Can anyone tell me the best place to get info on obtaining a small business loan or grant?

The small business administration is the best starting point for this -- and from experience, the most likely source. http://www.sba.gov/ however, since you said that you have already checked there, banks are the next place to check. often, local banks that are not nationalized are easier to get small business loans. however, some national banks run small business promotions. basically, if the SBA didn't work out, you need to go bank shopping.

check your local university for their Small Business Development Center. They are funded by SBA to assist people located in their areas. They offer a wide variety of classes and seminars on most aspects of business.

Also, your local Chamber of Commerce is a good place to get contacts.

If you have already checked out SBA, then you know that SBA does NOT give out grants. From the SBA website http://www.sba.gov/mostrequesteditems/CON_FAQ2.htm...

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"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."

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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.

You stand a greater chance of getting a government-guaranteed loan through the Small Business Administration http://www.sba.gov/financing than a government grant. Read the SBA Financing page to learn about criteria needed for borrowing

I suggest you read the following books to get ideas of how to finance your business:

Financing Your Small Business http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1572484500/...

Small Business Financing: How and Where To Get It http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0808007386/...

Financing the Small Business: A Complete Guide to Obtaining Bank Loans and All Other Types of Financing http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1580626815/...

The SBA Loan Book http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/158062202X/...

Angel Capital : How to Raise Early-Stage Private Equity Financing http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0471690635/...

Financing Your Small Business (Barron's Business Library Series) http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0764124897/...

For private grants, you may want to check the Foundation Center's Foundation Grants for Individuals Online http://gtionline.fdncenter.org/ . 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.

Start collecting ideas from your close friend. If there's a result, think. Have some idea from more experienced entrepreneur, then think about it. Search the web with related topics about the question you raised now. If you find some related then click.

It can surely help.

Good day!

I have just started looking for the same thing. I have found these two web sites so far.

http://www.grants.gov/

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