Texas Small Business Grants
Businesses in Texas looking for startup or expansion funding can choose between small business loans, private equity investment, or small business grants. In the area of grants, they are limited in number but available nonetheless. Grants are typically targeted at specific geographic locations, specific industries, or certain groups of people the state has singled out for assistance. The place to begin looking for small business grants in Texas is the Texas eGrants Application website.
The state of Texas has gone the way of the federal government and most other states in making all available grant information available only online. The streamlining has been undertaken as a way to better manage all of the state's grant resources in a single location. On the eGrants Application website you'll find a searchable database which asks a few very simple questions before scanning the known information and returning results to the user.
Grants Currently Available
The state of Texas was a recipient of a significant amount of funding through the federal government's American Recovery and Reinvestment Act from a couple of years ago. The state divided up the money according to ten different areas of need including things like transportation, small business development, and agriculture. However, the vast majority of those programs have long since expired. The money is no longer available except under extraordinary circumstances.
As for the rest of the grant resources available through the state of Texas, it will be impossible to list them here. They are so varied and so limited in nature that your best bet in finding them is using the searchable database previously mentioned. Keep in mind that the grants you find using the government database may, or may not, come directly from the state of Texas. In fact, more often than not they will come from other sources. Typical sources for grant money include:
- corporate endowments
- nonprofit agencies
- business incubators
- educational institutions
- trade groups
Small Business Administration
Another good resource for hunting down small business grants in Texas is your local office of the Small Business Administration (SBA). Although the SBA does not provide any grant money directly, they do act as a clearinghouse of sorts for any organizations willing to publish grant information on their website. A visit to your local SBA office will give you access to that information, as well as any lenders willing to make small business loans.
While you're at your local SBA office, consider taking advantage of their counseling and educational resources. These services are designed to help you succeed in business whether you're just starting out or you've been working at an existing business for some time. The SBA provides written material, DVDs, and one-on-one instructional and counseling services you may find useful. They also offer contact information to other organizations helping small business owners.
Your Local Library
One last resource for Texas small business grants is the local branch of your public library. Public libraries are typically a great source for information from all sorts of government agencies and private entities. As an example, the Dallas Public Library dedicates an entire section of their website to explaining how the grant process works. At your local branch you'll undoubtedly find books, publications, videos, and other resources dealing with the grant process. You might even find help in preparing your grant proposal if you're lucky.
Suffice it to say that small business grants are not easy to come by no matter where you live. In Texas you will need to look high and low to find what you might be eligible for. If you do find grants with qualifications you meet, you'll need to write a comprehensive grant proposal and include with it any other materials that grant maker requires. If you need help with this, consult your local chamber of commerce or an industry trade group. You might also ask for help among other successful business owners you know locally.