Grants And Loans
Business Plans Are Lies
How can anyone forecast what the world will be like 6 months from now or 3 years from now? Most of us don’t even know what we will be doing next Thursday. So how is anyone going to be able to predict what a business will look like 2 or 3 years from now? So when someone asks you for a business plan in order for you to apply for money, just provide what they want and don’t worry about how accurate it is. The best experts in the world don’t know the future so why should you? If you need help with your business plan contact your local Small Business Development Center. The help is free or low cost.
Visit: www.asbdc-us.org/
100000 To Buy Or Fix Up Houses In Older Areas Of A Town
Called the Mortgage Insurance – Housing In Older, Declining Areas and referred to as Program #14.123 in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance, this program helps in the purchase or rehabilitation of housing in older, declining urban areas. Contact your local office of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
50000 for a Support Hose Store
…that’s what Vandi Lancour received from the State of Texas for her store in Amarillo, Texas and Cindy Sheets received a $50,000 grant from the state for her flower shop in Amarillo. Cindy says, the money allowed me to hire an employee and do additional advertising which enabled my business to grow by more than 100% within the past year. These grants came from the Amarillo Economic Development Center
Visit: www.amarillo-tx.com
100000 to Fix Up Homes in the Country
Called The Very Low Income Housing Loans Program and referred to as Program #10.410 in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance, this program helps very low, low-income, and moderate-income households to obtain modest, decent, safe, and sanitary housing for use as a permanent residence in rural areas. Direct and guaranteed loans may be used to buy, build, or improve the applicant’s permanent residence. New manufactured homes may be financed when they are on a permanent site, purchased from an approved dealer or contractor, and meet certain other requirements. Under very limited circumstances, homes may be re-financed with direct loans. Dwellings financed must be modest, decent, safe, and sanitary. The value of a home financed with a direct loan may not exceed the area limit. Direct loans are made at the interest rate specified in RD Instruction 440.1, Exhibit B (available in any Rural Development local office), and are repaid over 33 years or 38 years for applicants whose adjusted annual income does not exceed 60 percent of the area median income, if necessary to show repayment ability. Payment assistance is granted on direct loans to reduce the installment to an effective interest rate as low as one percent, depending on adjusted family income. Payment assistance is subject to recapture by the government when the customer no longer resides in the dwelling. There is no funding provided for deferred mortgage authority or loans for deferred mortgage assumptions. Guaranteed loans may be made to refinance either existing RHS Guaranteed Housing loans or RHS Section 502 Direct Housing loans. Guaranteed loans are amortized over 30 years. The interest rate is negotiated with the lender. Contact your local office of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Housing Service
Visit: offices.usda.gov/scripts/ndISAPI.dll/oip_public/USA_map
Cheap Health Insurance For Disabled Workers
A change in the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 allows states to offer Medicaid to individuals who are working and who have a disability. Prior to this, states could only offer Medicaid to people with disabilities who were NOT working. The income limit goes up to $40,000 a year. Contact your state Department of Health to identify your Medicaid office. You can also check out the website of the Bazelon Center
Visit: www.bazelon.org
Emergency Rooms Have To Take You
Emergency rooms are now required to provide an initial screening to assess a patient’s condition, which is designed to stop the automatic transfer of people unable to pay. Emergency rooms must also treat emergency situations until they are stabilized, then they can refer you to other hospitals or clinics for further treatment. If you feel you have been denied service, contact Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, 7500 Security Blvd., Baltimore, MD 21244; 410-786-3000
Visit: www.cms.hhs.gov
Actors Get 40 to Buy Shoes
The Conrad Cantzen Memorial Shoe Fund offers entertainment professionals up to $40, once in every twelve-month period, for shoes costing no more than $80. This program is administered by The Actors’ Fund of America. Contact: The Actors’ Fund of America, 729 Seventh Avenue, 10th Floor, New York, NY 10019; (212) 221-7300, ext. 146; Fax: (212) 764-0238
7500 to Teach Children History
The CiviConnections Grant awards $7,500 grants to a team of three teachers for implementing a new program that provides teacher teams and students in grades 3-12 with opportunities to link local historical inquiry with community service-learning activities. Contact: National Council for the Social Studies, 8555 16th St., N.W., Ste. 500, Silver Spring, MD 20910; (301) 588-1800; Fax: (301) 588-2049
Visit: www.ncss.org
A Fall Back Position
Contact your local Small Business Development Center in your state. They offer free consulting that will help you find money, plan a strategy, and help you with any kind of management, technical or financial problem if you are a business or non-profit organization, or just want to start one. You can find your local office.
Money To Buy Fix Up Or Refinance a Home
Called Rehabilitation Mortgage Insurance and referred to as Program #14.108 in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance, this program helps families repair or improve, purchase or refinance and improve existing residential structures more than one year old. These loans may be used to rehabilitate an existing 1 to 4 unit dwelling in one of four ways: (1) Purchase a structure and the land on which the structure is located and rehabilitate it; (2) purchase a structure on another site, move it onto a new foundation on the mortgaged property and rehabilitate it; (3) refinance the existing indebtedness and rehabilitate such a structure; or (4) rehabilitate such a structure. Contact your local office of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
277000 To Help Purchase a 2 4 Family Unit
Called ‘The Mortgage Insurance -Homes Program and referred to as Program #14.117 in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance, this program helps people undertake home ownership. HUD insures lenders against loss on mortgage loans. These loans may be used to finance the purchase of proposed, under construction, or existing one-to four-family housing, as well as to refinance indebtedness on existing housing. Maximum insurable loans are as follows: one-family $144.336; two family $184,752; three-family $223,296; and four-family $277,512; except that the Secretary may increase the preceding maximum dollar amounts on an area-by-area basis to the extent the Secretary deems necessary, after taking into consideration the extent to which moderate and middle income persons have limited housing opportunities in the area due to high prevailing housing sales prices, but in no case may such limits, as so increased, exceed the lesser of (A) 87 percent of the Federal National Mortgage Association’s Conforming Loan Limit, or (B) in the case of a one-family residence, 95 percent of the median one-family house price in the area, as determined by the Secretary; in the case of a two-family residence, 107 percent of such median price; in the case of a three-family residence, 130 percent of such median price; or in the case of a four-family residence, 150 percent of such median price. Designated areas of limited housing opportunities and maximum mortgage amounts may be obtained from local HUD Offices. Contact your local office of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Get 75000 In Trees and Bushes
Let the government help you to replace trees, bushes, and vines through the Tree Assistance Program. If you are a landscaper/orchardist and had plants damaged or destroyed by natural disaster, you can be reimbursed up to $75,000 for the cost to replant eligible trees, bushes, and vines. To find out how, contact the Department of Agriculture, Farm Service Agency
Visit: www.fsa.usda.gov/pas/publications/facts/html/tap04.htm
Volunteers Will Fix Up Your Home For Free
Many service organizations have begun to organize community service days, where the town is beautified, along with certain homes in need of repair. Christmas in April is a national organization with over 185 affiliates that gather together volunteers to help rehabilitate the homes of low-income homeowners. The work is done for free with the goal being to provide a safe and secure home for those in need. An example of a program in the Dallas area is the Volunteer Home Repair and Weatherization Program. This program provides home repairs that improve the health, safety, and energy efficiency of homes for low-income homeowners. Contact your city government, your county government and your local community development office to learn about local programs. In the Dallas area, contact Volunteer Home Repair and Weatherization Program, Center for Housing Resources, 3103 Greenwood, Dallas, TX 75204; 214-828-4390, Fax: 214-828-4412
Visit: www.chrdallas.org
Free Legal Help To Fight Your Boss
saw an ad for an attorney in a Florida newspaper offering to fight for you if your employer is not paying you time and one-half for overtime. I hope you know if you call an attorney it is going to cost you to get the money owed to you. Instead, you can contact your state government and get their attorneys to get you your money FOR FREE. Call your state government operator in your state capital. And remember, any employer is more afraid of the government than they are of a private attorney. The government can put them out of business.
Visit: www.govengine.com
Financial Assistance to Victims of Natural Disaster
The Teamster Disaster Relief Fund provides monetary and non-monetary relief to individuals in the U.S. and Canada who are victims of disasters such as hurricanes and earthquakes. Over $115,000 is available for assistance to individuals. Contact: Teamster Disaster Relief Fund, 25 Louisiana Ave., N.W., Washington, DC 20001; (202) 624-6871
Visit: www.teamster.org.
Filing For Non Profit With The State
Once you are licensed, you can file for incorporation. The Georgia Secretary of State’s website has all the filing procedures for profit and non-profit companies.For more information, you can contact the Corporations Division, Secretary of State, 2 Martin Luther King Jr. Dr., SE, suite 315, West Tower, Atlanta, GA 30334; 404-656-2817; Fax: 404-657-2248. The fee is around $100. If you are planning on soliciting funds, you need to register with the Securities Division. You may contact them at Securities Division, Secretary of State, Suite 802, West Tower, Atlanta, GA 30334; 404-656-3920.
Visit: www.sos.state.ga.us/corporations/filing_procedures_corp_2001.pdf
570000000 for Local Communities to Fix Up Your House
Called Community Development Block Grants, Section 108 Loan Guarantees and referred to as Program #14.248 in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance, this program provides communities with a source of financing for economic development, housing rehabilitation, public facilities, and large scale physical development projects. All projects and activities must either principally benefit low and moderate-income persons, aid in the elimination or prevention of slums and blight, or meet urgent needs of the community. Eligible Applicants include: metropolitan cities and urban counties, i.e., the principal beneficiaries are low and moderate income persons. To find organizations in your area who have this funding, contact your local office of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Entrepreneur Got Too Much Grant Money So He Gave It Back
it’s amazing but true. It’s another story for people who keep telling me there is no such thing as grant money for business. He’s the brother of a friend of mine I was talking to at a birthday party. He was setting up a small fulfillment center business in West Virginia and the state gave him $700,000 to help start the business. He couldn’t spend it all so he gave back $350,000 and told them to give it to him later when he’ll want to grow some more. So check West Virginia if you need grant money to start a business
Visit: www.wv.gov/sec.aspx?pgID=1
Health Services
The Veterans Affairs has CHAMPVA as health insurance coverage for survivors of veterans killed in service or for families of disabled veterans, although there is a concern that it does not cover everything, including dental and vision for dependents. CHAMPVA can be contacted at 800-733-8387 Earn Up To $52,800 and Get Low Cost Health Insurance: Healthy Kids Now is the child health insurance program run by the state of Washington. There is an income eligibility requirement that needs to be met, but it offers complete medical, dental and vision coverage. To learn more call 877-KIDS-Now or go online at Maximum monthly income can be over $4,400 to qualify.Local Health Care Options: Kitsap County Health District offers health care services at various locations throughout the county. For more information on location, hours, and services contact the Parent Child Health Line at 360-337-4821
Down Payments and Sweat Equity In Florida
Grants and low interest rate loans are available for down payments in Florida. For new home construction and rehab homes, some programs allow a person to use work (sweat equity) as a down payment. Contact: Affordable Housing Concepts, Inc. 809 E. Bloomingdale Ave, Wuite 395, Brandon, FL 33511
Visit: www.affordablehousing.com
What’s Your Friend’s House Worth
It’s a collection of public records that shows all the recent sale prices of houses in a given area.
Get Presidential Honors For A Deceased Veteran
You can help commemorate the honor of a deceased veteran by requesting a Presidential Memorial Certificate, a parchment certificate with a calligraphic inscription expressing the nation’s recognition of the veteran’s service. The veteran’s name is inscribed and the certificate bears the signature of the president. Eligible recipients include next of kin, other relatives and friends. The veteran may have died at any time in the past. For more information contact Department of Veteran Affairs, 810 Vermont Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20420; 800-827-1000
Visit: www.cem.va.gov/pmc.htm
Home Loans for Native Americans
The Indian Home Guarantee Program is funded annually by Congress and provides homeownership opportunities for Native Americans throughout Indian country in the United States. Contact the Office of Native American Programs at 1-800-561-5913
Visit: www.hud.gov/offices/pih/ih/homeownership/184/about.cfm
18000 To Learn To Repair Motorcycles
After losing his job in Seattle, Curt Gnagy, 49, got government grants to take courses at the Motorcycle Mechanics Institute in Phoenix. Joan DeWyer, a 41-year old single mom, also received government assistance for motorcycle training at this school. A lot of this training money comes from a U.S. Department of Labor program called Trade Adjustment Assistant Act.
Visit: www.trade-school.org/uti/motorcycle-mechanic-institute.htm
50 Discount For Teachers K 12 To Buy A Home
Called the ‘Teacher Next Door Initiative and referred to as Program #14.310 in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance, this program is designed to strengthen America’s communities by encouraging public and private school teachers to live in low and moderate income neighborhoods. Teachers (State-certified in grades Kindergarten through 12th grade) may purchase HUD-owned single unit properties located in designated revitalization areas at a 50 percent discount off list price. Teachers must agree to occupy homes as their sole residence for a period of 3 years. The teacher must also agree to execute a second mortgage and note in the name of the Department for an amount equal to the 50 percent discount. This zero interest note will gradually decrease over the 3-year mandatory residence period until it reaches zero. Should the teacher leave the home before the 1st anniversary of occupancy, 90 percent of the discounted amount will be due to HUD. Departure before the 2nd anniversary of occupancy will require a 60 percent repayment, and departure before the 3rd anniversary of occupancy will require a 30 percent repayment of the discounted amount. Contact your local office of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development