Teach people to read and write. There are lots of people in all walks of life that need to be able to read and write in order to further their education. You could charge by the hour or have a group setting of up to 10 people. Let the school district know that you are doing this and many parents of school age children who didn't know about this opportunity might sign up.

why do you think the fact that you're black is important in starting a business?

just look up information on starting a business. it doesnt matter what sex/race you are.

The best thing to do would be to start at an existing NFP that does the things you are interested in doing. Perhaps your contribution will make the existing location better rather than stretching already thin resources further. Moreover, you may find yourself in a position to actually take over the existing NFP as people move on frequently.

There is a silly cultural idea that Black people don't know how to run a business. My mother feels the same way. When we go into a Black business, if she receives bad service she never returns. When we go into a white business, if she receives bad service she simply complains about it to me, but continues to use the service.

Black people need to change the prevailing cultural ideas that hold us back. That's why Obama is such an inspiration to us – he can help to break the mental shackles that we so willingly bind upon ourselves.

@345bambi

then where is the democracy? freedom of choice?
your thinking belongs to a dictatorial country and not to a democratic country as US.

It is plenty Americans living in Israel, and this does not mean that they are disloyal to the US at all.
Israel is pretty much a extended state, the amount of mutual work between both exceeds friendship and becomes a unanimity, a mutual exchange of knowledge and forces.

@345bambi
Hitlers plan to annihilate Jews was, to say that they were not pure jews, then to say they were oppressors and that we controlled the world, then after convincing germans in a very smooth way he took their possessions, took their properties and send them to the ovens. This process was not at once but step by step.
What you are trying to do here is similar, you trying to say that Jews should not live in any other country, that we should all emigrate to Israel.

It is hard to find grants to start or expand a business — whether for a minority or not. Unlike the myths that some perpetuate, federal government and even private foundations hardly give grant money for a for-profit business.

Nonetheless, you can go to the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) http://www.cfda.gov and Grants.gov http://www.grants.gov – these are two sites created by the federal government to provide transparency and information on grants. Browse through the listings and see if you can find any grant that would support a for-profit venture.

Even if you buy books on "how to get grants" or list that supposedly has information on grants — all of them are mere rehash of what CFDA has, albeit packaged differently. But still the info is the same – hardly any grants for starting a for profit business.

Even SBA does NOT give out grants. From the SBA website http://www.sba.gov/expanding/grants.html

"The U.S. Small Business Administration does not offer grants to start or expand small businesses, although it does offer a wide variety of loan programs. (See http://www.sba.gov/financing for more information) While SBA does offer some grant programs, these are generally designed to expand and enhance organizations that provide small business management, technical, or financial assistance. These grants generally support non-profit organizations, intermediary lending institutions, and state and local governments."

Here is a listing of federal grants for small businesses. See if there is any available for individuals for starting a business — THERE'S NONE.
http://12.46.245.173/pls/portal30/CATALOG.BROWSE_BENEF_RPT.show

One grant for minorities is called Minority Business Opportunity Center (MBOC) #11.803 – but the objective is "To promote access to key decision makers in the public and private sectors , facilitate the brokering of contracts and financial transactions, and identify and coordinate local business resources to benefit minority business entrepreneurs." Applicants for this program are Federal, State or local government entities or quasi governmental entities, American Indian Tribes, colleges, universities, nonprofit organizations, and for project organizations.

Most of the federal grants are given to specific target groups with specific requirements (e.g. minority business owners involved in transportation related contracts emanating from DOT – Grant#20.905 Disadvantaged Business Enterprises Short Term Lending Program

Grants are also often given to non profit groups or organizations involved in training or other similar activities (grant 59.043 Women's Business Ownership Assistance that are given to those who will create women's business center that will train women entrepreneurs

For private grants, you may want to check the Foundation Center's Foundation Grants for Individuals Online. It's a subscription based website ($9.95 per month) but their opening blurb only says that the database is ideal for "students, artists, academic researchers, libraries and financial aid offices." Entrepreneurs are apparently not one of them, so I take it they also don't have listings of private foundations who give grants to would-be entrepreneurs.

http://www.cfda.gov
http://www.grants.gov
http://gtionline.fdncenter.org
http://www.powerhomebiz.com/vol66/grants.htm
http://www.sba.gov/expanding/grants.html

yea man! Israeli Military here… Love this video gotta buy the book!