Clients frequently visit our SBDC in search of grants to help fund their small businesses. The reality of grants, however, is they’re very specific and extremely fleeting. Grants in Iowa are typically reserved for non-profits and agricultural purposes, and the old idiom, “here today, gone tomorrow,” definitely holds true. Fortunately, many small business contests — both regional and national — cycle throughout the year, serving as a viable alternative for current and prospect

Remember when your mama told you there was no such thing as a free lunch? Turns out, she was right. Imagine that. Now, repeat after me: There’s no free grant money out there to start or expand my business. That’s right, boys and girls, there is no free grant money out there. No matter what you’ve heard or seen online or been promised by a company that will find you those grants. Here it is, in black and white, straight from the horse’s mouth, as it were: “The federal governme

The Iowa Money Map has more than 800 listings, broken down by county. This comprehensive database includes Iowa’s grants, loans, equity investment opportunities and other financial incentives available to small business and entrepreneurs. The map is housed on the MyEntreNet Website, but you can access it easily by creating a quick account. There’s no fee! In addition to the county listings is a statewide listing, including a grant program from the Iowa Department of Economic

The National Grants Coference is coming to Omaha for two conferences this week and next. The basic premise to NDC is that they bring people into to the conference to sell them a program or book on how to actually FIND the grants that are out there and available to small businesses, home owners etc.  The amount of the program is about $900 to $1000. What you should know about investing in this service is that federal grant information is public information and that there are f

This is a question that is asked daily in our office and every other SBDC office in Iowa, and unfortunately the answer is almost always no.    If there is a grant Myth #1 – There is an excess of federal money reserved for small businesses to help boost our nation’s economic status – Can you really imagine that folks in Washington, D.C., know what would be good for Shenandoah, Iowa’s economy or even for Council Bluffs?  There is really no way they would be able to predict the