Finding Free US Government Grants

You’ve seen online ads, magazine layouts and television commercials promising free money from the US government in the form of grants. Ads assure you that grants are free, easy and available to everyone. Most of these advertisements are selling how-to books or directing you to a website where you can discover the path to riches through free government  grant money.

While it’s true that the US government offers millions of dollars each year in free grant money to agencies, organizations and individuals, you don’t need to buy an instruction booklet, subscribe to a web tutorial or pay a grant application service to find them.

Even though government grants can be classified as ‘free money’, the old adage about getting something for nothing holds true. The fact is, grants are rarely offered to individuals. Most government grants are awarded to corporations and agencies that plan to assist the public in some fashion. Strict reporting requirements also accompany any free grant money received; recipients must account for every penny of grant money through receipts and intermittent audits.

Grant money must also be allocated according to the specifics in the grant proposal; detailed, written explanations are necessary for even the slightest deviation. Grant money not spent precisely as intended must be returned to the government, again with detailed written explanations.

If the amount of paperwork and level of accountability does not deter you, you can perform a free search for government grants at the website, grants.gov.Search for grants that fit the parameters of your particular project among those that are applicable to your state and that offer the amount of money that you need. Available grants that have been approved by Congress are listed in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance and searchable on grants.gov.

Visit grants.gov and click the ‘find available opportunities’ link found on the right-hand side. Choose the search parameters from the categories of Basic, or Browse by Category, by Agency or Advanced. Individuals applying for grants must use the ‘Advanced Search’ method. After selecting the type of search, enter a keyword that is relevant to the type of grant you need.

Other free services available at the site include a subscription for notification of new grants as they become available. A page listing the names of the grant opportunities, the close date of the grant, the administering agency, the grant’s funding number and any relevant attachments will appear. Each entry has a link that will open more detailed information on the opportunity.

For step-by-step instructions on how to apply for free government grants, visit this page.