Another site you can also have a look at is the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance or the CFDA. This has a list of Government grants and assistance. The Catalog also allows you to punch in key words for you to browse through the available grants out there by Category or by Topic Area.
Now that you found the grant perfect for you, you have to really understand what is written on the Eligibility Requirements. Understand these and make sure that you are qualified before you apply for the grant – so as to not waste time.
Another important note on government grants that you must consider is that they are not available all year-round. Just like fruits in the market, you cannot go there and buy it if it is not in season. You cannot apply for a grant just because you feel like it. You can only apply when it has the go signal from the Government agency.
The Government agency comes up with the funding for the grant. Once this is met, it announces to the Federal Register that the grant is available.
One must remember that researching for the right grant, looking for the one that is right for you and applying for it may take a lot of time and effort on your end. The forms are not simply filled up and sent in like how you do with credit card issuers. It does not work that way.
For one, grants are very competitive. Since this is some sort of "free lunch," a lot of people line up for it to be able to have a grant. However, government agencies sift through all these proposals and only approve those they have a gut feeling on who would make the most out of the money they lent them. Up to $25,000 to upgrade your skills as an Employee. US Government Grants for USA Citizens
There are some government agencies that would only provide funds to a specific kind of cost or expenses. Therefore, these government agencies will not be able to fully back the grantee up with the entire expenses.
Another thing is that not all grants are available all year-around. You have to check whether the grant that is right for the business venture, charity event or personal reasons you are interested in is available at that time.