Feb-27-2008
This is Janet back regarding the government grants. First off, I do know that most of these are scams?
But my best friend works for the government and they really do have government loans for free. The problem is you have to either hire someone or figure out how to write the government for the grant and I heard this can be very difficult. Does anyone have any insight to grant writing?
if your black you get assistance for free along with free money….go for it and thank a Dem for your good fortune.
If you are looking for grant writing resources, here are some references as well as associations where you can find grant writers
Teaching Yourself to be a Grantwriter
Minnesota Council on Foundations Writing a Successful Grant Proposal
American Association of Grant Professionals
Non profit Guides
GrantExperts.com
Association of Fund Raising Professionals
There are grants. But whether you can use them for whatever purpose you think of — e.g. paying bills, starting a for-profit business — is a different story altogether.
The government is NOT in the business of giving away free money for the sake of giving away money. There are no grants for paying bills, for getting out of debt or for buying a car. Grants are free, but it means OBLIGATION. You will be obligated to do as the grant sets out to do. Grants have objectives, and your purpose must fit the objective of the grant.
For one, you have to write the grant application and the grant application is not a simple document – you have to explain how your purpose for applying for the grant fits well with the objectives set out by the grant.
There is a stringent review process through a committee. You will compete with other applicants for the grant money, and this grant review committee will evaluate the merits of each proposal. Only those that they feel exemplifies the objective of the grant will be approved.
Nonetheless, you can go to the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) and Grants.gov – these are two sites created by the federal government to provide transparency and information on grants. Browse through the listings and see if you can find any grant that would support your purposes.
Even if you buy books on “how to get grants” or list that supposedly has information on grants — all of them are mere rehash of what CFDA has, albeit packaged differently.
Note though that these grants generally support non-profit organizations, intermediary lending institutions, and state and local governments. Most of the federal grants are given to specific target groups with specific requirements (e.g. minority business owners involved in transportation related contracts emanating from DOT – Grant#20.905 Disadvantaged Business Enterprises Short Term Lending Program. Individuals especially for personal purposes are not eligible for federal grants.
Grants are also often given to non profit groups or organizations involved in training or other similar activities (grant 59.043 Women’s Business Ownership Assistance that are given to those who will create women’s business center that will train women entrepreneurs
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