By Charlie Pogacar

Last month, the owners of My Freakin’ Pizza in Sturgis, Michigan, received great news. They would be getting $25,000 in grant money from a state-run program, money that would help purchase a new $34,000 deck oven.

“At the time we applied for the grant,” Malinda Merrill, co-owner of My Freakin’ Pizza, said to the Sturgis Journal, “we wanted to get a new oven. We’re very thankful because the grant helps offset the cost of our new oven.” 

The grant was part of the Match on Main Street program, which is run by the Michigan Economic Development corporation. The Journal reported that the program has issued a total of nearly $750,000 in grant money to 31 small businesses in Michigan that are either new or expanding businesses in “core downtown areas and commercial districts.” 

Related: How a Pizzeria Added Over $250,000 via School Lunch Programs

So while My Freakin’ Pizza’s good-luck story might be unusual, it was hardly without precedent. Thousands of grants are issued across the country each year to benefit new or established businesses. Is your pizzeria eligible for grant money? Here is a brief guide on how to try and capitalize on what is, essentially, free money. 

Grant Hunting
The first thing to know is, unfortunately, there’s no easy way to find out if your pizzeria is eligible for grants or what grants it might be eligible for. You have to be willing to hunt for a grant—and you should know you might come up empty. 

That said, there are often some good places to start. A pizzeria owner might first try connecting with its local chamber of commerce to see if there are any municipal, county or regional grants available to local business owners. Even if the local chamber is not aware of any current grants that might be a good fit, putting your pizzeria on their radar could lead to a future match.

One reason why the chamber is a good place to start: Often, grants are underwritten by large corporations looking to sponsor small businesses. The goal of every chamber is to stimulate networking between businesses—thus, they are often the first to know if a large business in the area is offering grant money.

Other grants are handed down from the state level, just like the one My Freakin’ Pizza received. The National Restaurant Association has a helpful guide to each state’s restaurant association, complete with contact information for each. Similar to the chamber of commerce, state restaurant associations are often the first to know when restaurant grants become available. 

States also tend to have a Department of Commerce (though it might go by a different name depending on the state). Those websites sometimes have good resources for business owners—and the people who staff those departments are good resources in their own right. 

If you’re looking for a grant at the federal level, you’re almost certainly out of luck. Federal grants are typically reserved for nonprofit organizations.

Related: Fueling your pizza dream: An expert explains how to get an SBA loan for your restaurant

Grant Writing
No different than if one were applying to college, applying for a grant is serious work. There is often stiff competition for funds—remember, this is free money we’re talking about here—and thus it is crucial to make a strong case for why your business is most deserving.

Most grants—but not all—prefer to give money to organizations that give back to their community. Many pizzeria operators already do this, whether it’s sponsoring youth sports teams or being at the center of various fundraisers. Remember, though, that these efforts do not always speak for themselves. When writing a grant, it’s important to be hyper-specific about which organizations you give back to and what that looks like. 

Here at PMQ, we can say with confidence that not all pizzeria operators are good at bragging about themselves. Often, pizzeria operators do work in the community but speak of it in vague terms. Applying for a grant leaves no room for modesty. Be specific about your contributions. Include dollar amounts where appropriate. You might even consider recruiting community members to give testimonials—quotes about the way you’ve helped local organizations accomplish their financial goals can go a long way. 

Also: be prepared to provide P&L statements, tax documents and personnel records. Grant underwriters and sponsors will want to ensure they are donating the money to a business that will put it to good use. 

Hope For the Best
Again, the grant space can be hyper-competitive. According to the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, My Freakin’ Pizza was one of 113 businesses that applied for the Match on Main Street grant—and one of 31 businesses that received money. 

With odds like that, you may decide it’s not worth the time and effort to even apply for one. If you are planning on applying, just make sure your business really does match up with what the grant claims to be looking for. You wouldn’t want to go through all of that work if there’s no hope of actually getting any money. 

On the other hand, what business couldn’t use a break? It is always worth seeing what’s out there, and maybe even reaching out to the individual running the grant application process to gauge your chances of success. With any luck, you might soon be collecting a check for $25,000 to help you buy a new deck oven.