, it may take up to 6 months to a year to receive your grant award.  You have to realize that most grant programs have a deadline date and the choosing of whom the grant award goes to could take another few months as well. 

There are some grant programs that take even less time than mentioned above but it will depend on the individual grant program(s) themselves.

In other words on the average it could take anywhere from 6 months to a year to receive a grant award - and mind you I say AVERAGE!  Sometimes you can received the grant funding sooner and sometimes it may take longer (there are even some grant programs whose award is so substantial that it is paid over a period of time).  It all depends on the specifics of the grant program itself.