You’ve seen the late night hype: “Free money for everyone. All you have to do is sign up, and it’s yours!” It sounds great, but is it true? It really is true, but that doesn’t mean that it really is easy. Just like anything else, there’s a process that you’ll have to follow accurately in order to reap the rewards. Follow the process, though, and you’re very likely to be successful! There are billions of dollars available every year to regular folks just like us. The catch is that the money has to be used for specific purposes. You can’t just get the money and use it however you please.

1. Dipping Into the Well
of Government
Grants
“A corporation’s primary goal is to make money.
Government’s primary role is to take a big chunk of that money and give it to others.”
- Larry Ellison

2. Free money… really?
That’s right! There are billions of dollars available
every year to regular folks just like you.
The catch?
The money has to be used for specific purposes. you
can’t just get the money and use it however you
please. And that’s where grants come in…

3. What is a grant?

4. A Few Things to Know
About a Grant
Every grant carries
stipulations regarding
how the money is to be
spent
You have to use the
grant as it is intended
Grants don’t have to
be paid back

5. 2 Types of Government Grants

6. About Federal Grants
 Agencies like the Department of Agriculture, the Department of
Labor, and the National Endowment of the Arts serve as grantors.
 There is a lot of money available, if you have a project that appeals
to these departments.
 Funds come from Congress’ federal budget each year dedicated to
grants. Funds are available once budget is approved.
 Grants are listed in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance
(CFDA). The CFDA is available online at http://www.cfda.gov/

7. Process for Getting a Federal Grant
• Register yourself and/or your organization.
• It will typically take 3-5 business days for your registration
to be accepted.
• It can take as long as 2 weeks.
• Locate grant opportunities that support your need.

8. Process for Getting a Federal Grant
(Contd.)
• Preliminary evaluation.
• Can take a couple of months.
• Which projects will be funded?
• How much money will each receive?

9. Process for Getting a Federal Grant
(Contd.)
• ‘Winners’ are notified of acceptance and amount of
funds.
• The entire process typically takes about a year.

10. How to Find Federal Grant
Opportunities
 All federal grant opportunities can be found at
http://www.grants.gov.
 You can search for grants by category, agency, or advanced
search.
 If you have any doubts about the appropriateness of your
project for the grant in question, you can call the agency and
ask them about it.

11. Tips for Finding a Grant Opportunity
Determine your eligibility at
http://grants.gov/aboutgrants/eligibility.jsp for any federal
grants. There are few federal grant opportunities for
individuals; the primary exception being educational grants.
Search for grants with the search function. Take a close look
using several different keywords for your searches and see
what you can find that might apply to your situation.

12. Getting Ready for a Federal Grant
Get in touch with the program
contact for deadlines and
requirements.
Requirements and procedures
vary depending on the
government agency.
Write a proposal that meets the
spirit and requirements of the
grant.
Ensure someone else isn’t
doing a similar proposal.

13. Getting Ready for a Federal Grant
(Cont’d.)
Find political, academic or
professional groups that are
willing to provide written support.
Meet with community decision
makers who are interested in the
subject.
Ensure that your proposal and
the grantor have the same
intentions and interests.
Get to know the personnel. This
will be invaluable throughout
the process.

14. Getting Ready for a Federal Grant
(Cont’d.)
Keep all your ideas in one place.
Review your ideas regularly; you
can get something good by
merging multiple ideas.
Get constructive criticism now,
not during the review process
with the agency.
Neat and accurate packaging,
as well as multiple copies,
required.

15. Other Tips to Get Ready
 Consider attending a grant-writer workshop.
 The more letters of support you can secure, the better
your chance of success. Community support can be
critical throughout the grant review process.
 When you’ve found a potential grantor, contact them and
get the grant application kit sent to you, if it’s not
available online.
 Keep in mind that deadlines are not negotiable.

16. 8 Components of an Impressive
Proposal

17. 8 Components of an Impressive
Proposal

18. About State Grants
 Although every state has its own requirements, the
process for state grants is rather similar to the federal
grant process, simply on a smaller scale in most cases.
 Every year, the state also has to approve a budget, and
the amount of funds that are to be made available for
grant purposes are part of that budget. The federal
government provides many of these monies to the
states.

19. How to Find State Grant
Opportunities
 Find the opportunities in your state. Do an online search
for your state level grants. For example, if you live in
Idaho, you can search for ‘Idaho grants’.
 Apply for the applicable grants. Provide all the required
information.
 There are a lot of grants available at the state level, yet
there tends to be less competition for these grants than
those at the federal level.

20. Be Careful of Scams!
 Government grants are ripe ground for those that
perpetrate scams on good people.
 When people believe that money is available and it’s
hidden from common view due to the government’s
inefficiency, it’s easy for scammers to get in and get a
foothold.
“As I’ve said before, free money scams are a problem.”
- Matthew Lesko

21. Scams To Watch Out For:
Prepayment Scam

22. Scams To Watch Out For:
Grant Guarantee Scam

23. Things to Know to Avoid Being a Victim
 The government isn’t going to phone you to offer you a grant.
 No one can provide a guarantee to you that you’ll receive a grant.
Committees of government employees decide grant awards.
 Grants are only provided for specific purposes. If someone is
offering a grant for some vague reason, you know that something
isn’t right.
 Government grants require extensive applications and
documentation. You’ll never get one without going through the
application process.

24. How to Stay Clear of Scammers
 The most common justification given by a scammer for a
grant guarantee is that you’ve paid your taxes on time.
 Never give out your banking or credit card information
over the phone to someone that calls you about a grant.
 If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Keep your
wits about you and simply remember that you have to
initiate the process to receive a grant.

25. There really is grant
money available to
the average person.
Grants get awarded
every day.

26. Remember…

27. Closing Notes
 Don’t be the victim of a scam. If you haven’t applied for one, you’re not
going to be offered one.
 Grants are out there for the taking. Follow the tips in this report and
you’ll be well ahead of the pack!

28. We hope you enjoyed your Special Report!
Curtis Roese is an experienced professional with extensive experience in
personal finance and small business matters. Curtis writes and
publishes articles, courses, guides and special reports on his personal
finance blog.
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