Disability Loans Grants and Finance

Grants.Gov - Federal Grants for Americans

Grants.gov was established as a part of the President's 2002 Fiscal Year Management Agenda to improve government services to the public. It is a resource named the, "E-Grants Initiative." The Grants.gov site is a storehouse of over one-thousand grant programs, providing access to around five-hundred billion dollars worth of annual awards.

Grants.gov was established as a part of the President's 2002 Fiscal Year Management Agenda to improve government services to the public. It is a resource named the, "E-Grants Initiative." The Grants.gov site is a storehouse of over one-thousand grant programs, providing access to around five-hundred billion dollars worth of annual awards.

Understanding what grants are not is important; grants are not entitlements or benefits. Federal grants are awards of financial assistance from a federal agency to a recipient to carry out a public purpose of stimulation or support that is authorized by a law of the United States. A federal grant is not a form of federal assistance, or a loan to an individual. A federal grant cannot be used to acquire either services or property for the federal government's direct benefit. Twenty-six federal agencies offer more than one-thousand programs each year in a number of different categories.

There has been a lot of, 'hype,' associated with federal grants on infomercials and websites, in reference guides and books advertising, 'millions of dollars in free money!' Don't believe the hype. There are grants available on Grants.gov that are there for individuals, but none of them are available for personal financial assistance. There is a tutorial available on the Grants.gov site to help you determine if you are eligible to apply for a grant.

There are a number of groups of organizations that are eligible to apply for grants. These groups include:

* Education Organizations
* Non-Profit Organizations
* For-Profit Organizations
* Government Organizations
* Public Housing Organizations

Individuals submit a grant on their own behalf. They do not submit a grant on behalf of an organization, company, institution, or the government. The individual signs the grant application and its associated certifications and assurances which are needed to fulfill the requirements of the application process. If you register as an individual, you can only apply for grant opportunities that are open to individuals.

The Grants.gov site has greater than one-thousand grant programs that are offered by twenty-six federal grant-making agencies which fall into twenty-one categories. Fortunately, the site has a number of different search options. One of the search options is to search by category; these categories are also listed on the site. The categories include:

* Arts
* Energy
* Health
* Housing
* Education
* Humanities
* Agriculture
* Recovery Act
* Transportation
* Natural Resources
* Food and Nutrition
* Regional Development
* Community Development
* Business and Commerce
* Environmental Quality
* Science and Technology
* Information and Statistics
* Disaster Prevention and Relief
* Employment, Labor and Training
* Law, Justice and Legal Services
* Social Services and Income Security

On May 18th, 2009, Grants.gov processed a total of 205,591 applications, surpassing the 202,133 applications processed in fiscal year 2008 with more than four months remaining in fiscal year 2009. Grants.gov has helped individuals to find, apply and succeed in their search for federal funding. The Grants.gov site has already experienced an incredible amount of growth, along with a number of awards.

Grants.gov

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