Federal Grants
Author : James Wallace
With 26 federal grant-making agencies giving out billions to worthy candidates yearly, the likelihood of acquiring federal funding for your endeavors are good, if you arm yourself with information and utilize the ample resources and opportunities available.
Non-profit, educational and government organizations, among others, can search a wealth of funds for the right federal grant. Your first source of information for finding federal grants is Grants.Gov. Managed in part by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the website offers information on over 1,000 grant opportunities accessible in over 20 categories. If your organization is in search of federal grant money, a straightforward search of the site can reveal hundreds of opportunities posted recently. Following a sign up process that generally takes a few business days, you can follow instructions and apply for your federal grant of choice online. Tutorials are offered on the website to assist you through the process and you can track the progress of your submitted grant application package there, as well.
The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance is another resource for locating federal grant funds, and can be found online at cdfa.Gov. A catalog of federal funding programs can be accessed from the website, and contact information for the administration you should contact is available. Advice on writing winning grant proposals is also offered on the CFDA website. Yet another valuable online resource for finding and obtaining federal grant money is FirstGov.Gov, which offers an alphabetical directory of grant opportunities. While conducting your online research, a more specific query via a search engine for the particular type of grant you wish to apply for may yield extra results further tailored to your exact needs.
In addition to online methods of searching for money, many printed publications are available to aid in your search. Grant directories such as The Foundation Reporter and Annual Register of Grant Support are published on at least a yearly basis, and are commonly available either for purchase or at your local library.
If pushed for time, you may prefer to enlist one of many professional grant finders available to do the research for you. However, to do so may prove costly. On a similar note, many knowledgeable grant proposal writers with proven track records may be outsourced for the purpose of professionally writing and assembling your application. While choosing to hire experienced outside professionals to prepare your proposal from scratch can be beneficial if you or your organization has the funding to do so, it is by no means necessary.
Some of the previously mentioned websites offer a straightforward application with well defined directions on how to apply, while others offer tutorials and learning materials to assist you in the application process. In addition, a search of your local bookstore may be beneficial. Not only will you find books to groom you for the general grant proposal locating and preparation processes, but you may find books more fine tailored to your particular needs.
