Content

• Steps
• Tips
• Warnings

Despite the vast amount of books that have been written on how to find and apply for government grants, the easiest way to find out information about free personal grants is to go directly to the government. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services operates a website where you can find and apply for a variety of government grants available from 26 different federal agencies. We will show you how to do this. Read on!

Steps

1. 1 Search for available programs on the website Grants.gov. Grants are listed along with the agencies that administer them and the deadlines for when applications must be submitted. You can search in one of the following ways. You have the option to search for grant options without registering on the site, but you must sign up before applying for a grant.
   • Research 26 federal grant agencies. You can end this search with sub-agencies.
   • Search by funding category.
   • Search for opportunities that are part of the Recovery Act.
   • Search by keyword.
   • Search by government search codes such as Funding Opportunity Number (FON), Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA), or Funding Opportunity Competition ID.
2. 2 Read a summary of the grant opportunities. This description of the terms of the grant will allow you to assess its appropriateness before applying. Once you find a suitable grant, click the Application button.
3. 3 Download the package of documents required to apply for a grant. Each PDF package includes instructions specific to the government agency administering the grant, along with applications to be completed offline. Required fields are highlighted in yellow and marked with an asterisk.
   • You will need a version of Adobe Reader to complete the application forms. The Grants.gov website provides an opportunity to test your version of Adobe Reader to see if it is up to date, as well as a video guide to completing the application. If your organization employs more than one person, each computer used to complete the questionnaire must have a compatible version of Adobe Reader.
   • If you want to print the entire package of application forms, then you must open and print each of them separately. There are currently no conditions for printing a complete package at the same time.
   • Some fields can accept a limited number of characters. For example, the Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) field on the SF-424 form cannot exceed 30 characters, while the Organization Name field on the R&R Senior / Key Person Form is 60 characters. Exceeding the maximum number of characters in any field may cause your application to get stuck in the system, but if this happens, Grants.gov will notify you so you can resolve the issue.
   • Special characters such as ampersands (&), hyphens (-), asterisks ( *), oblique (/), hash (#), percent signs (%), periods, accents, or spaces are prohibited in fill fields. Separate individual words or rename the underlined components as needed (for example: "Applying_Company").
   • You can copy and paste information into the fields of the statement from a text editor such as Notepad; however, cutting and pasting from word processing programs can cause errors due to the special fonts and special characters that appear in the text. To copy text from a file created with a text editor, first save a copy of it as a text file (.txt), then open the text file with a text editor.
4. 4 Fill out the forms. After entering all the required information, check if you have completed everything and if there are any errors.
   • If you have a DUNS (Universal Numbering System Data) number, make sure it matches the number on the application and on the file.
   • Check all files you plan to attach for viruses before adding them.
5. 5 Submit the completed package of documents with all the necessary attachments. Once you are connected to the Internet, open the front page of the application bundle and click “Save & Submit” to upload the documents to Grants.gov. Make sure your attachments meet the requirements of the government agency managing the grant. Your submission must not exceed a total of more than 200 megabytes, although the governing body's requirements for the grant you are applying for may change this limitation.
   • Attached files must not exceed 50 characters in length and include the special characters &, -, *, /, # or blanks, accents, or spaces. You can separate words in filenames with underscores (example: Application_Attachment_File.pdf).
   • To speed up the processing process, Grants.gov requires that 2 files in a batch of documents do not have the same name. If your work files have the same name, then you need to rename them before attaching them to your application.
   • Video (.mpeg, .mov, .avi), graphic images (.gif, .webp, .tif)) and audio (.aif, .au, .wav) files must be compressed before you attach them to in accordance with the standards of the government agency administering the grant for which you are applying.
   • Once your application has been uploaded, you will see a confirmation window with the applicant's name and tracking number. Use the number provided in any correspondence with Grants.gov.
6. 6 Watch the submission of documents. Within the next 2 business days after your submission of your application, Grants.gov will notify you twice by email, first to notify you that your request has been received, and then whether it is accepted or rejected due to technical errors. If your application is approved, you will receive an email notification from Grants.gov that the grant agency has received your application, which may be followed by another email notifying you that the agency has assigned its own tracking number for your application ...
   • You can track your application to Grants.gov pending a response from an agency representative by clicking “Track My Application” in the left navigation bar of the site. Enter the tracking number (s) of the application (s) you want to verify; you can enter up to 5 numbers. To track a large number of applications, visit Grants.gov and click the Check Application Status link.
   • Once the agency responds, any status update requests should be directed directly to it. If an agency has assigned you a tracking number, you will be required to use that number for any correspondence with an agency that you can reach through Grants.gov.
   • If you have not received a second notice from Grants.gov within 2 business days, email [email protected] or call 1-800-518-4726. Be sure to include your tracking number when calling or writing.

Tips

• If you regularly seek government grants, you can subscribe to Grants.gov and be notified of new posts on federal grant opportunities. The subscription will also alert you to changes made to the package during the application period to ensure that your application meets the new requirements.

Warnings

• The grants available through the Grants.gov website do not deal with personal debt or other personal financial assistance. Information on loans for small business start-ups can be obtained from the Small Business Administration (www.sba.gov), while information on student loans can be found at www.Studentaid.ed.gov. Issues related to social security, health care or related social services are handled through the Government Benefits website (www.GovBenefits.gov).
• Make sure to apply before the deadline for a possible grant.