Small Biz Grant List

The honest starting point

The SBA does not give grants to start or grow your business

It's the first thing you should know, and it's the SBA's own headline: there is no federal grant for opening or expanding an ordinary business. Here's what that means, what the scams look like, and what legitimately exists instead.

The SBA's own words
"SBA does not provide grants for starting and expanding a business." It funds counseling and training through nonprofits and resource partners instead.
Verified against U.S. Small Business Administration — Grants on
What the SBA actually offers a shop owner
Loans (7(a), 504, microloans) and free counseling (SBDC, SCORE, WBC, VBOC) — cheap debt and free help, not free money
Verified against U.S. Small Business Administration — Grants on
The 'free government money' scam, per the FTC
"Offers of free money from government grants are scams." Real grants require an application, are for a specific purpose, and never ask for a fee (gift card, wire, crypto) to 'qualify.'
Verified against FTC Consumer Advice — Government Grant Scams on
The only complete federal grant list is free
Grants.gov is the single official federal list, and it's free. "Don't pay for a list of government grants."
Verified against FTC Consumer Advice — Government Grant Scams on

Before you spend an hour chasing “small business grants,” read the one sentence that saves you weeks: the SBA does not give grants to start or grow a business. That’s not our opinion — it’s the SBA’s own headline bullet. The agency’s job for a main-street owner is cheap debt and free counseling, not free money.

What the SBA really offers

The SBA’s actual products for an ordinary business are loans — 7(a), 504, and microloans, made through lenders and intermediaries — and free counseling through SBDCs, SCORE, Women’s Business Centers, and Veterans Business Outreach Centers. Its grants go to those organizations, to fund the counseling — not to you.

The scams that fill the gap

Because so many people search for “free government grants,” a whole scam ecosystem exists to meet them. The FTC is blunt: “Offers of free money from government grants are scams.” The tells:

  • The “government” contacts you out of the blue by call, text, or social media (real grants don’t).
  • You’re asked to pay a fee — by gift card, wire, or crypto — to “qualify” or “release” the money. That’s always a scam.
  • You’re pointed to an official-sounding agency that doesn’t exist (the FTC’s example: the “Federal Grants Administration”).

Two more free-means-free facts worth remembering: an EIN is free from the IRS (“you never have to pay a fee for an EIN”), and a SAM.gov registration is free — ignore any email charging to “renew” it.

So what’s actually real?

Legitimate money for an ordinary for-profit exists, but it’s narrow-purpose, mostly flows through states and local intermediaries, and never charges an upfront fee. The honest map:

We never imply odds or “win rates” — corporate grants are competitive and partly marketing. Apply in batches, treat a win as a windfall, and never pay more than a trivial disclosed fee.

Next step

Get matched when we launch

Stalwell is launching soon. Join the waitlist and we'll match your small businesses to funding the day it opens — no spam, one email.