How to Get a Government Grant

Government grants are a wonderful source of funding for individuals, businesses and organizations. Government grants are available for everything from starting a new business to repairing your damaged home. Grants are a better choice than loans in most cases because you don't have to pay grants back the way you do a loan. Below, you'll learn how to get a government grant for your needs or projects.

Instructions

1. Determine How Much Money You Need. The first step in getting a government grant is determining how much money you will need. The reason is so you can budget around the available grant money and determine other steps to meet your monetary goal. No matter what you might need funding for, you can tally up the estimated costs. If you're trying to repair your home, the calculator available at http://www.claimrep.com/ResidentialRP2.asp may help determine how much money you'll need.

   If you're starting a business, try one of these calculators - http://www.bplans.com/business_calculators/. By determining how much money you will need, you can search for grants more effectively.

2. Find Suitable Grants. The next thing you'll need to do is find grants that meet your needs and that you're eligible for. Since some grants are exclusively for certain types of people or certain areas of the country - it's important to find grants that you are able to apply for. If you're searching locally, use the reason you need the grant to find places to look. For instance, if you're searching for a grant for:

   Home Improvement/Repairs - HUD, FEMA
   Small Businesses - Small Business Administration
   College or Schooling - Local Colleges, Guidance Counselor at Your High School

   These are all great places to start and most of them usually stay up to date on the latest government grants available. Another place to check is online at www.Grants.gov. With an up to date grants list, you can search for relevant grants with the keyword search online.

3. Fill out the Grant Application. The next thing you'll need to do is fill out the grant application. Most grants require that you also write a grant proposal, which is your chance to tell reviewers why you deserve to be approved for the funding. Remember to check and double check your information on the application to ensure that it's all correct and that there are no typos or errors.

   To learn how to write a grant proposal and get tips for doing so, visit http://www.epa.gov/ogd/recipient/tips.htm. Here, you'll get important information to help you write a great proposal.

4. Send the Application and Wait. After you've gotten the entire grant application completed, you'll need to send it in. Be sure you make it well before the deadline so that you don't lose your chance to receive the grant. Most grants have the deadlines listed on the application somewhere, or on the packet of information you get with the application. Also, be sure that you've placed enough postage on the grant so it will make it to the destination.

   After this, the only thing left is waiting. Sometimes it can take weeks to receive an answer and even longer to get the money. However, if you're patient, you could be rewarded well.