Federal Grants Overview
What Is a Grant?
A federal grant is an award of financial assistance from a federal agency to a recipient to carry out a public purpose of support or stimulation authorized by a law of the U.S. Federal grants are not federal assistance or loans to individuals.
A federal grant may not be used to acquire property or services for the federal government's direct benefit. The 26 federal agencies offer over 1,000 grant programs annually in various categories. Information about which federal agencies award grants can be found on Grants.gov.
What Is Grants.gov?
The Grants.gov program management office was established in 2002 as part of the President's Management Agenda. Managed by the Department of Health and Human Services, Grants.gov is an E-Government initiative operating under the governance of the Office of Management and Budget.
Under the President's Management Agenda, the office was chartered to deliver a system that provides a centralized location for grant seekers to find and apply for federal funding opportunities. Today, the Grants.gov system houses information on over 1,000 grant programs and vets grant applications for federal grant-making agencies.
Who Is Eligible?
When considering grant eligibility, your first step is to identify which type of organization you represent or whether you are applying as an individual. If you already know whether you will apply on behalf of your organization or as an individual, then you are ready to check your eligibility.
There are many types of organizations generally eligible to apply for funding opportunities on Grants.gov. Each type of applicant listed in the categories below is a specific search criterion in Search Grants.
Examples of eligible applicants for federal grants include:
- Government organizations
- Education organizations
- Public Housing organizations
- Nonprofit organizations
- For-Profit organizations
- Small businesses
- Individuals
- Foreign applicants
More detailed information on federal grant eligibility can be found on Grants.gov.