Any ideas for a government grant to help purchase an established business?

Matthew Lesko's book lists EVERY grant the government and private foundation gives -- but gives the false information that these grants are available to those who want to start a business or for whatever purpose. If you follow Lesko's list, you will end up writing to all these foundations asking for a grant and get rejection letters -- because they do not give grants for this purpose.

It is hard to find grants to start a business. Unlike the myths that some perpetuate, federal government and even private foundations hardly give grant money for a for-profit business. And yes, grants mean PAPERWORK - lots and lots of it, that is why a cottage industry of grant writers was born.

Nonetheless, you can go to the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) http://www.cfda.gov/ and Grants.gov http://www.grants.gov/ - these are two sites created by the federal government to provide transparency and information on grants. Browse through the listings and see if you can find any grant that would support a for-profit venture.

Even if you buy books on "how to get grants" or list that supposedly has information on grants -- all of them are mere rehash of what CFDA has, albeit packaged differently. But still the info is the same - hardly any grants for starting a for profit business.

Even SBA does NOT give out grants. From the SBA website http://www.sba.gov/expanding/grants.html...

"The U.S. Small Business Administration does not offer grants to start or expand small businesses, although it does offer a wide variety of loan programs. (See http://www.sba.gov/financing for more information) While SBA does offer some grant programs, these are generally designed to expand and enhance organizations that provide small business management, technical, or financial assistance. These grants generally support non-profit organizations, intermediary lending institutions, and state and local governments."

Here is a listing of federal grants for small businesses. See if there is any available for individuals for starting a business -- THERE'S NONE.

http://12.46.245.173/pls/portal30/CATALOG.BROWSE_B...

Most of the federal grants are given to specific target groups with specific requirements (e.g. minority business owners involved in transportation related contracts emanating from DOT - Grant#20.905 Disadvantaged Business Enterprises Short Term Lending Program

Grants are also often given to non profit groups or organizations involved in training or other similar activities (grant 59.043 Women's Business Ownership Assistance that are given to those who will create women's business center that will train women entrepreneurs

For private grants, you may want to check the Foundation Center's Foundation Grants for Individuals Online. It's a subscription based website ($9.95 per month) but their opening blurb only says that the database is ideal for "students, artists, academic researchers, libraries and financial aid offices." Entrepreneurs are apparently not one of them, so I take it they also don't have listings of private foundations who give grants to would-be entrepreneurs.

http://www.cfda.gov/

http://www.grants.gov/

http://gtionline.fdncenter.org/

http://www.powerhomebiz.com/vol66/grants.htm

http://www.sba.gov/expanding/grants.html

There are no federal grants to speak of that would allow you to purchase a business like this (especially property). You would have better luck at a conventional lending institution or SBA (if you have the credit or collateral) and if you did pursue this avenue you would most likely have to produce some sort of business plan. If you've never done a business plan before, you need to get some help with it. In this business plan you must show management procedures, cost analysis, yearly financial projections, profit and loss analysis, equipment costs and repairs, marketing and advertising analysis, management structure, etc. Unless you have a great deal of money, you can't buy anything "free and clear."

It really is no big deal... Seriously. Congress has the legal and constitutional right to regulate interstate commerce (Article 1/Section 8 of the Constitution). That Congress has chosen not to exercise its powers in this area is due to the excessive power of the Tobacco Farmers and the Cigarette Manufacturers over the years. The reasons for this action now is that these lobbies have been greatly diminished in power. The meat industry is regulated. The pharmaceutical industry is regulated. Why shouldn't tobacco be regulated? If you think about it (and I'm seriously asking you to do just that), what makes tobacco so special that it should be above the Congress' right to regulate?

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You not only get the eBook though, you also receive a ton of extra material including video, lessons on putting, driving, chipping, sand play etc. Here is their official site: http://www.golfswingguru.net/

Matthew Lesko's book. Their is a bunch of grant information. I checked out the book from my local library.