A Federal grant is an award of financial assistance from a Federal agency to a recipient to carry out a public purpose of support authorized by a law of the United States. Federal grants are not Federal assistance or loans to individuals. Grants are not benefits or entitlements.

Most Federal grants go directly to states in the form of either formula (e.g. based on a state’s population) or block grants. Then, the states may make sub-awards to local organizations. However, there are also up to 1,700 different types of competitive grant programs that you may apply for directly through a Federal agency.

Non-profits, educational organizations, for-profit organizations, state and local governments, tribes, and individuals can all apply for Federal grants.

A good place to start is grants.gov, the main clearinghouse for federal grant opportunities. Before applying for any Federal grant, you will need to register your organization for access to grants.gov. Click on the “Applicants” tab and look under “Applicant Resources” to begin registration. The first step involves getting a Data Universal Number System (DUNS) Number to identify your organization. Think of it as a Social Security Number for your organization. The entire registration and approval process usually takes anywhere from two business days to a couple of weeks.

Grants for individuals are given primarily through financial aid and scholarships. Pell Grants are one example. To search for student aid, visit the Federal Student Aid website.

Information on Federal grants available for small businesses can be found here.

Most formula and block grants are awarded to the Georgia state government. State agencies are familiar with Federal program requirements and may be able to assist you with proposals and provide other guidance. In addition, they may have their own grant opportunities that are solely funded by the state. You can find more information about Georgia State Agencies here.

Yes, by going to beta.usaspending.gov. The main purpose of the site is to provide you with information on how tax dollars are being spent.

Yes, grant scams exist. There can be ads that claim to give you a free grant to pay for your education, home repairs, unpaid bills or business expenses. The Federal Trade Commission, the nation’s consumer protection agency, has a few basic rules to keep you from losing money to scams:

1. Don’t give out your bank account information to anyone you don’t know. Scammers pressure people to divulge their bank account information so that they can steal the money in the account. Always keep your bank account information confidential. Don’t share it unless you are familiar with the company and know why the information is necessary.
2. Don’t pay any money for a “free” government grant. A real government agency won’t ask you to pay a processing fee for a grant that you have already been awarded — or to pay for a list of grant-making institutions. The names of agencies and foundations that award grants are available for free at any public library or on the internet. The only official access point for all federal grant-making agencies is www.grants.gov.
3. Look-alikes aren’t the real thing. Just because the caller says they’re from the “Federal Grants Administration” doesn’t mean that they are. There is no such government agency. 
4. Phone numbers can deceive. Some con artists use internet technology to disguise their area code in caller ID systems. Although it may look like they’re calling from Washington, D.C., they could be calling from anywhere in the world.
5. Take control of the calls you receive. If you want to reduce the number of telemarketing calls you receive, place your telephone number on the National Do Not Call Registry. To register online, visit donotcall.gov. To register by phone, call 1-888-382-1222 (TTY: 1-866-290-4236) from the phone number you wish to register.
6. File a complaint with the FTC. If you think you may have been a victim of a government grant scam, file a complaint with the FTC online, or call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357); TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, identity theft, and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure online database available to hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad.

The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance website has a “Writing Grants” page that provides the fundamentals of writing a grant proposal. In addition, the Foundation Center offers guidance for grant writing here.

This site contains sample grant proposals (geared toward education) that were successful. Examples of proposals may include ones to local, state and Federal agencies, as well as proposals to foundations.