Does anyone know which businesses or agencies are willing to give grants to start up daycare centers?

Go to the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) and Grants.gov - these are two sites created by the federal government to provide transparency and information on grants. But you'd be hard pressed to find any grant that would support a for-profit venture such as daycare.

Even if you buy books on "how to get grants" or list that supposedly has information on grants -- all of them are mere rehash of what CFDA has, albeit packaged differently. But still the info is the same - hardly any grants for starting a for profit business.

From Childcare.net:

"The truth is, and it seems no one else wants to acknowledge this fact, unless you seek and obtain non-profit status, there is not a lot of help available in the way of grants for your child care business."

Grants for a for-profit daycare business is a myth perpetrated by those who stands to gain the most - the sellers of lists of these grants. You may find an odd assistance or two from your local Children's and Family Services Office, but there's really not a lot. Your best bet is to check with them.

Most of the federal grants are given to specific target groups with specific requirements (e.g. minority business owners involved in transportation related contracts emanating from DOT - Grant#20.905 Disadvantaged Business Enterprises Short Term Lending Program

Grants are also often given to non profit groups or organizations involved in training or other similar activities (grant 59.043 Women's Business Ownership Assistance that are given to those who will create women's business center that will train women entrepreneurs

For private grants, you may want to check the Foundation Center's Foundation Grants for Individuals Online. It's a subscription based website ($*.95 per month) but their opening blurb only says that the database is ideal for "students, artists, academic researchers, libraries and financial aid offices." Entrepreneurs are apparently not one of them, so I take it they also don't have listings of private foundations who give grants to would-be entrepreneurs.

You might try Grants.gov -- they are a bit more difficult to search, but its a good site.

if you are opening near big corporate business locations, you might approach them about helping you out and then offering discounts to employee's. if the companies are very large, they may have inhouse services already. worth a shot.