Find the Government Grant that You Need
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Now that you found the grant perfect for you, you have to really understand what is written on the Eligibility Requirements. Understand these and make sure that you are qualified before you apply for the grant – so as to not waste time.

Another important note on government grants that you must consider is that they are not available all year-round. Just like fruits in the market, you cannot go there and buy it if it is not in season. You cannot apply for a grant just because you feel like it. You can only apply when it has the go signal from the Government agency.

The Government agency comes up with the funding for the grant. Once this is met, it announces to the Federal Register that the grant is available.

One must remember that researching for the right grant, looking for the one that is right for you and applying for it may take a lot of time and effort on your end. The forms are not simply filled up and sent in like how you do with credit card issuers. It does not work that way.

For one, grants are very competitive. Since this is some sort of “free lunch,” a lot of people line up for it to be able to have a grant. However, government agencies sift through all these proposals and only approve those they have a gut feeling on who would make the most out of the money they lent them.

There are some government agencies that would only provide funds to a specific kind of cost or expenses. Therefore, these government agencies will not be able to fully back the grantee up with the entire expenses.

Another thing is that not all grants are available all year-around. You have to check whether the grant that is right for the business venture, charity event or personal reasons you are interested in is available at that time.

Proposals are necessary because they could be the dealmaker or the deal-breaker. If the program that you are proposing is not compatible with the requirements and interests of the government agency that will provide the funding, there is a possibility that it can be rejected.

And remember, a proposal takes months before it is reviewed and evaluated. After that, it also takes months before you actually receive the funding. Patience is a virtue. You sure need that virtue when you’re looking for a grant.

About The Author Michael Saunders has an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. He edits a site on Government Grants for Women Owned Businesses and also edits HandsNet - A Human Services News Website.

Find the Government Grant that You Need
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Additional Resources

category - Applying for a Grant

Grants From The Department of Agriculture
The US Department of Agriculture aims to achieve this mission by way of programs, including grants, loans and other forms of financial assistance that are made consistently made available to farmers and eligible agricultural sectors.

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Department of Agriculture: Value Added Producer Grants
The Value-Added Producer Grants program is geared towards helping the Independent Producers of Agricultural Commodities, Agriculture Producer Groups, Farmer and Rancher Cooperatives, and Majority-Controlled Producer-Based Business Ventures in developing techniques that would create marketing opportunities and establish business plans involving viable marketing opportunities that involve the production of bio-based products from agricultural commodities.

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Agriculture and Food Research Initiative: National Institute of Food and Agriculture Fellowships Grant Program
The Agriculture and Food Research Initiative grant program revolves around the premise of providing funds to both fundamental and applied research studies, education, and extension that would hopefully address concerns related to food and agricultural sciences.

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Minority Business Enterprise Centers for Minority-Owned Businesses
The The Minority Business Development Agency has recently constituted the Minority Business Enterprise Centers (MBEC) Program wherein it aims to support minority-owned businesses by providing them with electronic and one-on-one business development services for a reasonably nominal fee.

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