the 4-1-1 | Keeping you dialed in

This is part one of a four part series on how to successfully obtain free grants.

What is a Grant

Grants are sums of money awarded to finance a particular activity or facility. Generally, these grant awards do not need to be paid back. Federal agencies and other organizations sponsor grant programs for various reasons. Before developing a grant proposal, it is vitally important to understand the goals of the particular federal agency or private organization, and of the grant program itself. This can be accomplished through discussions with the information contact listed in each resource description. Through these discussions an applicant may find that, in order for a particular project to be eligible for funding, the original concept may need to be modified to meet the criteria of the grant program. In allocating funds, grant makers base their decisions on the applicant’s ability to fit its proposed activities within the grant maker’s interest areas. This outline was written to make it easier for applicants to produce more competitive grant applications.

How to Find a Grant

With grants available all across America, grant possibilities are highly promising for organizations, communities & individuals. Due to many limitations, you should only apply to foundations whose goals and purposes closely match the use you and/or your organization has planned for the money. Start by noting the kinds of grants each foundation has made previously. This is a very good indication of the types of projects that it will fund in the future. Also, determine if the scope of the grants has been narrow and rigid, or have the grants been over a broad range of subjects. If it is the later it is an indication of flexibility in the grant-making organization. Once you have narrowed your choice down to a few select organizations, then you should ask them for more details about the foundation and the various grants they make.

Once you have established that a foundation or government agency seems to offer the grant you want, contact them by phone. Representatives of grant-making organizations in the government and in the private sector are usually quite willing to talk over the phone to prospective grant applicants about the details of the various programs they represent.

The single most comprehensive source of information on grants being offered through private foundations and grant makers is The Foundation Center, which has four regional offices and libraries. A wide range of directories, computer searches and seminars are available. Write or visit: The Foundation Center, 79 Fifty Ave., New York, NY 10506, (212) 620-4230. The Foundation Center, 1627 K. St. NW 3rd Fl., Washington, DC 20036, (202) 331-1400. The Foundation Center, 312 Sutter St. Suite 606, San Francisco, CA 94108, (415) 397-0902. The Foundation Center can be found online at http://foundationcenter.org/.

There are a few good government sources for contract and grants: 1.) The Federal Register, 2.) The Commerce Business Daily, 3.) The Congressional Register, 4.) The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance. All the aforementioned documents are available in public libraries, or from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402. To search for government grants online, you may go to www.grants.gov. With grants.gov you don’t need to sign up simply to search for a grant notice and obtain the contact information pertaining to that grant notice. For additional information regarding any of the aforementioned grant sources, go to your local public library and ask them to direct you to their government grant archives or general grant archives.

Feel free to consult your local library for the following foundation grant directories which list thousands of grant giving organizations: Foundation Grants to Individuals, published by the Foundation Center; Taft Foundation Reporter, published by The Taft Group, 5125 MacArthur NW, Washington, DC 20016; Taft Corporate Directory, published by “The Taft Group.” Feel free to inquire about any other grant sources that may be only available in your state and at your local library.

Ayo Rivers is the owner of A.R.C. Services, a full service company providing legal support, business solutions and grant services. If you feel you don’t have the time or expertise to search and write for a grant yourself, A.R.C. Services is available to assist your further. For a free consultation session and further assistance, contact Ms. Ayo Rivers by phone at 800-716-2140, ext. 10. Feel free to visit their website at www.arcservicesonline.com.