How to Apply for Home Government Grants
The federal government allocates billions of dollars in grant money for the funding of different programs. These are allocated to different funding agencies at the federal and state level. Efforts to centralize grant search and application resulted in the formation of Grants.gov. A significant portion of the grant money is available for smaller organizations and individuals, which are broken down into several categories, including housing. Knowing how to properly apply for a home grant opens up many funding opportunities for the first-time home buyer.
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Instructions
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Determine which part of your home financing budget you would like to find government grant money for. There are home government grants that can be used for different stages of home buying. Most of these are usually either for a down payment, rehabilitation costs or the closing costs of a home purchase.
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Go to Grants.gov (see Resources) and search for a home government grant that meets your financing needs. Check the Notices of Funding Availability published by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, especially if you are getting the grant for an organization. Individuals should search for grants through other agencies, as HUD does not directly give home grants to individuals.
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Check the home grant notice for the eligibility requirements to make sure you or your company is qualified to apply. Organizations will be required to acquire a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) Number by registering online for free at the Dun & Bradstreet website (see Resources). You will need your DUNS number to register your organization with the Central Contractors Registry (see Resources). These measures were placed to keep track of federal grant money recipients.
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Note the Funding Opportunity Number of the home grant that you want to apply for. You will need this number to register with Grants.gov. Download the grant application package for the grant.
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Click on the Get Registered link on the left sidebar, then click on appropriate links for registering as either an individual or an organization. Click the Register with Grants.gov button on the next page and create an account with Grants.gov by providing a valid Funding Opportunity Number, username, password, and by filling out a few required information fields.
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Complete your profile with Grants.gov to track your application later. You will need to provide some personal or company information, a secret question and the answer to it.
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Check for the confirmation email through the email account you provided. Once your account is confirmed with Grants.gov, you can now apply for the home grant that you want.
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Fill out the required information and fulfill all the other requirements asked for in the grant application package. Each grant-giving agency will have its own requirements for grant applications, which will usually include the filled-out application form, a grant proposal and supporting documents about yourself or your organization.
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Submit your grant application through Grants.gov electronically. Keep track of your email inbox for the submission receipt and submission validation. You can track the status of your application by logging into your Grants.gov account and clicking on the Application Status link.
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Tips & Warnings
Before you start looking for a grant, list all the information relevant to the house you are buying. Include information such as what classification it falls under, the location of the house, and the important economic background of the area where it is located. Make sure to check out other grant-giving agencies like Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the Administration on Aging, to name a few. When searching for a grant, use search terms other than "home" or "housing" to broaden your search to other agencies other than HUD that offer home grants. Use keywords relevant to you or your home purchase like "minorities", "green", "handicapped", or "retiree". Prepare a well-written grant proposal. It should contain relevant information about you or your organization, any previous projects you have handled, and the relevance of your home grant application to the public interest, among other things. It might be best to get professional help when it comes to grant writing, especially if you don't have experience with it.
Don't forget your username and password for your Grants.gov account. You will not be able to check the status of your application if you cannot access your account. Keep this information in a secure place. Don't forget to check your email for the submission receipt and submission validation. You might be awaiting a reply from the funding agency when your application was incorrectly filled out and rejected before it was submitted to them.
