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

Grants from the Federal Executive Branch of the Government
In this article, you will learn about the different departments that comprise the Executive branch of the government and how these departments can serve you.

---

Grants from the US State Department for Media Training Workshops in Tunisia
The office of the US Mission to Tunisia, which is under the DoS, is seeking applications for the Media Training Workshops program for the Tunisian people through the The US Embassy in Tunis, Tunisia.

---

Zambia Economic Resilience Program for Improved Food Security
The Zambia Economic Resilience Program for Improved Food Security is designed to implement innovative techniques and approaches that would hopefully enable the community's most vulnerable and poor rural families to improve food security by strengthening their economic resilience.

---

Health Resources and Services Administration's Licensure Portability Grant Program
The Health Resources and Services Administration has constituted the Licensure Portability Grant Program (LPGP) wherein they aim to improve the experience of State licensing boards that have manifested a credible record in implementing cross-border activities in order to help overcome licensure barriers in the provision of telemedicine services across various States.

---