We asked more than a dozen local entrepreneurial experts and officials what questions are most commonly asked of them. All but one of them said almost the exact same thing, word for word: “Where can I get grants to start my business?”

Many of them said they get that question on a weekly basis (if not more), and have to deliver some sad news. “There are really no grants available for starting a small business. This is a huge misconception,” said Karman Briggs, manager of Western Dairyland’s Business Center.

“I don’t know where that myth came from,” said Barbara Rolland, a certified counselor for SCORE in Eau Claire. The Wisconsin Department of Commerce, which addressed this quandary in a document on their website called “Debunking the Grant Myth,” attributes at least some of the myth to Matthew Lesko, the infamous question-mark-suit-wearing infomercial star promising he found government loopholes that lead to free money.

“Unless you’ve developed something like a new heart valve or a huge agricultural product, free government money doesn’t exist,” said Jim Mishefske, director of UWEC’s Small Business Development Center.

Wisconsin does have some grant programs, but they are extremely specific (as Mishefske alluded to). You can find information about their Entrepreneurial Training Grant, Early Planning Grant Program, Customized Labor Training Grant, and/or Community Development Block Grant at commerce.state.wi.us. “Large corporations may be able to negotiate with different governing bodies for tax credits in exchange for massive job creation, and tech companies may be able to find funding to do cutting-edge research,” Briggs said of the state grants.

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Locally, the closest thing to the “grants” and “free money” you hear about are in the form of business contests like JumpStart and the Idea Challenge or extremely low-interest loan programs through Business Improvement Districts and the Regional Business Fund. (See our listings section for info.)

Other than that, Mishefske said there’s always the Three F’s: friends, family, and fools. “Right now bank funds are less accessible because they’re more stringent, but that’s the typical route. But we’re in a good region for lending programs if you’ve got the four C’s: credit score, collateral, character, and cash flow.”

Getting a business loan is not like getting a loan for a car, Briggs warns. “You’ll definitely need a business plan outlining what the loan money is going to be used for, what you are contributing in cash, and what you are offering up for collateral. You’ll also likely need a credit score in the high 600s. … Check out a few, starting with wherever you currently bank. And just because one bank turns you down doesn’t mean they all will.”

Another option, and one that’s fairly new, is crowdsourcing. “There’s some getting mileage out there and probably worth considering looking into,” said Bob Krause, a long-time business owner, BID member, and part of Angel Investors Network. There’s several positives and negatives to these options, noted Al Rolland, a counselor with SCORE, but these web-based options (through sites such as Kickstarter) are easy to investigate and give a try.

“But you have to invest on your side to get public funding,” concluded Cindy Graffeo, business assistance specialist for Eau Claire’s Economic Development Division. “That’s essentially what it boils down to.”