Government Grants

Government grants is a distribution of economic aid that that needs not be paid back. Broadly speaking, government grants serve a positive purpose. Some examples:

A grant helps a student afford college.
A community invests in education and a grant builds a new school.
A new industry receives grant funds that creates hundreds of jobs.

Government grants are awarded from all levels of the government- federal, state, and local. The U.S. government has over 1,000 grant programs distributed by 26 different federal agencies. There are 21 different categories of activities that government grant supports. The range is broad including: economic development, education, health, housing, and even arts and the humanities.

Government grants are given to individual organizations or people and also in blocks to benefit entire school districts, neighborhoods, or groups of people. Often these grants require a match of some sort- other financing, volunteer support, or donation of goods and services.

Who is Eligible for Government Grants

The federal government states clearly what it funds: government, schools, public housing, non-profits, large businesses and individuals. Oddly, small business is largely excluded from federal grants. There is no money to start or expand a small business. However, there is some federal grant money set aside for small businesses to do research and development activities. These grants call Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grants. The SBIR.gov site is a good resource to learn about this form of government grant funding.

Personal Assistance is Not a Grant

Cash benefits for personal assistance are not grants. However, this money is available to any person who is eligible. There is a range of personal assistance benefits, which are also called entitlements. Benefits include cash assistance, food assistance, disability benefits, unemployment benefits, veteran assistance, medical assistance, and more. Those who want to determine their eligibility, they can consult Benefits.gov.

How to Find Government Grants

To apply for free grants from the government, one must locate a grant opportunity. Grants.gov lists grant announcements from the federal government. There is no registration required to search grant opportunities. However, registration is required to apply.

On the state or local level, there may be Request for Proposals listed on government sites. There is a mandate in State and local government to have openness and transparency in the grants process. Therefore, any citizen should be able to inquire about grant opportunities from their local politician. Local Chambers of Commerce are also good place to search for grant opportunities, especially for small businesses and individual contractors.