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NGExpert financial copywriter
Page written by Chris Godfrey. Last reviewed on June 28, 2024. Next review due October 1, 2025.
If you’re a Georgia business owner in need of funds, small business grants could be your solution. Provided by Government departments, corporations, foundations and other organizations, business grants are effectively free money. There’s no need to repay the funds if you spend them where you said you would.
Covering everything from agricultural development to urban renewal, Georgia provides a wide range of small business grants for qualifying businesses. Here are a few to get you started:
Designed to promote economic development and job creation projects through the awarding of grant funds to eligible entities, Georgia Rural Business Development Grants come in two separate categories: Business opportunity grants and business enterprise grants, both of which must be used to fund business and community projects in rural areas. To qualify, you need to be a public body or government entity, an Indian tribe, or a nonprofit entity. Awards range from $10,000 all the way up to half a million dollars.
Southern SARE is a US Department of Agriculture program that supports farmers and ranchers in southern states such as Georgia. The program focuses on improving the productivity and environmental efficiency of food producers. Grants are project-specific and may concentrate on topics such as farming education, food loss and waste, farm productivity, student support and farming research. Awards vary by grant topic.
MORE: Find other grants for farmers.
Offered by the Georgia Department of Economic Development and the US Small Business Administration, Go Global Georgia grants support Georgia-based exporters to expand their businesses. Grants can be used to reimburse exporters for part of the cost of export-related activities such as training costs, overseas travel expenses, trade show attendance, marketing, export credit insurance and more. Awards vary by category. To qualify, your organization must be based in Georgia, have operated for at least one year and meet the SBA definition of a small business.
The NAACP and Leslie’s Certification Boost Grant is open to small businesses led by people of color, women and people with disabilities as well businesses in Historically Underutilized Business Zones. The program offers $5,000 grants to cover costs related to obtaining certifications and designations as a Minority Business Enterprise (MBE), Women Business Enterprise (WBE), Disability-Owned Business Enterprise (DOBE).
MORE: Find other grants for minorities, women and black women.
Open to small business owners based in Atlanta and provided by Gusto, a payroll company, the Gusto Impact Award offers a grant to organizations with less than 75 employees, revenues under $7 million and who have been trading for at least one year. The grant awards a $10,000 cash prize, $50,000 in advertising support and free payroll software for one year.
The Cobb County Entrepreneurship Grants provide financial support to startups and entrepreneurs to assist them in growing their organization, creating jobs, and maintaining their business in Cobb County. Awards of up to $10,000 are available. Use the funds to pay marketing costs, buy equipment and technology, cover lease payments, leasehold improvements and more. To qualify, your business must be based in Cobb County and provide proof of participation/completion of an entrepreneurial program.
If your business is located in the historic downtown area of Athens, Georgia, the ADDA may have a grant for you. Awards go as high as $15,000 although in many cases, you must provide matching funds to qualify. Use of funds varies according to the grant topic – for example, the Janey Mae Cooley Façade grant will provide up to $10,000 in matching funds to businesses that improve their business façade to preserve the individual character of their premises.
The Atlanta Commercial Property Improvement Grant offers grants of up to $50,000 to organizations based in Atlanta. Funds must be used for internal or external improvements to commercial buildings. To qualify, your business premises must total less than 15,000 square feet and you will be required to provide matching funds of 10% of the improvement costs. Minority-owned businesses may receive priority.
If you can’t find the type of grant you need locally, these national grant programs also provide support for Florida business owners:
Grants.gov is a one-stop shop for businesses and individuals seeking federal grants and the federal agencies that manage the grant funds. Inside the store you’ll find twenty-six federal grant-making agencies and more than 900 grant programs that award more than $400 billion in grants per year.
If you’ve got a tech business or a scientific and engineering venture needing funds, America’s Seed Fund could be your solution. This grant program focuses on technology and scientific products and services that promise high commercial and societal impact. The program awards $200+ million in research and development (R&D) funding to about 400 startups across the United States every year. America’s Seed Fund is a program within the National Science Foundation and housed within the Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships.
Offering a total of $435,000 in awards per year, this is one the most generous grants programs available. The WomensNet Amber Grants awards multiple grants per year, with $10,000 being offered monthly in three separate categories (total of $30,000 per month available). Participants who win a monthly prize also automatically qualify for the draw for an annual $25,000 award – with three prizes available, one for each award category.
You can apply for any of these grants by completing an online application and paying a $15 entrance fee.
Florida entrepreneurs who work for themselves may be eligible for a National Association for the Self-Employed (NASE) business growth grant of up to $4,000. Since 2006, nearly $1 million has been awarded through the program, with grants used for marketing, advertising, hiring employees, expanding facilities and other specific business needs. Note that you must be a member of NASE to apply for a grant. (Membership fees may be applicable).
To help address the needs of America’s smallest businesses, the Small Business Administration (SBA) operates the Program for Investment in Microentrepreneurs (PRIME). The SBA annually awards PRIME grants to pay for training and technical support for microenterprises, or businesses with fewer than five employees and that generally lack access to conventional loans, equity, or other banking services. In 2023, the program provided grants to 32 businesses for a total value of $8 million.
FedEx operate an annual prize competition for small business owners. All you need is a US-based business that’s been in operation for six months plus a FedEx business account that’s also at least six months old. Program participants must produce a presentation that reveals how a grant award could boost their business. Ten winners share a total prize pool of $230,000 – with a $50k first prize and nine x $20k prizes for the runners-up. All ten winners also get free access to a range of FedEx small business services.
The Second Service Foundation offers the Military Entrepreneur Challenge. This is a nationwide grant program that gives veteran, military spouses, and Gold Star Family entrepreneurs the opportunity to network, learn, and compete for capital to grow their small business. Applicants pitch their business ideas to a live audience for a chance to win a small business grant. Award sums vary by location.
MORE: Find other grants for veterans.
If a grant can’t give your organization what it needs, try these other small business resources:
The University of Georgia has 18 Small Business Development Centers located across the state. Managed by the US Small Business Administration, the centers support new entrepreneurs as well as existing small-business owners. Check in to access on-demand training programs, webinars and a range of consulting services.
With the aim of supporting minority-owned businesses, Grow Georgia offers business resources that focus on business funding, networking, certifications, training, Fortune 500 contract opportunities and commercial expansion initiatives.
Providing access to consultations, seminars and workshops for the state’s Hispanic business community, the Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce also offers business development, leadership programs, and business discounts to its members.
ACE is a nonprofit organization that offers financing and education to small businesses in Georgia. It focuses on people of color, women and low-to moderate-income business owners.
MORE: Discover other small business financing options.
Supporting small businesses in Atlanta or those considering a move to the city, the Metro Atlanta Chamber can provide entrepreneurs with invaluable information about the community, Georgia’s tax system and state and local incentives programs.
Find out how to launch a new business and boost your business networking with Startup Atlanta.
MORE: Apply for an SBA startup loan to get your new venture off the ground.
If you need help preparing business plans for the grant process or when applying for small-business loans, SBA partner SCORE could be the resource you require. Access free training classes and free business mentors to give your application the best chance of success.
Georgia business owners can improve their chances of winning a small business grant by preparing in advance. Key tasks to take care of include:
Business loans may provide an alternative source of funding for your business or new venture. Online lenders will typically be the best option for this type of financing, but you may pay higher interest rates and fees than you would with traditional banks. Credit checks are standard with most commercial financing, but depending on the type of loan you choose, you may not need to provide collateral:
Term loans are the most common type of commercial loan. You receive a single, lump-sum cash injection and then pay it back in regular installments over a fixed period of up to 25 years. Collateral may be required.
A business line of credit is a business loan that functions like a high-value credit card. Borrowers can withdraw as much as they want when they want from a loan facility up to the limit of their borrowing. You only pay interest on the sums you withdraw, not the whole credit line. This can significantly reduce your borrowing costs. Collateral may be required.
Also known as account receivables financing. Borrow against the value of your unpaid invoices. The lender will usually provide up to 95% of the invoice value within a few days or even hours of the bill being raised. Your invoices act as security for the loan, no added collateral required.
Equipment loans use the asset you’re financing as security – no added collateral is required. You use the equipment as you pay for it and the lender maintains a lien on the machinery. Once you pay the loan back, the lender releases the lien, and you own the equipment outright.
Merchant cash advances are designed for businesses that accept customer payments by credit and debit card. You borrow against the value of your card sales. As your card sales increase, your borrowing limit goes up. Pay the loan back with a fixed percentage of your card sales on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. Your sales act as security for the loan, no added collateral is required.
Revenue-based financing functions like a merchant cash advance but with higher borrowing limits. Based on the size and regularity of their total revenues, (not just their credit card sales), businesses may receive a lump sum and pay it back over a short-term schedule, typically by small deductions from their daily sales. This type of loan can usually be secured quickly as qualification rules are less intensive and credit scores are not so critical. No added collateral is required.
Nonprofit and community-based lenders can provide SBA Microloans to business owners who may struggle to secure standard business financing. Available up to $50,000, SBA microloans also come with more relaxed qualifying rules and can usually be secured with FICO scores as low as 500, or even with no credit score at all. Be aware that these type of business loans often require a personal guarantee that makes you personally responsible for the debt.
Working with business finance experts can make all the difference when applying for grant funding. Contact Swoop to discuss your borrowing needs, get help with your application and compare top quality small business grants and business loans from a choice of providers. Give your business the chance it deserves. Register with Swoop today.
Written by
Chris is a freelance copywriter and content creator. He has been active in the marketing, advertising, and publishing industries for more than twenty-five years. Writing for Wells Fargo Bank, Visa, Experian, Ebay, Flywire, insurers and pension funds, his words have appeared online and in print to inform, entertain and explain the complex world of US consumer and business finance.
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