What can I get a grant for?
What can I get a grant for? seems to be a question that we get asked hundreds of times each day here at Canada Startups.
Most people that message us asking for help with their small business and who are seeking a government grant have one thing in common. They do not have a business plan or an idea of how government grants or government funding in general works.
The only thing they do know when they approach us is that government grants exist.
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As a small business startup or existing business, there are a few things you have to keep in mind when searching for government grants or government funding in general.
- You have to have a business plan
- You have to clearly show your funding needs
- You have to clearly show how much funding you need
What can I get a grant for is usually something that is backwards and not a recommended way to start searching for funding. Asking that question shows you are unprepared and will most likely result in a funding application being denied in the first place if you were to even try.
Our recommendation to each of our members is to develop a business plan that clearly shows what funding is needed for. There are many things government grants and funding can be used for, but it is not for everyone, especially if you do not need it.
Government grants and funding may be available for:
- Starting or expanding a business
- Hiring and training staff
- Wage support
- Paying for advertising and marketing
- Making leasehold improvements
- Conducting R&D
- Import and export
- Paying for tools, supplies, and equipment
- Improving cash flow
Funding is available, but it does have to be approached correctly. The correct way is to first develop your business plan, and based on what your business plan states you lack, that is how you begin your search for grants and loans and determine what you can get a grant for.
Government funding agencies are very smart and notice when a business is looking at it backwards. If your business plan does not show your funding needs and the approximate amounts of funding needed, they treat your plan as incomplete, deny your application, and move on.
So to answer your question, “What can I get a grant for?”
You can get a government grant for starting your business, expanding a current business, paying for tools, equipment, or supplies, paying for advertising and marketing costs, hiring and training staff, paying wages, improving cash flow, and much more. Before you start your search for grants and loans, be sure to develop your business plan.