Could someone please help me with finding out about resources for women who want to set up or expand their businesses. I am writing an article for a local monthly magazine on local women in business and would like to include a side-bar or short article on resources women who are in business (or who are contemplating setting up a business) could access. Specifically:

Grants
Low-cost financing
Small business advice
Legal advice
Co-operative banks
Education/training
Home businesses
Incentives for hiring long-term unemployed

Some resources are available for women who are already in business and have some financial track record, but there appears to be little for those who just have a good idea and are setting up.

Thank you for your website. Kind regards, RealWrite by Patricia Boland

Thanks for your note to FEMINIST.COM--and also for writing this article, which will hopefully get this information to those who need it. There are a few organizations that deal with this exact thing:

1.) WomenVenture, 2324 University Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55114 #612-646-3808
2.) Women's Self-Employment Project in Chicago, Illinois (312-606-8255).
3.) The Ms. Foundation for Women, 120 Wall Street, 33rd Floor, NYC, NY 10005; #212-742-2300.
4.) Women's Initiative, 450 Mission Street, Suite 402, San Francisco, CA 94105; #415-247-9473.

Also, look at the other questions under Work/Career at Ask Amy for more details on the above. Good luck.

—Amy