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.

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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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Getting Started on your Government Grant
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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 Government Grants Resources

Strategic Alliances for Medications Development to Treat Substance Use Disorder Program
The National Institutes of Health, in cooperation with the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), has recently established the Strategic Alliances for Medications Development to Treat Substance Use Disorder Program wherein both agencies seek to support the development of substance abuse drugs by leveraging the strengths of two or more organizations toward a common goal of medications development.

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Business Grants for Women
Many women in business find that in order to meet their business' financial needs, they turn to searching out a loan source. Business loans for women are widely available through the Small Business A...

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Behavioral Interventions to Address Multiple Chronic Health Conditions in Primary Care Program
The National Institutes of Health has recently established the Behavioral Interventions to Address Multiple Chronic Health Conditions in Primary Care Program wherein it intends to utilize common conceptual models in creating independent interventions that will contribute to the modification of health behaviors and the improvement of health outcomes in patients diagnosed with co-morbid chronic diseases and health conditions.

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Rural Health Research Center Program
The Health Resources and Services Administration has recently established the Rural Health Research Center (RHRC) Cooperative Agreement Program in an attempt to substantially improve the amount of high-quality, impartial, policy-relevant research studies.

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Learning Disabilities Innovation Hubs Program
The National Institutes of Health has partnered with the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) to establish the Learning Disabilities Innovation Hubs Program where both agencies intend to solicit resource-related research project grant applications that concentrate on the etiology, manifestation, prevention, and remediation of writing, reading, or mathematics learning disabilities.

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Project to Combat Rural Exploitative Child Labor In Peru
The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management has established another funding opportunity to support the Project to Combat Rural Exploitative Child Labor In Peru.

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Combating Autism Act Initiative: National Interdisciplinary Training Resource Center Program
In keeping with this mission, the Health Resources and Services Administration has recently announced the establishment of the Combating Autism Act Initiative: National Interdisciplinary Training Resource Center Program wherein it aims to solicit applications from eligible entities that seek to run and manage a National Interdisciplinary Training Resource Center.

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