How to Apply For Government Grants and Get Funding

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By Amy Laine
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Millions of Dollars In Government Grants Are Awarded Yearly

Government grants can help fund new businesses, help individuals in need and give financial assistance to non-profits amount other things. Grant awards can be lower a hundred dollars or higher then a million dollars depending on the project and grant awards available. The higher the grant the more competitive it will be. Learn how to apply for government grants and get the funding you need.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Step 1

Before looking or apply for a government grant you must determine the main reason you need funding. Write out a short statement of why funding is needed and what you would do with the grant awards. Go ahead and write it the way you would want the grand adviser to see it. This will not only get you on the right track of where to get started but will save you time when applying for grants.
Step 2

Look at your objective very closely. Unless you are applying for grants to help with college tuition, your objective should not be about you. If it is all about you, your chances of getting a grant is close to nothing and you should stop now. Grant advisers will do the research to find out what the money is really for before handing it to you. For instance I once was asked to help a company get a grant to build a hospital, I thought this is a great cause. When I did the research I found out that the need for such a hospital was not there, further research found out that they just wanted the loss of revenue to help with their taxes. I did not take that grant project, however they did get someone to write a grant proposal and then was rejected and their company name was red flagged for trying to commit fraud.
Step 3

Research government agencies that may help you with your objective before applying for a grant. Many agencies receive grants to help others, if you or your project fall in that category make use of that financial assistance first. Many grant applications are denied because the individual or company does not show measures of controlling spending. For example, a company may try to apply for a grant to pay for employee training and assistance to make their building more eco friendly. If the company did research they may have found that the classes they wanted to send their employees to was offered free through sba.gov and they could reduce the grant money they asked for by participating in other programs. If asking for additional funding, be sure to add the saving of participating in the other programs so that if you are not able to participate in both programs they may be able to add that amount to your total grant award.
Step 4

Research direct grants from the government through government based websites such as grants.gov. You may look through a list of grants available grouped by subject. Government sites are free, never pay for such information. Don't be afraid to condider broading your objective if it brings strength to your grant proposal but only if you plan on carrying out such duties. For instance, you may want to open a clothing store but can not find grants to help. However, you may find funding to help women in need of clothes for work. Besides buying the clothing for the cause you may be able to pay some of the rent and utilities, not to mention the potential for free publicity. So be creative in searching for grants but remember always to be honest.
Step 5

Enlist help if needed. If you are seeking grants as a individual the grant process is a little easier, most grants to individuals is based solely on need so you will probably not need to hire a professional grant writer. However, if you are a business seeking more then $10,000 in financial assistance you will increase your odds dramatically by hiring a grant writer that can help you work out the kinks in your proposal and application. If working on a tight budget you may be able to work out a plan with the grant writer of choice to direct you in your search as you do the work and they can overlook the project once you have finished.
Step 6

Even if you hired a grant writer to apply for grants always view the applications and proposals before sending out to make sure you are always in the know. Copy your grant application or proposal and have on hand so you may have it to refer to as needed. When Grant administrators are looking through paper work and have questions they may call and it is always best to be able to look to see on paper where their questioning is coming from.
Step 7

If you do get the grant always follow up if requested. Sometimes I have found that some business' get so excited they where rewarded a grant they forget to followup with the paperwork after accepting the initial funds. If your side of the grant contract is not kept up you may find a bill in the mail requesting repayment or at the very least may not get any funding that has not been made to you.