Question:
I am interested in opening a trade school, need grant/funding/general info resources.?
I would like to start a trade school, I have been in my line of work for 24 years, and my mother has been doing it for almost 40yrs and it's becoming more and more difficult to find people experienced in what I do for a living.
I haven't the first clue on how to go about getting information on this. I need funding resources, possibly a grant. What government agency would I talk with to find out what I need to get this rolling? I would appreciate any and all input in this matter.
Answer:
It will depend on how you set up your trade school.
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.
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
Your best bet is to seek for private grants or grants from private foundations.
The best resource for this is Foundation Center http://www.fdncenter.org . They have a very good database covering all organizations giving grants and you can find foundations that are interested in supporting your type of cause. However, it's a subscription based website ($19.95 per month I think is the cheapest subscription price). But it certainly is worth the fee. You can subscribe one month, and make sure you get all the info you need and then stop the subscription.
