Getting Started on Your Government Grant

                                                                                         

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.


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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.


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Major Types of Grants - there are actually thousands of different types of government grants that you, as an American citizen, are entitled to. Better still, you can actually apply for more than one grant at a time and as long as you are qualified for them, can have multiple grants approved. Some of the major types of grants include Personal grants (which involve everyday necessities like housing grants and automotive grants), Business grants which give you capital to start your own enterpreneurship, or improve on an existing business, Research grants for scientists and engineers, and Scholarship grants for students. Grant money can range from 500$ to over 250,000$ based on the type of grants given. Seems too good to be true? It's not. Every year, over 30 BILLION dollars are allocated towards government grants, and millions of citizens all across the United States take advantage of this to improve their lives.


How do I apply for a grant? - There are thousands of government offices across the United States where you can apply for a government grant program. The best place to start looking is by searching on government accredited websites and going through their directories to locate grant offices in your area. These accredited sites also keep up to date lists of the kinds of grants available, and their corresponding basic qualifications for application. You may then visit the government office in your area for more detailed procedural information on how to apply for the grants. For the sake of following up, you can even place your contact information on the mailing lists of some of these sites and get regular email updates on newly available grants, as well as notifications regarding the status of your applications.

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.

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