Small Business Grants

".....I was wondering if you provide funding for Small Business Start-Ups...
The specific purpose of the grant is to start my own business, which would also allow me to be at home for my children when they are not at school. Until a year and a
half ago, I worked with a custom homebuilder in New York, NY for eight and a half years. While working there, I had the opportunity to strengthen my knowledge of
computer networking including the physical setup of the system. I was able to incorporate this in our customers' homes as time went by. With the housing market in
rough shape, the company started to fail. My youngest daughter was starting school and my wife and I decided it was time for me to move on. I was successful in being
a stay at home dad for 8 months. As our financial situation worsened I decided to get a night job to allow me to continue to stay at home with my children during the
day. I have been working this job for eight months now and have recently been promoted but I feel this is still not the best course of action for my family. While working
with the homebuilder, I was able to create a small client base. I have found that more businesses and individuals are looking at what schooling a person has and not
always what experience they have. Therefore, I need to go to school to get that certification. Small business grants from foundations will assist me to implement some
changes. This will allow me to expand my client base. I will be working from home and will need some funds for alterations for office and storage space. I will also
need some tools and supplies. I already have a decent selection of tools but there are some more expensive items that would need to be purchased. Other funds will be
needed for reliable transportation that will fit my needs concerning equipment and supplies. By no means do I need a new vehicle, just one that will work for what I am
trying to accomplish. With the previous examples and the cost of legal items such as licenses, insurance and contract documentation. I am requesting small business
grants of $50,000 to open my business. I am looking for any assistance to accomplish this goal...."
"...Owning a house is everybody's dream. Basically, people consider their house as an investment that is why career men and women invest a lot of money to renovate
and beautify their houses. Because of these reasons, I came up with the idea of having a home-based small business. I believe this kind of business could be profitable.
I firmly believe that it would benefit not only me, personally, but the community as well. Because a shelter is necessary to everyone, the problem of providing adequate
housing has already been a long concern not only of individuals, but of the government as well. Thus, housing is inseparable from social, economic, and political
development. Taking these matters into consideration, the business aims to provide affordable decent homes at terms most convenient to its prospective clients. It is my
dream to make homeownership more affordable and to provide relevant information that would allow the consumers to make smart choices. It would also generate
taxes which could help the local economy. It could also open job opportunities as it progress in the future. Considering this situation, it would be impossible for me to
set aside some money to finance my own small business. Presently, I am working on a business plan and in the process of obtaining business permits. I am planning to
advertise the small business through different media portals such as the Internet, yellow pages, newspapers, flyers and many others. Moreover, this small business would
serve both rural and urban areas, primarily in Texas. This would be very beneficial to individuals or families, most especially to those who were drastically affected by
hurricanes and who would like to purchase or have a house at a more affordable price. Starting up a small business is a means of generating income for almost
everyone. With the advanced development of technology, we should innovate and create new ideas to be able to survive this environment. Not everybody is given the
opportunity to make his dream a reality. I am researching how to get small business grants. Unfortunately, there are very few organizations that display unwavering
interest in helping individuals fulfill their dreams and make a difference in their lives. For these reasons, I seek your organization's assistance. I am one of the
thousands of people, who wish to make a difference not just in my life, but also in others as well. I am very grateful that your organization continuously helps
underprivileged citizens. You have inspired many determined people to start up their own businesses despite having financial difficulty. Furthermore, you open doors
for self-improvement and satisfaction. Despite my situation, I have been very determined to put up my own small business. I wish to send my children to college and see
them become successful in their respective careers. I am confident that this home-based small business would give me the first step to achieve these visions. I am hoping
you will be able to provide this through the part of your program that can make small business grants to encourage and assist in starting a small business..."