Pitfalls You Must Avoid When Applying for Canadian Government Grants
August 10th, 2009Although Canadian government grants and loans are available for your business, getting these grants goes beyond the simple submission of funding application. There are also common mistakes that seasoned companies often commit when applying for government grants. So it is not surprising that start up companies and individual entrepreneurs will be prone also to commit mistakes when applying for grants. In order to ensure that you will get a higher rate of success in getting official funding, here are some of the most common mistakes that you must avoid.
Do not be conned by scam artists. There are lots of scammers out there who will promise that they can guarantee 100 percent approval of your application for Canadian government grants and loans. Usually, they will demand up front payment. You will never hear from these scammers again once they got your money. You have to understand that applying for government grants and loans is free. Free application forms are also available for you. You must also take note that no one can guarantee that you will get government grants. The grants are subject to availability of funds and the quality of your project.
Failure to do proper research is also one of the most common mistakes often committed by grant seekers. They usually do a perfunctory look-up on government sites and choose any funding program that they can find on the site. This laziness to research the right Canadian government grants and loans can only lead to failure. So if you are serious in seeking official grants and loans from the Canadian government, then you have to spend some time researching the programs of the government. You have to cross reference the programs you found with another government sites and determine if your company is qualified for such programs. You should also take advantage of online research companies that provide a complete database of available government grants. One of the best research institutions out there is Small Business Finance Centre.
Submitting unintelligent project proposal is also the most common mistakes committed by grant seekers. You should never assume that grant officers will not thoroughly read your proposal. If you will not exert extra effort in creating a good proposal to get Canadian government grants and loans, then your application will certainly be rejected. You need to study how to write compelling project proposals. You must also provide enough data in your proposal as proof that you are really serious in implementing your project. Most importantly, you must make a strong impression to the funding agencies and show that your business or organization is capable of taking projects funded with taxpayer’s money.
These are the top mistakes committed by grant seekers. These are avoidable pitfalls so you should try your best not to follow the loser’s path. What you can do is to carefully study the process, do proper research, and learn how to attract grant reviewers by writing compelling business and project proposals. These are the sure steps that will improve your chance of getting Canadian government grants.
Do you want to know how to get Canadian government grants? Visit our website today and learn how you can effectively apply for grants and loans from the Canadian government.
