Is it true that there are government grants for just about anything?

Question

I see a lot of ads (most recently for a book "Debt Cures They Dont Want You to Know About) that state that there gov. grants to help you pay for just about anything! I dont know if all these things are just scams or if grants really do exist for things like debt payoffs and downpayments on homes and things like that.

I am wanting to know from people who have either gotten money from the gov. for things like this or who know someone who has and how they went about finding where to apply.

I ask because there are so many ads and everyone wants you to pay them for them to tell you where to go and apply... that seems absurd to me.

Any help is appricitaed. Thanks.

Answer 1

grants are very hard to get - most can only be used for very specific purposes and just to open a business isn;t specific enough - all those places do is a provide a list of places that offer grants - you still have to apply for the grants and like I said - each one has very specific requirements and the money must be used for specific purposes - look for Lesko's book at a library and look thru it - you'll see - very few people can even qualify for 99% of the grants - Women and minorities have a little better chance in general

Answer 2

My parents started a non-profit organization last year and are working with the leading grant expert in the country.  It's not as easy as just filling out an application.  There are grant writing teams - basically a proposal of what you plan to do with the money, and it's more like book-length than just a few pages.  

The people who are giving away the money in the form of grants want every detail possible and it usually benefits the community over individuals.  Minorities don't necessarily have it easier because they too have to go through all the necessary steps (which is very time consuming - I'm talking months), and there are only a small percentage of grants that are designated for minorities.  Most are meant to help the community or a specific cause before considering race/gender of the applicants.

Also, you may have to go talk to the people who are giving away grant money (local government officials are a good source).  If you're looking for a grant to pay for school, your financial aid department would be the best place to start.  If you just want to pay off some credit card debt I don't think you'll find anyone willing to give you a grant for that.  You'll need to state a specific need in your grant proposal.  And there are certain steps you have to take (grant proposal included) or they won't even look at your application.  If you're serious about it, and if you have a real need or a service you can provide for the community, you should look into finding a grant expert.  They know the steps you have to take in order to actually get a grant, and it's usually a long time (a year or more) before any grant is actually awarded to you.  Good luck!

Answer 3

scam alert! you can go to the grants.gov website and file for a grant for free. you dont need to pay anyone to do it. and they are not grants for anything! you have to fit strict qualifications to get a grant for which gov branch specifies what they will grant money for. its very hard and few people actually get money. go ahead and try. good luck.