If You Think a Government Grant Is Easy To Get – You Had Better Read This

If You Think a Government Grant Is Easy To Get – You Had Better Read This

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.

If you are an organization looking for a government grant be sure and go to grants.gov. Grants.gov is your source to FIND and APPLY for Federal government grants. There are over 1,000 grant programs offered by all Federal grant making agencies. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is proud to be the managing partner for Grants.gov, an initiative that is having an unparalleled impact on the grant community. Grants.gov allows organizations to electronically find and apply for more than 0 billion in Federal grants.

Many government grants can be applied for only when they are announced in the Federal Register, or only during a small window of time once a year. The fact is that there are thousands of grants available, but they are primarily through the federal government to encourage research and development or human-resource services. Be prepared.. it often takes a lot of work to apply for a grant.

There are very few grants available for starting or expanding a business unless the business involves research and development or high technology. Hundreds of grants have caveats, such as:

1. You must compete with hundreds of other companies. It often takes a lot of work to apply for a grant.

2. The money must be used for a very specific purpose. (You may not be able to pay your rent or mortgage with that money).

3. You can explore the the list of Federal Grant Resources, but you’ll soon realize that most grants are not available for the typical business.

4. You often have to report on your use of the money, or follow particular rules.

5. You’ll need a good business plan and the accurate numbers to show that what you’re proposing will work. Especially in the realm of government grants, be prepared with numbers relating to cost of insurance, other funding sources you have or are seeking, and ways in which what you propose will comply with Uncle Sam’s goals.

If you are searching for money to start a new business here are some suggestions:

Private loans and investments from relatives and acquaintances are often a good source of raising start-up capital, when a business is too small or unproven to qualify for commercial lending.

Ever hear the phrase” Caveat Emptor”? It means let the buyer beware. It’s sound advice when looking for “Free Grant Money” on the web. One of the all time favorite scams of scam artists are the Free Money Grant Sites. It’s important that you be well informed as to these unscrupulous operators. Here are a few tips on how to avoid being “Ripped Off’.

1. Charging an up-from fee. Its illegal

2. Don’t give your personal information to someone who calls. Be sure and ask for the caller’s telephone number, name of organization and most important the location of the organization the caller represents. Make sure they are the real thing by checking phone books, the web and Better Business Bureaus (BBB).

3. Be sure and get their proposal in writing by snail- mail or e-mail.

4. Watch for web sites with broken links, a dead giveaway the site is run by scammers.

5. The promoters offer no refunds. If they can’t guarantee your satisfaction they are only interested in lining their own pockets.

Try These new Small Business Grant Offerings from the government:

2/15/2007 Wood Education and Resource Center Competitive Grants Program for Fiscal Year 2007 Forest Service USDA-FS-WERC-2007

07/29/2005 SBDC Renewal for Current Recipient Organizations – FY-06 Small Business Administration OSBDC-2006-01

02/01/2007 Small Business Innovation Research CSREES USDA-CSREES-SBIR-000100

08/18/2006 Micro and Small Enterprise Trade-Led Growth Program Peru USAID-Lima USAID-BRAZIL-EG-06-001-RFA

Finding the Grant Source is only the first stage. Writing the grant proposal will be the most basic thing that you do. Successful grant writing involves the coordination of several activities, including planning, searching for data and resources, writing and packaging a proposal, submitting a proposal to a funder, and follow-up. Good Grant Writing Software should be a basic tool in your quest for your Government Grant.

Access America is a veritable “one-stop-shop” of government-wide Web portals covering virtually any Federal service or information source

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance is the premier source for information on government loans, grants or other monies. Tip: if you find a useful program listing, remember to visit the overseeing agency’s home page for more information. Check the Nonprofit Gateway’s convenient collection of links.

Grant