subject: What Are Federal Grants? [print this page] Government grants refers to funds and money that are legally granted to individuals who fulfill definite criteria by different government agencies, corporations, privileged individuals, departments, foundations etc. The citizens of the United States of America can apply for grants. Most individuals are not aware of these grants granted by the government and how easily one can apply and obtain them. It is because of this reason that many government grants go unclaimed every year for different reasons. These are fundamentally just financial gains that are made available to the individuals.
There are numerous groups and organisations that are eligible to apply for government grants. Some of them are: Government organisations like State government, City or Township Governments, Special District Governments, etc. Educational organisations like Independent school districts, Personalized Institutions of Higher Education, Public and State Controlled Institutions of Advanced Education Public housing organisations and non profit organisations Profit organisations like small businesses that fulfill the size standards that are set by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)
Apart from the above named groups, individuals can also apply for grants offered by the government. If they do so, then they will be able to sign up only on their behalf. With that, when one applies as an individual, one is permitted only for those government grants that are open to people. Currently, over nine hundred grants are being issued by 26 federal authorities in the United States.
There are four main types of grants. The first are the project grants. These are awarded to individuals on competitive bases. These grants are used primarily for conducting scientific research, used to aid educational goals, for social services, various technological developments, healthcare, projects related to arts, etc. The second type of government grants are those that are utilized for people who could do with work related training. The next type of grant is categorical grants that are used for various intentions like hazard abatement project, urban forestry assistance and other specified projects. The last set of grants are block grants, wherein a big sum of money is presented to state or lower government bodies with specified provisions on how they must be utilised.
A person who is above 18 years of age and a citizen of the U.S. or should be a resident alien if he or she wants to apply for and claim government grants. If you fulfill these criterions, you can get a copy of the grant application package online, fill it out and submit it.
