How to Qualify for Government Grants

A grant is an award of economic aid or financial assistance from a grantor (could be an individual, agency, organization, or government) to a recipient, the grantee. They are not loans and the grantee is not required to repay the money.  This money is usually for purposes which the grantor specifies. Government grants therefore, are grants awarded by the government. Government grants are given for the following purposes:

Personal needs e.g. paying for college

Businesses e.g. starting or expanding a business

Projects e.g. medical research, technological development, etc

Types of Government Grants

1. Formula Grants: These are applied to certain factors such as the population of an area, the number of unemployed, the housing density of an area, etc.
2. Project Grants: For research projects such as medical research.
3. Categorical Grants: For specific categories such as road construction or improving education.
4. Block Grants: These combine categorical grants into a single program.
5. Earmark Grants: These are grants created for particular reasons or programs.

How to Qualify for a Government Grant

1. You must be older than 18 years.
2. You need to fill an application and submit a formal grant proposal.
3. You must provide reasons for applying for the grant such as attending college or starting a business.
4. Your reasons for applying for the grant must be cogent and clear.
5. Make sure your reasons for applying for the grant match the reasons for which the grant is being awarded.
6. Ensure that you meet the requirements for the grant. Government grants such as formula grants take certain factors into consideration. A grant for housing may be awarded in New York but not in Washington.
7. Describe your business or project clearly, showing your objectives and goals and how you plan to achieve them.
8. Create a budget in your application – no matter what you need the grant for - to show how you plan to use the money so that the grantor knows that the money is in good hands.
9. Include a history of a previous grant or grants received (if you have received any before), and how you made use of it or them.
10. Provide financial information which proves that you stand to benefit from the grant.
11. For an organization, outline its history and list its activities or services. Make sure to include its successes such as profits or a successfully executed project.
12. Even if you are a sole proprietor, apply for grants as a business and not as an individual. Applying as an individual may get you disqualified from grants created for businesses.
13. Beat the deadline. Ensure that you submit your grant proposal within the specified period for acceptance. Proposals submitted after this period may not be considered.

Tips for Applying for a Government Grant

1. Hire a professional grant writer to create a grant proposal for you or learn how to write grant proposals.
2. Applying for government grants does not require any fees. Avoid services that claim to help you get government grants for a sum of money.
3. Beware of services that request your personal information to enable them procure government grants for you. Use only official resources like http://www.grant.gov, http://www.fafsa.ed.gov, http://www.usa.gov, and so on.