GOVERNMENT GRANTS FOR FOUNDATIONS

Government foundation grants are given by government agencies to foundations to implement their programs for research, education, youth, job training, health care, social programs, housing and many other purposes. The federal government has 26 federal grant agencies that offer assistance with 1,000 federal government grants available. State and local governments also have funds available that they receive from the federal government to give to foundations. Foundation government grants assist foundations with funding their programs in a variety of areas including agriculture, arts, health, housing, business, commerce, humanities, community development, information and statistics, consumer protection and environment, law, justice, legal services, disaster prevention relief assistance, natural resources, education, regional development, employment, training, science and technology, energy, social services, income security, environmental, transportation and food and nutrition. In turn, foundations are able to provide funds for community outreach programs for their communities and make grants available to individuals and other non-profits in areas such as arts and culture, training, technology, jobs, education, small business start-up and development, housing development, food, clothing, transportation, senior programs, health care, programs for disabled persons and other programs that benefit regional and local communities. With approximately 75,000 foundations nationwide, there are many different kinds of programs that benefit a wide range of services and individuals.

After receiving government grant awards, foundations must report how they use the funds to the government agency that provided the funds showing how they used the funds and providing measurement of successes. Foundations are subject to audit by the government and must comply with other requirements. Repeat funding is based upon performance. Do not become discouraged if your proposal is turned down because you can always re-apply the next year and learn from any mistakes that you made in order to improve your chances for future funding.

Since larger foundations provide grants to other smaller community organizations so that they can promote their individual programs, grant are extremely popular and funds may be limited. Therefore, there is a lot of competition for grants. You should start early and get your proposals in on time. It make several months after you apply for a grant to receive notification and then actually receive your award. Be patient and follow-up on with the agency by checking the status of your application online.

Finding Grant Opportunities

If you are a foundation looking for government grants, you should check your local community first and then look at the government website to get a list of grants that are available. Federal grants are identified by subject or category and can be found at the grants.gov website. Most government agencies require you to complete an application or proposal which is advertised on the government’s website. The guidelines and criteria are posted on the agency’s website, as well as contact information for questions, the deadline to submit the proposal and how and where to send it. Be sure to read all the information carefully and follow the instructions. When you write your proposal, address what the funder is asking for and not what you think they want. You will have a better chance of getting the award. You may even want to hire a professional grant writer to help you apply for federal grants.