A Guide to Small Business Funding

Whether you’re expanding a business or just starting one, a small business grant or loan can help fuel your plans.

What is a Small Business Grant?

A grant is money awarded by a government agency or private organization. Grants, such as an SBA small business grant, do not have to be repaid. However, they are often provided only for certain types of businesses or must be used for certain types of business activities.

What is a Small Business Loan?

A business loan is much like other loans where you borrow money and pay it back over time with interest. They’re often available from banks and other financial institutions, as well as organizations such as the Small Business Administration (SBA). While it’s not free money like a grant, you often have more freedom around how you can spend the money.

Which is Best For You?

Whichever option you’re interested in, it’s best to have good information before making a decision. We’ve pulled together some helpful articles from our Resource Center:

1. A Simple Guide to Small Business Grants

Discover the best places to find small business grants, gain some tips for how to apply, and increase your chances of securing one. This is one of our most popular articles.

Get the Guide to Grants

2. A Guide to Getting a Small Business Loan

We walk you through easy-to-follow steps to help you apply for a small business loan. This guide also covers some alternative methods of financing, such as lines of credit, term loans, and investors.

Get the Guide to Loans

3. How to Get an SBA 7(a) Loan

Learn more about these special SBA government loans — funded and overseen by the Small Business Administration. We take you through the different types of 7(a) loans, the application requirements, and the process for applying.

Get the Guide to SBA Loans

Consider Insurance Before You Apply

Certain types of business insurance may be required for certain grants and loans. If you need business funding, having coverage can go a long way to making your business look better to an organization providing a grant or loan. We can help make that fast and easy.

Spend a few minutes with our online quote tool and we’ll search among leading insurers to find the coverage you may need. Not sure what you need? You can find out by speaking with our licensed agents at 844-654-7272. You can reach them M-F, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Get Insured in Under 10 Minutes

Get an affordable & customized policy in just minutes. So you can get back to what matters: Your business.

You Don’t Have to go it Alone

Even if you feel like you need to know everything about running a business, it can be a tall order to master that much information. That’s why we created our online Resource Center. Its virtual shelves are packed with guides, tips, and tools to help you with nearly every aspect of starting and running a business.

It’s always open and always free to use.

Ed Grasso

As a 9-year-old at summer camp, I hated it — especially after being pulled screaming from the pool during the swimming competition. While this left me without an aquatic achievement patch, it also inspired the letter to my parents that got me an early release from Camp Willard. That showed me the power of writing. I’ve done my best to use it only for good ever since, such as writing helpful articles for small business owners.

Ed writes on a number of topics such as liability insurance, small business funding, and employee management.