No Money is Awarded from this Grant! The grant is legit, but it is ONLY for website services and marketing help! Do NOT apply if you want money, you will be wasting your time!

Our application is not a simple one. This page exists to give you instructions on filling it out.

If you have trouble with submitting, email us.
We'll help you out! We don't want anyone
to feel that things were unfair because
they could not submit the application.

NOTICE: The site does have a timeout. That means if you take too long on your application, you will lose your work. So do not go away and come back to it. You'll need to fill out the application in a single sitting. Because of that, we're giving you a rundown here of what you need to have when you are ready to submit it.

The application is 100% online. We do not accept attachments. Text may be typed in, or pasted. You WILL be required to schedule a phone interview if you are one of the finalists.

Be as complete as you can, within the space limitations. We advise you to fill out all of the fields that apply, as best you can. 

Read the Terms of Use! Failure to comply with them WILL affect your ability to earn a grant.

Professionalism COUNTS. We will be paying attention to accuracy, neatness, and presentation - formatting doesn't count, you won't be able to format. 

All required fields must be filled out - the system won't let you even submit if you don't fill them out. 

A functioning email address is REQUIRED. We notify by email. We cannot inform you of necessary updates if you fail to put in a legitimate email address. We do not have time to call each applicant to personally inform them, email is the only way we can quickly and efficiently send notices.

We won't accept the application if the information in them isn't relevant and accurate. Some fields are required, but only apply to certain situations. If this is the case, please put "N/A" in the field. If you use this in a field that provides information that is necessary for us to make a judgment - such as putting "N/A" into the reference fields, your application will be discarded as incomplete.

Be thorough! We need to know details, and we need to know what you've thought about in order to fairly judge whether you can use this grant successfully.

Some fields are hidden from the public, and will only be seen by the judges. This is so that you can feel open to write candidly, without fear of someone stealing your ideas, misusing confidential information, or taking advantage of you because of information shared. All information in hidden fields is subject to Firelight Business Enterprises, Inc, confidentiality and ethics policies.

Our application consists of the following fields (* fields are required, ~ fields are hidden from the public and only visible to judges):

• * Name
• * Address ~
• * Phone ~
• * Email ~
• Existing Website URL (if applicable)
• * Business Name
• * Do you have a business license?
• * What is your business structure? Sole Proprietorship, LLC, Corporation
• * For Profit or Non Profit
• * Have you actually filed your business structure or for non-profit status if applicable ~
• * Business References (use previous employers if no clients or associates - 3 please) ~
• * Personal References (3 please) ~
• * Are you currently working your business full time?
• * Do you still work an outside job?
• * Will you be working your business full time? When?
• * Do you have children in the home? ~
• * Are you an integrator or a separator in work? (An integrator works best in the middle of things, a separator likes to work in private)
• * If you are a separator, how do you manage (or intend to manage) work time?
• * Have you operated a successful business before? Name, and time period.
• * How long have you wanted to own your own business?
• * If you do not win this grant, will you start a business, or continue to operate a business?
• * Explain why or why not.
• * Have you applied for a business grant before?
• * Do you have funds available for a startup or marketing budget? ~
• * What is your product or service (summary for public viewing)?
• * What makes it unique (detailed information that is not viewable by the public)? ~
• * Who would you market it to? ~
• Is your marketing reach local, regional, national, or international?
• * Do you have a business plan, and is it a formal or informal one? ~
• * What sparked the idea for this business? ~
• * If you are just starting the business, what have you done to start it?
• * If your business is established, how old is it, and what have you done to promote and grow it?
• * What do you feel is your greatest strength? ~
• * What do you feel is your greatest weakness? ~
• * What is your greatest limiting factor? ~
• * What is your greatest asset outside yourself? ~
• * What do you hope to gain from this grant?
• * Do you have the necessary equipment, software and supplies to get started?
• Is there specific equipment or software that you need? Be specific. ~
• Do you need licensing or regulatory compliance cost assistance? If so, what? ~
• Are you in need of training assistance? Specifically what? ~
• * What is the single most important factor that you feel will determine your success or failure?
• * Why do you think you are deserving of this grant? ~
• Notes: You can put in anything else you think we need to know. ~

Do not fill out more than one application. If you do, we will remove both of them.

Reasons for automatic disqualification:

1. Abuse of our application process.
2. Incomplete application.
3. Obvious requests for money from individuals who have clearly not read what this grant IS.
4. Duplicate applications.
5. Businesses promoting products or services involving "adult" content, or other offensive content.

Automatic disqualification will result in removal of your application without notice.

You may wish to print this page out, and have it with you when you apply. Field names in the application are abbreviated, but full explanations are available through a tooltip (wave over the blue questionmark). 

If you need to edit your application after you submit it, you may do so, but ONLY if the application is still in the submission phase. Once your application is in the Review phase, you may no longer edit it.

We want you to be successful. We look forward to awarding this grant, and want to find qualified people to award it to. Present yourself well, and you will have a chance for getting a great boost in starting, or revitalizing your business.

Now, go get started! Register with the site (under the Login box), Login, and then use the Submit Entry link in the User Menu to fll out your application.