Grants to Improve Your Home

The government has allocated grant money for home grants that support housing development, grants for home improvements and repairs to make them more energy efficient, for green jobs, money to promote stable communities and help to low income families and individuals who need it. There are thousands of public housing projects going on across the nation. You may find state grants for home historic home preservations. State and local governments, colleges and universities and non-profit organizations as well as certain individuals may all qualify for home grants. Some grants are match-in-kind which means the applicant matches the amount of grant money given to them by the government. All grants are free.

Searching for Grants

If you are looking for a grant for home repairs and improvements, a down payment, or development of a community housing project, you will require grant search tools to help you find these specific grant opportunities. Start by checking the grants.gov website, your local state agencies and organizations and online grant directory websites to find funding opportunities that you may qualify for so you can apply for those free funds. Besides the grants.cov website, HUD and the Dept. of Agriculture are two federal agencies that give housing grants. It is a good idea to register at these sites if you are looking for grants for home repairs and renovations or down payment assistance. Other places to register are foundation websites so that you are alerted when all new opportunities come up that fall in your category. Funds are limited so you will need to apply for several grants before you may even receive one. Do not be discouraged, because the more applications you complete and submit, the better chance you will receive some funding.

Some people hire a grant writer to help them find funding. Unless you are experienced at searching for grant or have an unlimited amount of time to spend on research, it might be worth it to hire a professional to help you. If you cannot afford one, then you still can find grants on your own, but it may take you a little bit longer.

Request for Propsoals and Applications

Sometimes funders send out request for proposals. In fact, requests for proposal are becoming more popular right now. Most grants have submission deadline dates that you must follow while some funders have open dates to apply. Always check the funder’s website to find out about the funder’s eligibility requirements, exclusions and submission dates so you don’t miss any opportunities.

Obtaining housing grants is a great way to get free money that you don’t have to pay back. Since there is no way to be assured that you will receive a grant award, it is advisable to apply to multiple grants at the same time. There is no limit on the number of grants you can apply for and receive.