International Business Mentoring, Inc.

This company claims to offer business mentoring services to entrepuenors and other home based business owners. The company charges an advance enrollment fee of up to several thousand dollars with a 3 day cancellation period. Although the company's website does not indicate they offer grant writing services many consumer inquiries and complaints are prompted by solicitations for grant assistance. We advise careful consideration if you are thinking about responding to ads for "free" grant money. Our experience with similar offers has been that companies placing government grant ads have no affiliation with the government but rather are third parties attempting to capitalize on information that can be obtained for free from government agencies or websites. For example The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) disseminates information upon request and via their website on grants and loans entitled The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance. You can obtain the information for free by calling the DHHS local office or visit their website at www.aspe.os.dhhs.gov. Government grants are not designed to provide a means for you to pay your bills or have extra spending money. Generally obtaining a grant is a complicated process requiring documentation and research and is primarily for education research and business purposes. Although foundations may exist whose requirements are based on personal preference the vast majority requires applicants to meet very specific guidelines they have established to even qualify.