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The very best way to ensure not becoming privy to a "scam" is to just be able to find the information yourself.  That is one of the biggest arguments about grant programs - is that the information is "freely accessible to the public".  However this doesn't apply to all grant programs - just those that are provided by the government.

 There are quite a few grant programs out there for those that want to start their own business - only they are not government grant programs but grant programs provided by organizations, foundations and even other businesses.

There are many film-related grant programs out there and I suggest you visit both my grants blog and website to find out more about these kinds of grant programs.

 http://grantbasics101.blogspot.com

and

http://members.aol.com/Roseb441702/grants.htm

once you start looking you'll be surprised at the number of grant programs that are out there that are related to film-making. 

And I would also advise you to look "outside the box" and not just limit your searching to film-related grants.  Since you mentioned that you would like to start your own business you should also look into some of the grant programs relating to starting one's own business.

 You can even "modify" your own objectives as far as starting your film business is concerned.  There have been those who have received funding because they made a certain type of film such as those relating to nature or history - serving a specific purpose of which there are many grant programs for!

I'm a writer/director wanting to start up a film company, I wuold love some information on these grant programs.  I hear about so many scams it difficult to find a reliable source.  HELP ME !!! :(

dakinibottom@yahoo.com

Since I do this for a living I can definitely tell you that there are grant programs out there for starting a business. If you are a woman and/or a minority then the number of grant programs that you can apply for increases. One thing that I have found very interesting is that no one has posted about the grant program whose objective is to help people pursue their dreams. This is a $500,000.00 grant award and is open to entrepreneurs as well as scientists, artists and others. Of course this grant award is not paid in one lump sum - it is paid over a period of time and it is a grant and NOT a loan! As a matter of fact I have just helped a client apply for this grant and now am awaiting word on whether or not their application is approved. There are other entrepreneurial grant programs as well and I know this because I have dealt with them. Over 90% of all grant information and programs that I have found have been found online! Herein lies what seems to be the problem. The programs are out there but people seem to have a hard time finding them and get frustrated and/or tend to believe that they don't exist! You would be amazed at who has received grant fundings in the past and what will amaze you more is what they got that grant funding for! So basically to answer your question there are grant programs out there to help start a business and as I said before you increase the number of funding programs that you are eligible for if you are a woman and/or a minority. However these grant programs will not come to you - you will have to go to them. The majority of them have websites and for some you can even apply online. It may be like finding a needle in a haystack but once you find them you will be glad that you did! Have people got grant funding to start their own business? Of course they have - I have listed some of them on my website. What kind of businesses have they received funding for? How about the woman that got a $250,000.00 grant to start a daycare, a disabled man that got a $20,000.00 grant to start his own business, the woman who got a grant to start her own film company.....the list of recipients goes on and on and on.....But like I have said you have to find these programs they will not come to you!