If you are searching for grant funding to finance a small business, school, non-profit organization, environmental or community project or higher education, but do not want to pay any money, there is great news. You can apply for many federal, state, local and private grants completely free of charge. Government websites such as Business.gov and Grants.gov allow you to apply for federal and state grants at no cost to you. Also, a web search for grants will reveal many free options.

Use Grants.gov and / or Business.gov to search for government grants. These websites are resources that allow you to search and apply for government grants free of charge. Grants.gov lists all available government grants, while Business.gov lists state and federal grants for small business and business up-starts.

Search for private grants. The Grantsmanship Center allows you to search for private grant opportunities free of charge. Although they do charge money for their workshops, their grant search area is absolutely free. Another method is to call or visit the websites of organizations in your community and ask if they have grants available. Many of these foundations do issue grants, and some do not charge a fee to apply.

Make a list of all grant proposals that interest you. Once you have searched for available federal, state, local and private grants, write down key information on the grants that interest you. That information should include, at a minimum: grant name, grant mission, decision maker name and contact information, deadline and how to apply.

Write a grant proposal. Grant proposals are documents that state who you are, what your organization or project seeks to accomplish, why you need the grant money and how you will use the grant money. The proposal should be submitted along with any other application materials to the organization that is issuing the grant. If you do not have experience with proposal writing, hiring a grant writer may be a smart move. Grant writers are experienced professionals who have expertise in proposal writing and the grant application process. It will cost around $60 per hour to hire a grant writer.