Government Grants for Growing Weed?

Someone actually tried to find out some information about this and here is a few of what I found out about it.

In the past Canada has had a program where those that qualified because of their illness could receive "government" grown weed whether it was the government or a "designated" grower that supplied it.  Some have even received federal exemptions to grow it!  In the U.S. there were 9 states that allowed limited use of marijuana for medical purposes under the direction of a doctor:

I won't say which state it was but a farmer (in the US) got permission (and a monthly check) to grow marijuana for 17 "legally" ill people.

Grant Funding Programs for For-Profit DayCare!

Don't let anyone tell you that there is no grant funding programs for for-profit daycares!

I'm glad that my latest client is happy with the 4 grant funding programs that I was able to find for her to apply to.  There was an additional grant program that was included because she is also going to incorporate gardening into her daycare.  There is also additional programs for her if she decides to turn her daycare into one that operates during non-business hours.

This woman wants to start a daycare business out of her home in South Carolina and she says that this is something that she always dreamed of doing but finding the funding for it (in her words) was impossible.  Well now she knows that it is possible!

So don't let ANYONE tell you that there is no funding for a for-profit daycare business.

It was a lot of work finding the funding programs that she is eligible to apply for but it wasn't impossible.  So if you have always dreamed of opening a daycare business look into finding the programs that have funding that you will be eligible to apply for.  They are out there!  So many people have done searches looking for information about this and it feels good to dispel another myth about grant programs and for-profit daycare!

Needing A Grantwriter To Write A Grant For A Daycare Center/Business...

Hello, Rose I'm currently in the process of  looking for someone to wirte a grant for me to open up my own daycare.

You are going to have to bear in mind that there will have to be some questions asked no matter who you choose as a grantwriter.  The questions that I ask of all of my clients appear here.

Remember unless you have specific funding programs in mind your grantwriter is also going to be your grant investigator as well.

Guess what's on the radio right now?

So the jazz radio station is playing in the background and on comes a commercial about how people are quitting their jobs and starting a business by buying and selling on Ebay.

You know this isn't a myth.  There are actual examples of people who are able to make a living by buying and/or selling on Ebay.  I myself have used Ebay.  There was even a special on CNBC about Ebay and how big it has grown!

So this is another option that you might want to try as a business of your own to start.  Some people have made a career of going to flea markets and buying and selling those items on Ebay!  If you specialize in a certain type of product you might even build up a following who will try and contact you first and buy your product(s) even before you have had the chance to put them up for auction on Ebay!

Here's A HeartWarming Little Story

about a man and his love for puppets!  He used to work with the city (NY) when the city put on puppet shows.  But due to staff and budget cuts he was dismissed.  Guess what?  He got a $500.00 grant to start his own puppet business and that is what he currently does - he is his own boss and as another aspect of his business he also makes puppets.

So if you think that your dream job is too far-fetched or impossible I hope you take this story to heart!

Grants For Seniors including repairs to the home

Being old, female and poor should be enough to find some sort of help to get $$ for home repair.  I sent in paperwork for weeks and  then was told I make too much (SS) for a grant and I don't have good enough credit to get a low interest loan.  I thought they were for low income people.  Only reason I have no credit is cause I don't buy on credit!  Where do you go to find help?  My house is in need of repairs badly. 

I don't know which program you applied for but there are programs for those that are elderly.  Case in point - I'm helping a relative of mine because their heating system is not working and the program will repair it for free!  It's really crazy because the same program will also pay an amount to her heating bill as well.  It won't cover the whole bill but there will be 2 grants that will be applied towards the heating bill plus the repair work to her heating system.  As a matter of fact if her heating system is shot they will install a new one!There are also programs that are tied in with the lottery - you know the money being used for programs to help the elderly - got a relative (I don't qualify but I did get some compensation) a $500 check that was deposited to her bank account - from a government program.In the area where I live the residents are eligible for $20,000.00 in repairs from a grant program.So you're not looking in the right places or the specifics of the program that you were applying for have to be better known.

Want to hear about another grant recipient?

J. Nelson was a puppeteur that worked with the city of New York when the city put on puppet shows.  But due to staff cuts he could not work for them any more.  To make a long story short his love of what he did got him a small grant of $500 to continue his business and he now makes his living as a designer and maker of puppets and marionettes.  $500 may not seem like a lot of money but it was enough to get him started and he is now his own boss and working at something he loves!

This is a very inspiring and uplifting story and if you think that whatever it is that you want to do is impossible I hope this little story has changed your mind.

I tried to do it but I couldn't!

I tried to give myself a day off today but I couldn't do it!  I was lying in bed thinking about how nice it would be to just stay in bed all day.  But as soon as I had that though I had another one and I was back at the computer and then I was online and then I started to do more work.

Oh well, maybe next time!

I have to shatter another myth about starting a business

and that myth is that you have to have trained with someone.

I just answered an email from someone that wanted to know what seminar I got my training from and I answered back that I didn't use any seminar to get my training.  To make a long story short - I trained myself!

But the point that I want to make here is that you don't HAVE to take a training course if you are good at what you do.  In some ways the training that is provided may do more harm than good.

"I Wished I Could Work At Home Like You"

This line was in one of the most recent emails sent to me. As I have said time and time again almost ANY thing can be turned into a work at home business! If you can repair things - you have got a business! You can even turn something you hate into a business! What I do is consultations, research and customized business plans. I had originally started doing webpages and graphic designs which I still do on occassion but mine is a perfect example of taking something that you love to do and turning it into a business - a work at home business. One of the business plans that I customize is one specifically for those that want to work at home with their computer but its not for everyone because it has to do with the adult and sex websites/industry. But this is a perfect example of working at home because it involves working with your computer and earning an income. Where did I get the idea for this? Someone sent me an email saying that they wanted to make $5K a month and they didn't include any other kind of information like any interests or hobbies that they had. They just said that they wanted to make 5K a month. I thought that they were just being a smart alek but you know what? My mind got to thinking and I remember reading about how the adult sites - some of them - make over $1 Million Dollars a Month and that got me to thinking and that is how I came up with the Business Plan - which is called XXX.

Now bear in mind this is just one example of a business that one can start from home. The best businesses would be something that you love to do or even what you would consider your dream job. You can take an interest or even something that you hate to do and turn that into a business. How ironic is that to be able to make an income from something that you hate to do!

I get email from single mothers and those who are retired and even from those who haven't reached the age of 18 and you can still earn a living even if you are a minor. Lots of young people are making a living - sometimes even making more than their parents do!

It all comes down to desire! You have to have focus - that's why having a business plan is always recommended - and I don't just say that because I sell them - I and many others have advised the same thing.

I especially like consulting those that have no clue as to what kind of business that they could start and with just a few insights they are well on their way.

Believe me there is no hidden secret about being able to work from your home. There is work and diligence and patience but no secret. But those that had the desire are the ones that are doing it. It's not just me - its many, many people. People are starting their own businesses selling candles, herbs, spices, tarot and astrology readings, giving advice, starting newsletters (for which they get paid to advertise/subscribers), doing repairs, running errands - almost any thing that you can think of there is either someone who is doing it now or doing something that is close to it!

You can't tell me that you can't work from home! Now its up to you to make it happen!

Finding Home Care Benefits For Seniors

Unfortunately I just can't agree with the last post.  Remember that the oringinal poster said that their loved one was able to get the benefits in their original state - they just have to find the same service in their current state.

There are just too many government programs that are available and especially more so in the case of seniors.  I have been able to get benefits, even cash in check form for a relative of mine who is a senior.  What is most ironic is that some of these programs go begging for wanting others to know about them and as it was explained to me "the government has the programs - just not the money (or the inclination?) to advertise them.

In the case of the original poster it may be hard to find the program(s) that best fit your needs but it is not impossible.  You have to take into consideration that not everyone knows about every program even though they may be a social worker because old funding programs are cancelled and new ones are created - some programs even go through changes and are re-named or something along those lines.

As I have learned you are going to have to find the programs - the reason that you are getting the "run-around" is probably because they don't even know about the programs.  Basic information about funding programs - in any category - has to be understood that finding them is not as simple as 1-2-3.

Is It Just Me or.....

are my entries being seen at the bottom of the page/blog instead of being on the right side of the index?

Want to Work From Home But Don't Know What Kind of Work To Do?

Here's a little assignment that you can do!

Just make a list of 10 things that:

interest you
you are skilled at
you hate to do
are your hobbies
are your dream job

You don't have to write 10 of all the suggestions above - you can start with just one of the listings and list 10 things.  After you have done that  you can list them here and others (including myself may be able to help show you how you can turn at least one of them into a business of your own that you can do at home.

A Funding Debate For Katrina Business Areas

While there is a lot of talk of loans and the SBA and other help in the form of loans there is a general outcry because the businesses want grants and not loans.  In the words of some of the business owners "loans mean that they will be incurring more debt - something that they just cannot afford to do".

Some businesses have taken advantage of the loan programs being funding by the SBA but they have been told that the process could take as long as three months!  Some businesses hoping that they can hang on until then.

There is also the question of the employees themselves - some of which have taken advantage of government contracting where they are hired by the government to help with the relief efforts and leaving their employers high and dry.

There is proposed legislation pending allowing for more government funding which includes both loans and grants to the businesses in the Katrina-hit areas.

Latch-key Kids - Starting A Program For?

"looking for grant to build and start latch key program.  for kids ages 10 to 14. "

If I understand you correctly you are talking about starting a program similar to daycare where you watch/supervise the children and there are definitely funding programs for that.  There are also a lot of teen-related programs and it would help if you had some kind of theme such as helping to improve the community or even helping them improve their educational skills and abilities. 

As I have stated many times before there are many grant programs for child care - even children that are older and are teenagers.  Another route you should take in looking for grant funding would be your own specific area.  There are grant programs that are available for specific regions.  There are also grant programs that have the objective of "bettering" the community (and society as well) - one in particular that has an annual program with a grant amount of $100,000.00!

It seems that you are looking for just any kind of grant funding program where what I would advise is that first you find some sort of theme and then find funding programs that are related to that theme.  While you could look into funding programs that are just general in nature (for providing daycare/supervision services) you can increase the number of grant programs that you can apply for if you include specific themes and objectives as well.

There are definitely a lot of grant programs that you should be looking into because providing daycare (even for teenagers) is a very big concern and that is why there are a lot of funding programs for it!

Grants for For-Profits - Again the naysayers are proven wrong!

There are no grants for for-profits - right?  Wrong!

In Florida, there is a grant program that is currently taking applications until October 14th 2005 and it has to do with water conservation!  The grant award of $5,000.00 can be used for projects that help to educate on water resources and water conservation.   You can apply online or you can reach them by phone via their 1-800 number.

Who is eligible to apply?  Government agencies, private individuals, educational facilities, business and industry, neighborhoods, homeowner and service organizations, research and other profit and nonprofit organizations are encouraged to apply.    

Another Daycare Grant Program - For Pennsylvania Area Only

Time and time again (and not just on this board) the question has come up as to whether or not there are grant programs for for-profit daycare services.  Well I just uploaded information to my page now about a grant program in my own state which shows what I and a lot of grant writers here (and elsewhere) have said about if the need is there then there are grant programs that for-profits can apply to.

In cooperation with the Department of Public Welfare a grant program has been in activation that will provide grant monies for both for-profit and non-profit daycare services.  One of the most important requirements of applying for this grant is that you will provide services to low-incomed families and special consideration is given to those that will operate during non-traditional hours.  The minimum grant amount is $50,000 and the maximum is $1 Million.  Contact information is available by regular snail mail address, phone and fax #'s and website.

Student Loans and Paying Them Back

A lot of searches have been done lately about finding a way to pay off student loans.  I did some checking myself and found out a lot of interesting information.  Usually these student loans are signed without reading all of the terms.  I mention this because there are some loans that don't have to be paid back and/or are forgiven.  But it will depend on the terms of your student loan.

There are also some programs in place where if you perform some public/non-profit service your repayment amount will be reduced and in some cases the loan will be forgiven totally.

There is also a program in place where teachers can receive a total loan forgivenenss if they teach in low-incomed areas and/or they teach certain subjects.

So it will depend on many things and it will also depend on the terms of your original student loan.

Getting Grant Money Without Having To Buy Anything.....

Well you could find the information yourself or get someone who will volunteer to help you.  Finding this information si hard and there is a lot of time and effort involved and if you do not want to pay a grant writer or someone who does this kind of work then you can do one of the options mentioned above.

finding the information one's self is not impossibe.  I read an article about a woman that was interested in all of this "grant information" and decided to find out about it herself.  Well guess what?  She found information on and applied for a grant that helps fund training her employees.  What kind of business did she have?  It was a marketing business!  So when anyone says that there are no grants or that they can't find any information on them you can see that they are sadly mistaken!

Working From Home - What if I get sick?

Here's an interesting entry from a woman who also works at home (she also teaches a class)

I have some serious stomach problems.  Yesterday after work when the little angel and I went jogging (well, I jog and she waves to squirrels from the jogging stroller), I actually had to drag her into the Burger King restroom with me while I sweated and felt my stomach heave unproductively.After a restless sleep, I awoke also feeling ughy.  It's not really ughy enough to call in sick, considering I work from home........ 


To read more of her entry, just go to her blog at:

http://surrenderdorothy.typepad.com/surrender_dorothy/2005/09/ugh_the_ughines.html#comment-9924967

Grant for starting a towing business?

I AM A BLACK WOMEN THAT WON"T TO START A TOWING BUSINESSES,WHERE DO I GO TO GET THIS GRANT?

This is going to be very harsh and I guess I'll be the one to say it........

The number one thing that you are going to have to do is to have a professional business appearance.  I can understand the occassional typo error and I can understand how one would "rush" to try and get their point across.  But when you are dealing with others on a professional basis you have to present a profession identity.  Even when dealing with applying for any kind of grant you will want to appear professional.

With that being said.............

You have to understand some basic things about grants (and going through the process of applying and being awarded them) and the first thing is is that there is no one place to "get" a grant.

It's all going to depend on how you "structure" your business.  Have you any kind of business plan at all?  How much do you need and more importantly what are you going to use the monies for?  What about staff?  There are government grant programs that provide funding for training employees and there are additional funding programs if you hire low-incomed, disabled and other specific groups.  Are you saying that you are going to start the towing business yourself?  Do you have any of the equipment (or even customers) yet or are you basically starting from scratch. 

You are not going to get any kind of grant funding with just a one line statement.  Even the most minimum of a grant application is a letter of intent and that is going to be definitely more than one line (if you even want to stand the chance of being considered for a grant).

Now let's talk about your post specifically.  A woman who is a minority well there is a competition that happens annually and it is being run by a very big business.  Basically you submit your business plan and 5 are chosen to receive a $20,000 grant.  Past recipients of this grant award were a woman who started her own film company and someone who started a catering company.  This kind of thing falls under the category of what I call entrepreneurial grants - and there are more of them out there. 

Another thought comes to mind and that is how close are you to the Katrina affected area?  Why do I ask?  Because for the last four days I have been reading and hearing on television about all of the needed work and businesses that are being contracted to provide services.  I can't tell you how many businesses (and organizations) have received grant monies to provide services.

Another thought comes to mind - where do you live?  You don't have to be specific and give me your exact address but a city and state would do nicely!  Why do I ask?  Because if you can structure your business to help the community that you live in then you stand a better chance of getting grant funding(s).  Also too, sometimes the area itself will have a specific funding program in place.

And to that the fact that you are a woman and a minority your number of funding resources increase by a whole lot. 

So to answer your question - where you go to get a grant will depend on your business's structure and basic information!

Still think that there are no government grants for for-profit businesses?

The state of Wisconsin has a special initiative to help turn promising ideas into promising (and thriving) businesses.  After all a successful business helps the community it serves right?  Already 10 business (and I want to emphasize for-profit businesses) have received these grants (with an individual maximum grant amount of $3,000)

Who is eligible to apply?  Entrepreneurs and small businesses in the Wisconsin area.  Specific funding has been set aside for minorities, dairy businesses and rural business projects.

Bringing the businesses BACK to New Orleans.....

Although there are loan programs in place to help the businesses in New Orleans, some fear that more will be needed to be done in order to convince these businesses to stay in New Orleans.  That "something more" of course is grants.  Representatives want Congress to approve a disaster relief package.  No set amount was specified.  However in the case of the Sept 11th terrorist attack over 15,000 businesses in the NY area received over $1 Billion dollars in grant money and assistance.  

I watched Martha Stewart's Apprentice program

Even with her going to jail and me still not being too clear on what she went to jail for I still like Martha Stewart's story and her rise in business.

Who would have thought that you could take something like decorating and turn it into a financial empire!  But back to the show itself!  Besides being starstruck over Martha's empire and relishing an inside peek at her OmniMedia company I kind of followed along as the two teams competed and I absolutely agree with who they decided to cut in the first episode and it was the first episode and there is still a ways to go.

How did I feel about the program?  Even though it was only the first show I think that this show provides a peek inside the inner goings on of a company and that in itself is very valuable especially when you want to start a business of your own.

Will I be watching it again? - Yes, indeed!

Finding grant information....

Here is a listing of search terms that people have used that have led them to at least one of my pages:

personal grants listings
daycare grants in ohio
grants / starting own business ex offender
government grants for funeral homes

personal grants listings - Unfortunately there is no one place that can possibly list all the "personal" grants that are out there.  There is no one person that knows of all of them either because new ones are always being created and old ones are being renewed or cancelled.  There is a category of grants that are called financial emergency grants that will provide cash assistance if you can demonstrate need.  There are also grant programs in place to help with utility bills, phone bills and repairs.  My own area has a program in place where homeowners can get up to $20,000 in home repairs!

Daycare Grants In Ohio - one important thing that is not mentioned here is whether the daycare is (or is going to be) a non-profit or a for-profit or it can even be both!  Some church daycares are a very good example of this.  There are some grant programs for both non&for-profit daycares that are not just limited to one's own state.  There is some emergency funding available for daycares that are taking in the children of the Katrina disaster - even in Ohio!  Another important fact that should be considered when applying for grants is to apply for as many as you can qualify for!

grants / starting own business ex offender - A lot of the grant programs that I have seen make no mention of whether or not someone has a past criminal record.  Hopefully I would think that when such a person is applying for any grant that they would make mention if they did have such a past.  One of the ways to "soften" this would be if such a person was working in conjunction with an organization be it a non-profit or a for-profit.  Additionally it may also depend on the type of business that the ex-offender wants to start.  There are some government grant programs that are open to the public to join and that does mean everybody.  Non-governmental entities and their grant programs will depend on their each and individual requirements and guidelines.  So it isn't impossible for an ex-offender to get a grant!

government grants for funeral homes - It is also not impossible for a funeral home to get a government grant either.  One women who owns a marketing firm was tired of reading and hearing about government grants so she decided to investigate on her own and found a government grant that provided funding to help train her employees.  This same kind of grant can also be used by a funeral home or any other kind of business.  If the funeral home is located in a rural area that opens up another resource of funding resources.  There are also grants for research and study and education - all of which a funeral home can partake in.

Yet more good news for for-profit daycare!

More and more I am finding grant funding programs that are allowing for-profits to apply.  The lastest - in a nutshell - needs daycare services so badly that they are willing to accept applications from for-profit daycares.  Areas where there is a severe need for childcare have enacted policies regarding accepting applications from for-profit (as well as non-profit) daycare services.

There are requirements most notably that your daycare program must be accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children but this grant programs lets you apply WHILE you are going through the certification process.

Starting A Catering BusinessI

I am 21 years old, married and have a 5 year old boy. I love to cook and i love when my friends and family come over for a party because i cook and everyone loves my cooking, I cater to partys once in a while and i love doing it, I would love to starting my own catering business, i just dont have the money or resources to start one... I am catering partys from my home, i cook everything at home i do it and just save the money, if anyone needs a caterers i am a very good cook i specialize in latin-american food

Desire is one of the most important things that you will need. If you're really serious about wanting to have a catering business then you will find a way. A lot of people have successfully started a catering business with little money. What you don't have in money you make up for with time and effort.You should also use the catering jobs that you have already done as part of your advertising, marketing and promotion. There is that popular phrase "where there's a will there's a way" Start a business plan and plan for your business. If you want to focus on getting customers right away you can do that too but having a business plan will make things a lot more easier for you.Start with your local area. The holidays are coming up and lots of people are going to be celebrating. But its not just the holidays. You could specialize in the holidays that your cooking expertise is in. A lot of people will throw parties and events and such and don't want to be bothered with the cooking and these are the customers that you should be seeking

If you're really serious about this then you should get started now. As I said before since your main focus is on getting customers and since your catering services may be limited to the areas that you can physically get to you should start locally. From even there you can grow and branch out your business to include things like receipes and products, etc., You should try working some of the resources that you may have now. Oh and by the way speaking of those resources you didn't mention anything about business cards. They are a very good source of advertising and besides how many times have you wished that you had a card to give out but didn't?

Grant(s) For Pornography?

OK, this has definitely got to come under the heading "I must love a challenge!"

I suppose that I shouldn't be surprised by someone asking me about there being any available grants to start a pornography business.  After all and not too long ago I posted about a witch receiving a grant to start her own business - so really why should this surprise me?  But it did.  Guess what surprised me more?  The fact that a non-profit organization got a $160,000.00 grant to help educate parents about how to protect their children against Internet Porn.  Of course child pornography is illegal and any steps to help bring the illegal parties to light are candidates for grant funding(s)!  How about that!  Isn't that something?  And its not just limited to child pornography because it also includes the illegal aspects of men and women as well - being exploited.

Actually this kind of news just further shows that I was right in that where there is a concern there is probably a funding source for it.  Add to it that we are talking about something that is illegal and has to do with children then that just means that the funding resources increase.

Let's say that you are quite adept at the computer and wanted to start a business at home using the computer (which is something that you are good at).  You can either start it as a non-profit or a non-profit branch of your for-profit.  You have a real concern for the exploitation of children and want to help as much as possible.  You want to bring a greater awareness to this problem and/or help parents to ferret out as much of this stuff as possible or even help turn in some of the illegal sites - even help the police - Did you know that there is funding for that?

Now I know what some of you might be thinking and that is "Well that's all fine and well but what about funding/grants for an actual porn site?"  Well don't worry - this has intrigued me enough to find out if even this is possible - never say never!

Unclaimed Money!

I don't know if I mentioned this before in my blog but you can find more information about this on:

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

Unclaimed Money is just that - money that has been unclaimed.  Whether it be a forgotten bank account, paycheck or insurance monies it is estimated that there is over a billion dollars in unclaimed money that is - well - unclaimed!

In my own state they have used the local newspaper to list all of the unclaimed accounts and it was more than 10 pages long!  Nothing but names and amounts! 

So you should check and see if you are on the list - regardless of whether you are an individual or business - because businesses (even ones that aren't around anymore) are also listed.  Even though you may think that you won't be on the list - you can't say the same thing for relatives of yours.

My Computer Area!

Isn't it cluttered?

I wouldn't have it any other way!

In the privacy of your own home?

Why do people think that they need a lot of money to set up an adult website? or really any kind of site at all? 

First of all you should check and see if your ISP provider provides you with webspace.  If not you can either use one of the free webhosts or buy a domain name (and webspace) of your own.  There are templates galore on the Internet where you can just add your own specific information.  If you don't want to hire a web designer then go get a book, go to one of the online tutorial sites and learn.

In the privacy of their own homes people have websites that charge for the priviledge of you viewing their webcam(s) and that is just a start as to what you can do with a website.

Funding For Daycare

People are searching for this alot!

One of the clients that I had was a woman that was searching for funding for her daycare in one of the southern states.  She wanted to start it as a for-profit and in her home.

As strange as it may seem there are some grant programs that providing funding for in-home daycare (and in some cases even for-profits can apply as well).  And the number (and amount) of these grant programs increase if its in an area where there is a great need for childcare/daycare.

When you are looking for funding for your daycare there are a lot of things that have to be taken into consideration.  When you apply for any grant program the funder is going to want to know at least some basic information (and if it is a government-related grant they will want to know a lot information) like the kind of daycare you will be providing, the age range of the children and whether or not you are a licensed daycare provider.  The requirements for being licensed vary from state to state and you will have to know these requirements in order to be officially licensed.

You may also be eligible to apply for some of the funding if 25% or more of the children are from low-incomed families.  Funding resources include government, foundations, organizations and even some big businesses will have grant programs relating to childcare.  I'm thinking especially of those programs providing funding for providing childcare for their employees - another funding resource that you should be looking into.

Applying for these grant funding programs will depend on each individual organization's application process which varies widely from a simple letter of intent to a number of forms (including a business plan).

You should also look outside the realm of day-care grant programs for grants relating to your specific daycare - like grants for business, grants for women, grants for minorities and even some of the entrepreneurial and global grant programs.  There are many of them!

For-profit Daycares are eligible

From the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)

Child and Adult Care Food Program. Since FY 2001, annual appropriations law had provided for revised eligibility requirements for private organizations under the Child and Adult Care Food Program. This year, however, the provision has been included in separate legislation that temporarily extends the child nutrition programs pending reauthorization. The revised requirements allow a private organization (e.g., for-profit child care provider) to participate in the food program if at least 25 percent of the children served by the organization are eligible for free or reduced price lunch. (Prior to FY 2001, the law required that 25 percent of children receive Title XX Social Services Block Grant funds in order for a private organization to be eligible.)

Grants For Providing Daycare for Katrina Survivors

In answer to a post

Depending upon where you live you might want to look into some of the grant programs that are providing grants to those that are willing to provide daycare for the Katrina victims. Since this is a fairly recent occurence you will have to be careful about finding the right (and legitimate) information.It's not organized for those looking to open a day care center but if you can provide daycare in an already established environment then you should see if you are eligible to apply.

Grants for Quilting?

I know that there are still quilting clubs around.
And I'm not surprised that even men quilt too.

So I'm not surprised to find out that there are actually grants for quilting.  (Actually after finding out about the witch that received a grant to start her business nothing should really surprise me as far as grants go!).

If you have a love of quilting and wanted to start a business that incorporated your quilting you'd have a lot of different routes that you could take.  Some Native American women have made quilts which have been bought and sold.  There are some smaller grants to help women start their own businesses and I have seen at least one example where one of the businesses that was started was a woman starting her own quilting business.  There is even a National Quilting Day!

Email from a Katrina Victim?

i am a katrina victom i lost everything i have been looking for a grant so i can get me and my kids life back on track , but everyone wants money i dont have money do you know were to go to get help?

Depending on where you are there should be available information for you.  The Katrina victims have so far received cash assistance, food, clothes and last night one victim had already secured a short-term apartment!

There is an organization that already has received grant funding for Katrina victims (I won't mention who they are though), plus the many other resources that I haven't mentioned.

Grants are not just available for individuals!

Counties and municipalities are also eligible for grants as well.  My own local area has received over a million dollars in grant monies for various things including renovation and educational programs.

Remember grants are provided to help the community!  For instance there is a grant avaiilable now to help fund projects that help to bring employment opportunities to certain low-incomed people.  What this means is that if you wanted to start a non-profit organization to help low-incomed people find better paying jobs there is now funding that you can apply for to help you with the projects!

Still think that there are no grants for daycare?

Here's an excerpt:

Rose,

I always hear the same thing from my clients. Then I tell them my story how the first business I started was a before and after school daycare. We completely financed our business from grants.  Of course what is available varies greatly state by state. Some states are really trying to build daycares. I am glad that you made that point, telling people that yes there are daycare grants.

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Well I am very glad that you posted!  You are the perfect example showing that there are grants available for daycare because you have actually done it yourself!

I have found grant programs for those wanting to start non-profit and for-profit daycares but for the most part they don't want me to post their names (mostly because they want to apply for the grant(s) on a regular basis and want as less people to know about them as possible) and of course it is their decision as to whether or not they want to be known.  Have to keep the clients happy!

Would You Believe that there is already a grant to help Katrina Survivors?

A grant has been awarded to one of the centers to help aid the Katrina victims.  The aid includes assistance for rent, utilities, temporary shelter plus counseling is also provided. 

Unfortunately the organization does not have a website or email address provided so they will have to be reached by regular mail or by phone.

Is Africa eligible for grants?

"I have liked your helpful information about grants.Thank you so much for all the ideas and help to promote creative people.  I humbly wish to know if these grants can apply in African countries."


There is one grant program that awards a $100,000 grant for endeavors to help make the community (and therefore society) as a whole better.  This grant program is open to any one, any organization in any country in the world that qualifies!  And that is just one of the grant programs!  So the answer to your question is "Yes" there are grant programs in which areas in Africa can apply.

Starting An Adult Website?

I saw a very interesting case today on Judge Mathis.  A woman was suing a man because she had invested money in an adult web business that he was starting.  The man said that the business didn't turn out the way he expected.

I would have LOVED to know about how he had set up his website because like it or not adult websites pull in a LOT of money.  Some sites make as much as $1 Million Dollars a Month!

You can set up a site yourself or act as the owner and allow others to use your site.  And if you have webcam capabilities your income is likely to increase more.

People send me email all the time wanting to start a business at home using their computer and starting an adult website is one way that that can be accomplished.  That is why I sell a Business Plan "XXX" - for those that want to start their own business at home using their computer.  You can read more about it on my consultation page at:

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

Of course it isn't for everybody BUT you can apply the same principles to tailor it to the kind of business that YOU want to start.

Starting A Business in Florida?

In reply to an email.......

To put it in a nutshell, Florida like other areas wants to encourage economic growth and they have programs that encourage people to have businesses - especially in areas where the community is very economically disadvantaged.

Going from your comments above I would concentrate first on the fact that you want to employ the disabled as there are programs for that.  Since you have not "officially" started your business there are steps that you are going to have to take in order to apply for these programs - the most important being some sort of business plan structure because the funding organization will want to know what the money will be used for.

How you structure your plan will decide on what funding programs that you will be qualified to apply to/for and those funding the programs will be the state's own agencies.  As far as applying for funding it is the state's agencies that you will be applying to.

P.S. - Florida offers a start-up kit for those that want to start a business in Florida and it contains information on the specifics of what you will need as far as licenses other important requirements are concerned.

Grants for Songwriters?

I was answering a post about available grants for songwriters.  Here is my answer below:

"Well I do find it hard to believe that you couldn't find at least 1 or 2 programs that you can apply to but for argument's sake let's just say that you couldn't find any.  Do you know what you do next?  You look for some more!  You are probably not aware of it but there is a foundation that was founded to honor a very famous songwriter and what makes this foundation so legitimate is that Kathie Lee Gifford has been a part of it.  It had a $100,000 grant award for songwriters plus that's not the only songwriting-related programs that they have.  That is just one example of the available grant programs out there for songwriters and songwriting related endeavors - and I emphasize that it is but ONE example!"

Originally my blog was supposed to be about working at home but......

more and more the topics tend to be about grants and grant programs.

Since this is part of what I do I thought that I would share with you about some of what is involved. 

It's almost comparable to being in a library studying and finding books that contain the subject matter that I'm looking for.  Of course I try to collect and maintain as much data as I can but there is so much out there!  The only difference is that I spend most of my working time in front of the computer whether it be online collecting data or offline maintaining the data.  And this just doesn't apply to grant-related work but also to the other work that I do which can be anything from designing a business card or flyer for a client to maintaining records.

I'm sure its the same for others that work at home although some may not be as involved in computer work but they may be crafters or hobbyists that have turned their hobby into a business or career.

Sure there are many advantages to being able to work from home but its something that isn't impossible to achieve.  Just take what you love and turn it into a business!

Does that mean that I love grants and grant programs?  No, it means that I took something that interested me and turned it into a business.  And you can do the exact same thing!

Government Contracts - A different kind of government income

Grants are not the only thing that the government has.  You can also try and get a government contract to work for them.  What this means is that the government becomes your client.

For instance, a foreign language business in Florida received a 5-year, $50 million dollar government contract to teach its soldiers a foreign language.

Some interesting things to note about the above contract is that the government doesn't want it talked about too much (security reasons I guess) and the foreign language business that bid on the contract wasn't the lowest bid submitted.

A Word about Investors and Getting Them

I see so many posts where people are seeking investors and one of the things that you have to understand is that they will not come to you - you will have to go to them.

While investors do invest their money into your business they do not do it for the "heck" of it.  They will want to see a return on their investment and you are going to have to show them what kind of return they will get on their investment.  You are going to have to show them why they should invest in your business.

Finding investors is not an impossible task but it will be just that - a task!  And the better prepared you are the better your chances of actually finding an investor.

There are still investors, angel investors and venture capitalists around but they just don't go advertising to the world and hopefully you can see why they don't.

Hurricane Victims to Receive $2000.00 Debit Cards

from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer

The cards will be distributed throughout various shelters in the area.  However not all of the survivors will qualify as there are conditions that have to be met.

There is also a big concern about fraud and making sure that the debit cards go to those that it was intended for.  The cards will be administered through FEMA.

Other Available Aid For Hurricane Survivors

AT&T will donate $1 million to American Red Cross and will match employee donations up to $500,000. AT&T will donate 35,000 30-minute calling cards and will establish IP-based calling centers to give evacuees and emergency workers access to free calling.

Charles Schwab is offers a home equity line of credit up to $25,000 as either a new line of credit or an extension to an existing line of credit. The offer will include residences that have sustained storm damage that normally would not qualify.

DirecTV has launched a Hurricane Katrina Information channel.

Fannie Mae has mortgage relief provisions in place for borrowers in Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, Florida and other states facing hardships as a result of widespread damage caused by Hurricane Katrina.

Harrah's Entertainment will establish an Employee Recovery Fund of $1 million and will provide Biloxi, Gulfport and New Orleans casino employees with their regularly scheduled base pay for up to 90 days.

Kraft Foods will provide $1 million in food and cash grants.

Papa Johns franchisee owner Keith Sullens in Houston is using his location in Reliant Stadium, which is adjacent to the Astrodome, to provide up to 10,000 Pizzas to people arriving at the Astrodome from the Superdome. He is also offering 150 delivery jobs open across the Houston area to people evacuated from New Orleans as a chance for them to get back on their feet. On the corporate Papa Johns will provide water to people evacuated to the Astrodome.

Wal-Mart Stores will give $17 million in cash donations and establish mini-Wal-Mart stores in areas impacted by the hurricane. Items such as clothing, diapers, baby wipes, food, formula, toothbrushes, bedding and water will be given out free of charge to those with a demonstrated need.

This information brought to you courtesy of CNNMoney

Grant Money Available For Some of The Hurricane Victims

The AFL-CIO is providing its members with grant money ranging from $500.00 to $2000.00.  This money does not have to be paid back and here is what is needed to qualify:

Have been a victim of a natural disaster.
Have experienced a significant income loss or financial hardship.
Have been a Union Plus Credit Card holder for at least 12 months and have opened the account prior to the date of the natural disaster.
Document his or her circumstances and income loss.

To apply for the grant, cardholders can call the Credit Card Disaster Relief Helpline at 1-877-761-5028 to speak directly with a specially trained representative.

Disaster victims who participate in the Union Plus Loan, Auto Insurance and Mortgage programs may be eligible to receive payment extensions or other special help from the program providers. Assistance plans vary by program provider. To find out more, disaster victims who participate in any of the following Union Plus programs should call the toll-free numbers

Question - How/Where Do I Start?

hello again, i need to find someone to do what? You said subscriber how do i do that i've never done this and i don't really know who to talk to. Can you give me some ideas of who to find or talk to. Thanks again

OK, I went back and looked at the previous email that you sent me so that I have a general idea of what you are talking about. (By the way you should note the above sentence and note that THIS is one of the reasons why I and others always suggest a business plan because amongst other things it shows that you should keep and maintain records!)

Back to your comment above: Basically you are asking "How" and the answer is to start with a plan! I suggested to you about starting a newsletter about being a parent and raising kids - well this is something that you have experience in - WRITE IT DOWN! That is the start and foundation of your newsletter! You start there! What time do you have to get up? Why? What is the first thing you have to do in the morning? Why? etc....................What information do you think parents would like to know? I can think of a lot of them! You're a parent - what kind of information do you wish you had?

When you don't know where to start one of your best bets is to start locally. Are there parents in your area? Make up a flyer about your newsletter. If there's some local rule about not putting flyers in peoples' mailbox then put them somewhere else! Can't make or don't know how to make a flyer? I really doubt that! I helped someone pass out flyers and his flyer was done by hand! You can (and I have) make a flyer using the most basic wordprocessing program!

Now here is where and why a business plan is advised. How are people going to contact you? What kind of newsletter will you have? What form will it take? How will you deliver it? Online? Offline? Or both? What about advertisers? And lets talk about advertisers for a moment - What kind of advertisers would parents be interested in? Do you see where I'm going here! Make a business plan! The sooner you plan your business the sooner you can start your business!

Grants! - Even Judge Mathis has mentioned them on his show!

I meant to add this to my blog but even Judge Mathis with his "court" show has mentioned grants for students.  What he said was to a younger person who said that they were attempting to get into college but that they didn't have enough money and what Judge Mathis said (and he said it matter-of-factly as if every student knew this) that they should get a grant.  He suggested getting a grant to pay for 80 percent of the tuition and then getting the rest in student loans.  (I could make an argument for getting scholarships and foundation grants for the other 20 percent but that's another debate for another time)

What you should do first is look to the university that you want to attend.  Find out from there financial office what kinds of funding they provide and what other funding resources they provide.  Then depending on what courses/subject matter you will be taking then you can look into grants/funding/scholarships that are offered in the  subjects/career which you want to partake in.  Don't think that it may not exist for you because I have seen student related funding programs for everything from astrology to zoology!  I remember one particular student grant program provides for a student to travel to France - all expenses paid plus they get a stipend and medical  insurance.  Why is this funding program in place?  Basically its because France wants to show that their schools/colleges are just as good as those in the US. 

So try to find as much funding as you can to be able to pay for your entire tuition.

Witch Receives Grant!

This comes from an article in a student newspapper from a very popular university.  Outside of the United States a witch has received over $7,000 to fund her business.  And what is her business?  Consulting!  That's right.  Of course she had to promise not to do any "spells" on anyone.  But what she can do (and is going to do) is to teach magic, give seminars, tell fortunes and will be using some of her grant money to make an ointment to help her customers more.

It's really ironic since in the past the "government" has burned witches at the stake.  At the moment I'm currently getting more information about this but what I can tell you is that this woman submitted her business plan and was chosen for the grant because (in the words of the organization giving the grant) she had provided a "well thought out" plan.

This just furthers what my gut and instincts have thought all along.  So many people talk about how there are no grants - especially for business - and the above information just proves them more wrong.  The one thing about this woman is that she applied for the grant!  She actually went through the whole process and for her it paid off!

I also like this story because it is one of those "out of the ordinary" stories but more importantly it is another great example of someone who has started their own business - no matter how unusual and/or "out of the norm" it was!

Selling An Ebook?

You asked: What you haven't mentioned is how you are going to let people know  that the book is available for sale.

My answer is, don't really know. My thinking was a web site and e-bay.  I thought ebay would send them to my web site.  I don't have a web site I would need to build one.  Also my thinking was if I built a web site that I'd advertise my web site address on my truck as I drive 110 miles a day round trip too and from work and I am on 2 (two) major freeways in the Dallas TX area.

Do you write and sale ebooks?

Also my computer is an 80's model, can't write to a CD.

I do sell an Ebook about how to add music to your website.  I also do tarot readings by email so in a way that is an Ebook too. 

You don't need a CD-RW to sell an ebook.

Depending on what your ebook is about you first should define your target market which is who is mostly likely to buy your ebook?  Then you market/go to where they are.  You can do this offline as well as online but online you will reach more potential customers.

Grants for Daycare - Don't let anyone tell you that there are none available!

A church in Chicago that provides daycare received  a total of $99,000.00 in grant monies!  Part of that came from foundations and a private bequest.  In past years this same church has received grant money for equipment, remodeling and to help with start-up costs!

The daycare service was started because of the need to help students finish their high school education.  Both the church and the schools saw a need for this.  The church has since added more services and programs to their schedule thus providing them with more grant funding resources.

In one area, the need was so great for child care that the municipality accepted subcontractors who were relatives, residents and those who provided daycare in their home.  So what this means to someone looking for funding for their daycare facility - whether it be in their home or not should really look into their own local community. As noted above there was a very big need to provide childcare services and in order to help fill this need the community subcontracted with those that provide (or are willing to provide) daycare services.

Grants and Farms...

A lot has been discussed on this blog about grants and starting a business.  But what about the businesses that have already been running for a while?  They are also eligible for some government grants as well.

The problem is that a lot of people seem to think that grants are only available to non-profits.  While there are more grant programs for non-profits, there are still grant programs available for businesses that are for-profit.    Some for-profit businesses have managed to tap that fine line of qualifying for a grant.

A grant of more than $500,000 was given to two farms in the NY area.  The purpose of the grant was to help the farms move to a more economical way of using electricity by using cow manure (that's right I said cow manure) as an electricity source.

Can a Pharmacist Work at Home?

Of course the answer is "Yes".  The real question comes to be "What kind of work can a pharmacist do at home?"  Of course a lot will depend on how much experience the pharmacist has.

A pharmacist could work at home as a consultant - having a website with their general contact information.  What could they give consultations on?  Well they can help headhunt for employers that are looking for pharmacists.  That means that the pharmacist could keep a database of other pharmacists looking for work and help employers who need pharmacists.  The pharmacist could provide this service for free or he could charge for the service.

Another option is writing an online column.  With a simple knowledge of html or by hiring a webpage designer a pharmacist can write on things that they know about and even popular topics in the news such as all the news about people ordering prescriptions online and the pharmacist's opinions about this and other related news.  Advertising could be added and charged for.  Depending on how popular the pages/business is other related work could follow like speaking engagements, offers to write articles and much more.  And all of this can be done using your home as a work base.

One source of overlooked funding that teachers should be looking at are....

One of the sources that provide funding that teachers should be looking into are the contests award cash prizes for student entries.  Some of these contests offer as much as $25,000 in cash awards!  There are many topics that are represented by these contests.  Patriotic themes, art related subjects and even essays are some of the entry requirements.  These contests are sponsored from all types of organizations and businesses and even magazines!

Daycare Grant Recipient

I'm going to post another example of a daycare that received grant money.

In Madison a daycare center received $8,515 federal grant and an additional $5,000 grant from the state and an additional $1,967 in local funds to cover the purchase of $15,000 in equipment. Amongst other things the grant money was used to purchase a fire alarm system, refrigerator and other needed items.

The county in which this daycare center is located needed a licensed care center so badly because the others that provided daycare were unlicensed which meant that the lower incomed people could not take advantage of the benefits that a licensed facility gets - namely grants and being able to provide child care to lower incomed people.

There's also a section that talks about how a scholarship program was given to those who train to work in the center but since the main topic here is child care.  Here is another childcare grant recipient.

Grants and Beauty Parlors

Grant programs and grant awards can not be lumped into one category because they are not all the same. You said that you assumed that most individually owned beauty parlors would not qualify for a grant. Does that mean that there are at least some that might qualify for a government grant?I had a chance to see the "minutes" from a social services meeting in Orange County. Included in the minutes was the fact that the county used a beauty parlor's services for their elderly residents.The original poster specifically mentioned customer service. In Ohio, outreach workers partnered with beauty parlors to better help the community be aware of the community services that were available to them as residents of the community. Now what this "partnership" specifically involved wasn't mentioned.In Louisiana an orientation luncheon was given to introduce an awareness program to beauty salon owners who expressed interest in participating. In fact, some are actively trying to recruit other salon owners they know to participate as well. The beauty parlor owners will be provided with packets they can distribute to their customers. These packets will contain risk assessment forms, as well as education materials on prevention and early detection. Some salons are even being equipped with televisions and VCRs so that clients can view informational videos while they wait.I have not even scratched the surface of where the original poster's beauty parlor is located or researched more programs like the ones that I posted above. But you just make it sound like there are absolutely no possiblity at all and that they shouldn't even look into any of the possibilities.

Getting A Grant for Daycare - An email

Can you help me get a grant at starting up a daycare center which will be for 24 hours a day, because the area i am in there isnt about 1 or 2 centers that are open on 2nd shift there all for 1st and people around here need 2nd and 3rd shift daycare centers

I have often mentioned about a daycare center that received a big grant amount of over $50,000 because they offered 24 hour daycare services.  If you qualify for this program - meaning you fit their eligibility requirements then this is one grant program that you can apply for.

However you have to realize that qualifying for any grant program will depend on the grant program itself.  There are no "one size fits all" grant programs - even for daycare.  There are many different grant programs and their eligibility requirements are not all the same.  You will have to go over each grant program that you are eligible for (or can become eligible for) one at a time.  You are also not limited to applying for just one grant program either.  You can apply for as many as you are eligible for.

Which career?

I found this interesting little quiz and thought that I would take it just to see what results I got.

Your Career Type: Investigative

You are precise, scientific, and intellectual.

Your talents lie in understanding and solving math and science problems.

You would make an excellent:

Architect - Biologist - Chemist

Dentist - Electrical Technician - Mathematician

Medical Technician - Meteorologist - Pharmacist

Phsyician - Surveyor - Veterinarian

The worst career options for your are enterprising careers, like lawyer or real estate agent

What's Your Ideal Career?

Grants and Daycare - Let's get a few things straight

This is in response to the numerous posts that ask for grants for their daycare.  First of all it would help if you knew a few basic things about the whole "grant" process.
First of all when you post here and ask for grants you leave so much out.  Usually its just the comment "I need a grant for my daycare in - fill in whatever city and state you want here - and that's all that is posted.  Getting a grant (or grants) will depend on just too many variables.  You have to realize that applying for a grant, any grant is a process and that process begins with information.  Both information about whatever endeavor it is you are trying to start (or maintain or grow) and information about the grant program that you think will help you.  A lot of the bigger grant recipients like schools and municipalities have either grantwriters on staff or hire them on a freelance basis.  A lot of smaller grant recipients - including teachers - have applied for the grant(s) on their own meaning they did all the grunt work theirselves.  And the term "grunt" is used here for a reason.  Grantwriters will tell you that it is this grunt work that has to be done.  Grantwriters (on the whole) don't have secret access to the majority of grant funding programs - indeed if its a government program that information has to made publicly accessible to the public.  Someone sent me an email saying that they couldn't get any information about foundations with funding/grant programs because the information couldn't be accessed.  This is so wrong.  Not only is it accessible a lot of these programs let you apply online!

Grants - Church Remodeling

Rose, My husband and I have been trying to seek grant money to remodel our church  in New Jersey. We also want to expand so that we can start community programs for the youth and elderly in the community. We need to get the church repaired and it has been a long project with funding. We have a small membership mainly of older members. If you can point us in the direction of finding grant money, please respond to this e-mail.



A lot will depend on more specifics.  If your church is historic in nature there are restoration grants. A church was given a grant to remodel their kitchen to better conform to the health codes.  There are grant programs relating to the Episcopal church.  There are church-related grants that depend on the area that the church is located.  So there is no one place to go to apply for church-related grant funding.  It will depend on the specifics of your church.

Grant program funding abounds for community related projects and the elderly related projects provide yet more funding.  But since you want to concentrate on the remodeling first the above mentioned information has to show you that it will depend on the specifics of your church.

If you don't think that there are any church-related remodeling grants here are a few excerpts:

"It's not often a church receives a single donation of $22,000. It's even more rare to find the money coming from the government.   
First Christian Church, however, recently received such a gift from the city of Corvallis.

The funds were combined with another $238,000 in private grants and church members' donations and pledges, and now the church is remodeling its kitchen where Stone Soup meals are served each weekend to the homeless and low-income families."

"A Lutheran Church in Hillman, Minn. received a three-year grant to help pay the salary of Pastor Rhodes."  I should point out that this church had a 70% elderly congregation and it was determined that it would cost too much to renovate the church so a NEW one was built!

So as you can see it will depend on the specifics of your church.  Once you know that then you can start finding the appropriate grant programs.

In New Jersey church related grants included a synagogue in Westfield, New Jersey

Grant Recipients - Teachers

"I want to apply for my first grant this year, however, I'm concerned about whether mine will be soemthing they would want to give a grant for.  So I'm curious what you all have received grants for.  This will be for my entire grade level...not just my classroom."

Four teachers were recently (April 2005) awarded grants.
One was a Sandra Ingram of Eastern Senior High in Washington, DC who teaches junior and senior French.  She started a program where her students corresponded (in French) with pen pals from another country.  Another teacher used her grant award to start an after school tutoring program to help students improve their math.  Another teacher who teaches Native American students was among the grant recipients and used the grant to help her students improve their reading and writing skills.

  Another 200 teachers have also been announced as recipients and now the foundation that awards these grants are accepting applications for next year.  So far this grant program has awarded 400 grant awards totaling $1 million dollars and it is a nationwide grant program.

One thing that you have to understand about grants - especially about those that receive them is that they are more inclined not to discuss it because they stand a better chance of receiving the grant when there is less competition.  In my own area the city's ballet company has received over $1 million dollars in grant monies but they declined to be interviewed about it.

As for you specific post - while you may not want to discusss exactly what you are seeking the grant for - I hope that the above information shows you that if you are attempting to help your students improve their skills then there is probably a grant program that you can apply for.

Grant Programs Available for gay and/or lesbian issues..

Someone was recently looking for information about the possibility of there being any grant programs available for gay/lesbian issues.  Apparently they couldn't find what they were looking for but I was surprised to see that there were some grant resources available.  One in particular helped to fund the Gay Olympics and another grant program was available to filmmakers who had made films with a gay/lesbian topic.  This one foundation also has scholarship, fellowship and other funding programs available as well.

Another example of a for-profit business receiving grant funding.......

is a Wellness Center that wants to "give back to the community" by providing informational and educational services as well as providing free services to those that could otherwise not pay for their services - in this case they provide services to cancer patients who could otherwise not afford to pay for the service.

Just another example of a for-profit business that has managed to get grant funding..................

They all can't be called "grant" programs........

There was a program that provided monthly "grants" (their words) to help women start their own online business.  However it seems to be more of a competition than an actual "grant" program.  It seems that some people are particular as to what constitutes an actual "grant" program.

To be eligible for this program you have to become a member of their organization but membership is free.  Submitting a business plan was part of the application process as well.  The highest amount of the award was $3,000 but there is also a second and third place award.

This program was last check December of 2004 and I'm awaiting email confirmation as to whether or not this program is still current.

Memories - My Very First Ebay Auction Experience

Of course this was some time ago but something made me think of it and hopefully it will help others who are thinking about selling on Ebay.

Of course I was nervous and I did a LOT of research and reading and just plain lurking around before I did anything.  Ebay has message boards where you can ask and answer questions and lots of tutorials are available in some of the posts - even for newbies - like I was at the time.

My very first auction was some coins that my brother had sent me from Germany and I wanted to test the Ebay site out.  (I have since come to find out that Ebay also has "test" auctions as well).  Now remember I said that I was a newbie and I was still quite nervous about actually auctioning anything but I finally did.  Since I was testing I decided to auction one coin (remember I said I was a newbie at this - LOL!) and of course I fumbled through typing a description and deciding how it would look and getting a picture of the coin to add to my auction page.  I used my webcam to take a picture of the coin.   Well I had a seven day auction and for like the first 3 days I didn't get any bids.  However soon after that I got a nibble and then by the time the auction ended I had had about seven bids and the winning bid was for more than the coin was worth (which someone had emailed me and told me that it was selling in a shop for like 10 for a dollar).  Remember this was a test auction kind of thing for me and I really didn't expect to get a whole lot for the coin.  But I did get more than its value and I have been hooked ever since!

Daycare and running a profitable business

One of the most popular suggestions for starting one's own business is to start a daycare business.  Why?  Because this is a service that is always in demand.  Why?  Because people need this kind of service.  There are children on waiting lists for daycare and this is just another example of finding a need and filling.

While you have more resources if you operate as a non-profit that doesn't mean that there are no resources if you are operating as a for-profit.  Also there's the added benefit of you having greater control and freedom if you are operating as a for-profit.  But there are funding resources that exist.  I have even read articles where the owner made so much in profit with their daycare business that they were able to open another daycare business and yet still another.

There is always going to be a need for daycare services and if you can fill that need that would be a good business for you to start.

Still think there are no grants for for-profits?

"Last year a wealthy philanthropist shook up the philanthropic world by converting his foundation that he and his wife started in 1998 into a Network, which will direct money not only to traditional nonprofits, but to profitmaking businesses as well—as long as those enterprises create what founder calls "positive social impact."

Can African American Women get scholarship?

Of course they can!  In fact there are some scholarships that are minority specific.  No one place has all the information there is about available scholarships but a good place to start would be the Internet, your local library and your local bookstore.

"Finding grant money without buying anything"

This is a very interesting search that someone recently did.  Unfortunately the answer is not interesting.  The answer is work.  Plain and simple.  Over 90% of all grant related information that I have gotten has been online.  Offline I have even found grant information in my local paper! 

So the way to finding grant money without buying anything is to do the "finding" yourself.

Recent Email - contacting me

Hi Rose,

How does a person consult with you? I visited your site but could not find a way to reach you. ....(personal information deleted)............Can you help me at all? I saw lots of references on your pages, but no direct source information, and so much of the foundation center stuff is not accessible. Thanks for even reading all of this..

Thank you for your email.

First of all contacting me can be had by snail mail, fax# & voice # and email. For all consultation sessions they must be paid in advance via Western Union and the consultation sessions are one on one chat sessions.

All the information about contacting me can be found on both my

payment information page at http://members.aol.com/Roseb441702/payinfo.htm

and my consultation page athttp://members.aol.com/Roseb441702/consult.htm

As a person that has done fundraising then you should be very well aware of funding programs for the disabled plus you can add to that the work that you are doing which includes helping others that are disabled which increases your funding resources.

You are wrong when you say the foundation "stuff" is not accessible. Every foundation funding program that I have had access to has been freely available on line or either had by doing regular grunt work to find it.

Daycare and Grants - Please learn the basics!

A question that I am seeing a lot is "Where can I get a grant for my daycare business?"  The answer to that is it depends.  There is no one place that you can apply to.  When you're talking about daycare the questions start to mount.  Is this a new daycare or has it already been in operation and if so for how long has it been operating?  Is your daycare a non-profit or a for-profit (or a combination of both?).  Is it being operated out of your home or is it at a separate facility?  How much grant money will you need and for what will you need it for?  Do you have the information written out as to exactly what you are going to need the funding for?  I have seen daycare facilities that have gotten as much as $100,000 for their daycare!

As far as funding programs for daycare is concerned there are resources and programs out there.  Specific funding programs are even available from the government not to mention all the other funding resources from foundations and organizations.

This information is not in some secret book!  As far as the government grant programs go the information has to be made publicly accessible and there is no secret to getting it - it HAS to be there.  No matter how much you can't find or say you can't find the information the fact of the matter is that grantwriters and those that do this kind of work know that there is no secret to finding this information.  What it takes to find this information is work.