We can briefly condense some of the categories of small business grants for women that you will be able to find by searching the grants database.

You can search by a particular business title if you wish. For example, grants for day care centers, scientific research grants, farming and agricultural grants, etc. And you may also find a number of available free money opportunities when looking for gender or ethnic specific grants like minority business grants, women business grants, or grants for single parents.

Business grants, however, are difficult to come by. Most businesses are created with loans which rely on good credit histories and collateral that women may have a hard time supplying. Women often choose to max out their credit cards or borrow from family members in order to start a business, which may make their own finances uncomfortable.

How to find Small Business Grants for Women

Online

There are several online sites worth looking at that provide information and access to grants. In addition to this, there are sites specifically aimed to giving grants to women. These sites attempt to help the female population succeed in entrepreneurialism and climb on the ladder of success. There are women's funding networks which promote the growth of women's funds and empower women to encourage strategic networking among themselves, donors and communities.

The local Small Business Association (SBA) office http://www.sba.gov/ should help you in finding the right business grants. Even grants that are not advertised online can be found here. They should also point you in the right direction of grants offered in your area of business.

Count-me--in.org http://www.count-me-in.org/ - Is a new fundraising organization that raises money from women for women. Loans are given from $500 to $10,000 (for first time recipients the maximum amount is $5,000). Count-Me-In looks like a great resource with funding consideration based on experience over credit history. Check them out!

Womens-Finance.com wants to give women a chance to fulfill their dreams, as well as assist them to develop businesses that will give more women an opportunity to obtain better employment security in family friendly companies, without owing money to some financial institution. The Women's Financial Fund was created as a non-profit entity to give these grants to women.

Federal Money Retriever
http://www.fedmoney.com/ - The premier grants and loans. database software containing information on all U. S. federal government grants and loan programs. There is a cost for the software, but the site allows you to research some of the grant dollars that are available. They have a specific category for grants available for women at: http://www.fedmoney.com/grants/su0232.htm

The Women's Funding Network

http://www.womensfundingnetwork.org - Promotes the development and growth of women's funds that empower women and girls by fostering strategic alliances among women, donors, communities and institutions.

NBC Supplier Diversity Program Web site
https://cvmas14.cvmsolutions.com/nbc/ - This is not so much a funding opportunity, but a procurement opportunity specifically for women and minority owned businesses. The National Broadcasting Company has launched its Supplier Diversity web site to inform Minority-owned and Woman-owned Business Enterprises (MWBEs) of NBC's Supplier Diversity Program, and also permit MWBE suppliers of high-quality goods and services to register their companies online.

American Association of University Women
http://www.aauw.org - This foundation is one of the largest private sources of funding for graduate women in the world, supports aspiring scholars around the globe, teachers and activists in local communities, women at critical stages of their careers, and those pursuing professions where women are underrepresented.

The Ada Project for Women (TAP)
http://women.cs.cmu.edu/ada/ - Includes information on conferences, discussion groups, organizations, fellowships, grants, and notable women in computer science.

Financial Women International
http://www.fwi.org/- Provides information on professional growth, information sharing, peer networking, mentoring, leadership development, and career advancement for women.

Government Grants for Business