A grant screening service matches your business against available programs. Is it worth using a tool when you could theoretically do the research yourself? The answer depends on how you value your time, how many programs exist, and how confident you are in your ability to identify the right ones.
The DIY Alternative
You can research government programs yourself using:
- Grants.gov for federal grants
- SAM.gov for federal contracting
- Individual state agency websites
- City and county economic development offices
- SBDCs and SCORE for free advising
The challenge is scope: there are dozens of federal agencies, Texas state agencies, and 254 Texas counties each with their own programs. A thorough manual search can take days or weeks. Consultant vs. DIY guide.
What a Screening Report Provides
A screening report compresses research time by:
- Checking your business details against a curated database of verified programs
- Filtering by your location, industry, business stage, and planned activities
- Identifying programs you may not have known existed
- Providing program details, eligibility summaries, and next steps for each match
When Screening Is Most Valuable
- New businesses that do not know what programs exist
- Businesses in transition — expanding, relocating, hiring, buying equipment, or entering new markets
- Business owners with limited time to conduct program-by-program research
- Businesses with multiple qualifying characteristics — such as veteran-owned, minority-owned, rural, or in specific industries
When It May Not Be Worth It
- Very early idea stage with no formed business entity
- Already deeply familiar with the incentive landscape from prior research
- Already working with an SBDC advisor who has identified your program matches
Our Approach
Our screening report is free. Enter your business details and we check your eligibility against 150+ verified government programs at no cost. We do not guarantee eligibility or awards — we identify programs that may match and provide the information you need to pursue them.