Hardship Grants For Minorities
Minority entrepreneurs face a variety of challenges when trying to start and finance their business. Research shows that BIPOC entrepreneurs receive less, less often and at higher interest rates than white entrepreneurs.
As a result, minority black business owners may find that small business grants can be helpful alternatives (or additions) to more traditional forms of finance. There are 12 types of small business hardship grants for minorities are available.
Hardship Grants For Minorities
Small business grants can be competitive and require lengthy hardship grants for minorities application processes – but the payout is free funding that you don’t have to pay back. Again, these grants can be a great funding solution if you’re struggling to qualify for a corporate loan or want to combine additional capital with existing funding.
1. Grants.gov
Not only does Grants.gov offer minority small business grants, but this federal portal is a great resource for finding grants that apply to your specific industry and eligibility. In total, Grants.gov offers admission guidelines, application information, and deadlines for over 1,000 small business grants.
All federal agencies that award scholarships will post their information on this website. Over two dozen federal agencies offer hardship grants money, including the Ministry of Agriculture, the Interior Ministry, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the National Aerospace Agency.
2. Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (SBTT) programs
The SBIR and SBTT programs offer business development grants to small businesses engaged in cutting-edge research and development.
Eleven government agencies, including NASA, DOD, DOE, DHHS, and the National Science Foundation, reserve a portion of their research and development funds to contribute to this highly competitive funding program promoting technological innovation.
As you can imagine, the hardship grants for minorities qualification requirements and amounts awarded are largely specific to the program and individual scholarship for which you are applying.
3. USDA Rural Business Development Grants
Are you running your business in a rural area? If so, consider exploring the USDA’s Rural Business Development Grant Program. Through this program, you can apply for minority $10,000 small business grants.
This program is particularly available to businesses in rural areas with fewer than 50,000 inhabitants. In addition, funding must be used for projects that benefit your rural area or city.
4. USDA Water and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant Program
The USDA Water and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant Program helps qualified business owners who cannot get more traditional business finance. This program, as the name suggests, offers both grants and corporate loans.
To qualify for this hardship grants for minorities program, your company must be engaged in the water or waste disposal sector in an eligible area – a rural area or city with a population of 10,000 or less, tribal land in rural areas, or colonies. That said, most state and local government agencies, private nonprofits, and nationally recognized tribes are eligible for this program.
5. Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA)
The MBDA awards grants to organizations that operate their minority business centers in the United States. You can get business advice, procurement matching, and financial assistance for your minority business through one of these centers.
6. SBA 8 (a) Business Development Program
This program helps socially or economically disadvantaged small business owners to apply for set-aside and sole supply contracts. While the SBA program is technically not a grant program, it provides excellent opportunities for minority owned businesses.
In addition to the actual business contract, those who qualify for the program receive access to a Business Opportunity Specialist, a Mentor Protegé program, as well as commercial training, advice and leadership development.
7. The National Association for the Self-Employed (NASE) Growth Grants Program
The nonprofit NASE operates its Growth Grants Program, which offers micro-grants of up to $4,000 each.
These grants are designed to help businesses grow, but you must be a NASE member to qualify.
While NASE does not exclusively offer grants to minority-owned companies, this program is aimed at smaller companies that cannot always find other funding methods.
In addition, a NASE growth grant can be used for a variety of business purposes – including buying equipment, hiring employees, or creating marketing collateral.
8. Asian Women Giving Circle (AWGC) Scholarships
The AWGC awards grants for start-up business to women – especially Asian-American women’s organizations and individual artists in NYC. The nonprofit awards these grants to companies that use arts and culture to create progressive social change, raise awareness and action on issues that affect Asian American women, black women and girls, and families, and the central role women play in these projects highlight and promote. The federal government offers Grants for Minority Women to help them for their future.
The AWGC typically awards five to eight project grants per cycle (typically annually) of up to $15,000.
9. First Nations Development Institute Scholarships
First Nations is a non-profit organization that runs a national funding program. By the end of 2020, the First Nations had provided 2,150 grants totaling more than $43 million to Native American projects and organizations in 40 states, the District of Columbia, and American Samoa.
While the individual hardship grants for minorities that First Nations offer may vary, their overall program aims to provide technical and financial resources to local nonprofits and tribes.
10. Operation HOPE Small Business Development Program
The Operation HOPE Small Business Development program is designed to help small business owners in underserved communities. The non-profit organization offers an eight-week entrepreneurship training program to provide minority business owners with business training, personal development, access to professional services, and financial advice.
The program also helps business owners create and maintain a business plan, as well as gain access to finance and other business resources.
11. National Black MBA Association (NBMBAA) Scale-Up Pitch Challenge
The NBMBAA Scale-up Pitch Challenge is a grant competition that encourages entrepreneurs to think about creative, scalable startup ideas. The NBMBAA networks startups with early-stage investors and venture capitalists and gives them the opportunity to present their business idea.
The winning business owner or team will receive a grant of $50,000, runner-up $10,000, and third place $7,500. A People’s Choice Award of US $1,000 will also be presented.
This funding competition is a great option for black owned companies looking for seed funding for their first business or trying to launch a new idea. You must be a member of the NBMBAA to participate, and the competition is held annually.
12. FedEx Small Business Grant Contest
The FedEx Small Business Grant Contest is a nationwide competition that awards grants to around 10 different deserving entrepreneurs each year. Grants range from $15,000 to $50,000, and $1,000 to $7,500 for FedEx printing services.
Many of the previous winners of this grant competition were in fact minority owned businesses – and overall, the grants are awarded to those who have a unique business idea that makes a positive impact on the community.
Promotion of Minorities for Business, Education, Art and More
Small business hardship grants for minorities can fund government, non-profit, and other non-repayable organizations’ businesses or organizations – a great alternative to borrowing.
Financing through grants helps companies reduce their reliance on credit or other financing such as venture capital – the very things that small business hardship grants for minorities.
When starting out or going through a difficult period, typically don’t have access to.
Federal Reserve data shows minority companies have significantly less access to finance from most traditional sources, with much higher rejection rates for credit cards or bank loans despite high application rates.
Other minority-owned companies are more likely to be rejected and not count at all.
Since minority-owned companies can be discriminated against when raising capital through traditional credit lines.
Hardship Grants For Minorities
The targeted minority grants can be a good financing alternative for small business hardship grants for minorities.
Scholarships are often referred to as free money for business start up, but they are not free: applying, writing, and meeting the requirements for a scholarship takes a lot of time and effort. Because grant applications are so time consuming, companies often hire professional funders to oversee or complete the process.
To help with the work required, we have selected the best minority scholarships based on the amount of the award, application, mission, and more. This comprehensive list will help entrepreneurs find the best minority grants for a wide variety of business and organizational types.
Apply For Hardship Grants For Minorities.