Getting Started on your Government Grant

by: Michael Saunders

Grants are not Benefits or Entitlements. A Federal Grant is an award of financial assistance from a Federal agency to a recipient to carry out a public purpose of support or stimulation authorized by a law of the United States. Grants are not Federal assistance or loans to individuals.

Since 2002, the federal government has been developing and implementing Grants.gov as a collaborative cross-government program focused on streamlining grants management for the Federal grant community.

Most people in the United States are either unaware of, or biased against, government grants. They feel that applying for a grant involves too much red tape, and there is the popular myth that there are always strings attached. In reality, getting government grants is easy, and there are no strings attached because the government is mandated by congress to give these grants away for the benefit of United States citizens. Here are the basics you'll need to start applying for a government grant today.

Requirements for grants - the only real basic requirements for getting a government grant is that you must be at least 18 years of age and a United States citizen. It's that simple. Everything else is dependent on other variables based on the type of loan you're applying for. Additionally, there are even special grant programs dedicated to addressing the common needs of citizens who belong to specific ethnic, religious, and socio-economic backgrounds.

************************************

Did you know?

Applying at Grants.gov can reduce your costs and the time required to find government grant opportunities and process your application. The site provides access to multiple grantors and reduces paperwork.

By downloading a grant application package, you can view it offline, giving you the flexibility to complete the application when and where you want.

************************************

  (continued...)

Getting Started on your Government Grant
  Page 2

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

Additional Resources

category - Applying for a Grant

US Agency for International Development Announces Funding for Food and Nutrition Technical Assistance
The US Agency for International Development: Bureau of Global Health has recently announced a funding opportunity amounting to $200,000,000 in order to support the Food and Nutrition Technical Assistance (FANTA III) project.

---

Getting Money to Start a New Business
Starting a new business can be an exciting venture -- unfortunately, it can also be quite expensive as well. In order to get the money that you need to get your business off of the ground, you might be...

---

Disaster Relief Loans from GovLoans
GovLoans is a website created by the United States Federal Government that is designed to serve as the public's gateway to loan program information. One of the several kinds of loans that are featured in the GovLoans website are Disaster Relief loans.

---

Cancer Research Network: a Research Resource within Health Care Delivery System
In cooperation with the National Cancer Institute, the National Institute of Health has recently announced a funding opportunity to support the Cancer Research Network(CRN) in its quest in reshaping the its organization to become a more broader resource for cancer researchers.

---