Grants/funding for small business trying to recover from fire?

Question

We are an economically depressed city in Oregon. We have a small business located here that manufactures trailers. They had a fire and layed off 20 employees. We are trying to help secure funding to assist this company with clean up, restoration, and rebuilding.

Answer 1

Check with local county or state government if there are any assistance available to fire victims. The Government has created a portal to help individuals who need benefits because of life events such as fire

Visit http://www.govbenefits.gov

Use the drop down button
DO YOU NEED BENEFITS BECAUSE OF A LIFE EVENT?
Choose the life situation best applicable to you and then see if you qualify for the available government assistance.

Forget grant money - there's hardly any money for for-profit businesses. It is hard to find grants to start or manage 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_BENEF_RPT.show

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

Answer 2

There may well be grant funds available. I'd start with the City council and ask if you have a foundation that could be approached. Not knowing where you are in Oreogn, I can't suggest one. In southern Oregon you might check with the Ford Family foundation.

Some other ideas: Ask the local library. They often know who has funding in your area.

Is there a local Native American tribe? If the company provided jobs to the Native Americans, they may be willing to help rebuild.

You might also look into how the mill in Sutherlin managed after their fire just 1 year ago. They continued to provide jobs for many of their workers and have now rebuilt their plant. Here's the link to a story that describes what happened (290 jobs, largest employer in the area) http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/O/OR_MILL_FIRE_OROL-?SITE=OREUG&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

Hope this story provides you with some clues of where to go for assistance - it can be done!

Answer 3

Bush aneliated the small organizations. "Small organizations were Bush's organization. get over it. there is people out right here that needs bailouts aka well being care, overlook the organizations." "Small organizations were Bush's organization. get over it. there is people out right here that needs bailouts aka well being care, overlook the organizations." "Small organizations were Bush's organization. get over it. there is people out right here that needs bailouts aka well being care, overlook the organizations." ok