Does our government giveaway free grant money like advertised by certain people?

Question

IC on my computer every day were some company is claiming that the government gives away millions of dollars every year in free grant money. Is this true or not

Answer 1

YES - the government gives free money as grants but not in the way that most people advertise.

You may want to read the warnings FTC has issued against these "grant" companies:

http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2004/03/grantresources.htm
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/alerts/alt134.htm

Here is also one of the warnings issued by the Better Business Bureau http://www.concord.bbb.org/tips_timesharescams.html

The government is NOT in the business of giving away free money for the sake of giving away money. There are no grants for paying bills, no grants for paying off credit cards, no grants for getting out of debt and no grants for simply fattening your wallet.

Grants are free, but it means OBLIGATION. You will be obligated to do as the grant sets out to do. Grants have objectives, and your purpose must fit the objective of the grant.

For one, you have to write the grant application and the grant application is not a simple document - you have to explain how your purpose for applying for the grant fits well with the objectives set out by the grant.

There is a stringent review process through a committee. You will compete with other applicants for the grant money, and this grant review committee will evaluate the merits of each proposal. Only those that they feel exemplifies the objective of the grant will be approved.

You can go to the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) http://www.cfda.gov and Grants.gov http://www.grants.gov - these are two sites created by the federal government to provide transparency and information on grants. Browse through the listings and see if you can find any grant that would support your purposes.

Even if you buy books on "how to get grants" or list that supposedly has information on grants -- all of them are mere rehash of what CFDA has, albeit packaged differently.

Note though that these grants generally support non-profit organizations, intermediary lending institutions, and state and local governments. Most of the federal grants are given to specific target groups with specific requirements (e.g. minority business owners involved in transportation related contracts emanating from DOT - Grant#20.905 Disadvantaged Business Enterprises Short Term Lending Program. Individuals especially for personal purposes are not eligible for federal grants.

Grants are also often given to non profit groups or organizations involved in training or other similar activities (grant 59.043 Women's Business Ownership Assistance that are given to those who will create women's business center that will train women entrepreneurs

Answer 2

The government gives away research and scholarship grant money every year. The total amount in in the billions and not millions. This ranges from medial research grants to scholarships, and there are even some worthless ones. However, most are beneficial and have seen recent cuts in this administration in the areas of pell grants for students and research as a whole.
One Senator a while back started something called the Golden Fleece award to promote awareness of government spending. It is a grant (between $20,000 and $50,000) for the person who can provide the dumbest federally funded research proposals. Past winners included cionfirming the accuracy of television psychics, a study on the time it takes to cook breakfast, and a study on the various uses of wood.

Answer 3

Yes, but more like BILLIONS. For example, NIH gives medical research grants (but it requires a lot of work to receive them). And the VA provides tuition assistance and mortgage assistance, but you have to serve in the military. Every major government agency provides grants, but there is always a catch, you either have to prove need or do something constructive with the money (and each department has a group that audits and makes sure that you are living up to your part of the bargain - it's no fun to have an Inspector General after you, they have law enforcement power and prosecute fraud vigorously).

Answer 4

There are targeted Government grant s available for all sorts of stuff. Don't expect to get free money without doing something in return (IE start a business, go to school, start a charitable foundation, do some reserch, etc...)

Answer 5

IT does
you have to apply and jump through hoops but Grants are out there
They do not come to you in e-mail that is a scam

Answer 6

Very True. TYPE in govt. grant money into your search engine.

Answer 7

my home is failing apart i need a almost do over on my place help please

Answer 8

Look at our welfare system!

Answer 9

NO, it's a total scam !!