How to Secure Grants for Startup Projects

What kind of project is it?

Grants are usually pretty specific, so the best answer depends on what you’re building and where you’re located.

If you can share a one sentence summary of the project and your country/state, I can help you figure out what types of grants might even fit.

This is a bit hard to answer without knowing what type of project you’re funding (nonprofit program, small business, research, school, individual need, etc.), because grants are very eligibility-specific. That said, a good approach is:

1. Get “grant-ready” in one page
   Write a simple summary you can reuse: what you’re doing, who it serves, where it operates, the specific problem, what success looks like in 3–6 months, and the exact dollar amount you need with a basic budget. Most applications are just variations on this.

2. Match the funding source to your category
   A lot of people waste time applying to grants they can’t legally qualify for (for example, many federal grants are for organizations, not individuals). Before you invest time, confirm: who can apply, geography, and what they fund.

3. Start with broad, realistic entry points
   Here are three places people commonly start, depending on eligibility:

Grants.gov: the main portal for federal grant opportunities. Best if you’re applying as an organization and can meet the registration and compliance requirements.
Walmart Spark Good Local Grants: local community grants for eligible organizations; tends to be practical community-impact funding.
The Awesome Foundation: monthly $1,000 microgrants through local chapters for small, concrete projects (great for pilots and proof-of-concept).

If you want more targeted recommendations, the key details to add to your post are: what you’re trying to fund, your legal status (individual vs registered nonprofit vs business), your location, your budget range, and the population/issue area (youth, workforce, housing, health, arts, etc.).