Free Money News April 2019

Welcome April, the birth month of Leonardo DaVinci, William Shakespeare and all those lucky folks whose birthstone is the diamond. April’s also the first full month of spring, yay! We hope your weather has turned bright and springy with lots of flowers and lots of green…

Speaking of green, we’re already into the sweet sixteen of NCAA March Madness. This year about $10 BILLION will be bet on the games. We’ll bet a lot of brackets were busted last Saturday when #3 Texas Tech beat #1 Gonzaga — what a nail-biter! Some experts predict we’ll see Duke vs. North Carolina in the final championship battle April 8th in Minneapolis. That would be amazing since neither team has ever even played in this tournament…More brackets busted…?

April also means tax season, with returns due on the 15th. Have you been putting off working on yours? If so, get going, and be sure to check out our Free Money Highlights below to see where and how to find some help.

On a happier note, we get to celebrate Passover and Easter this month – and realize how very much we have to be grateful for!

There are a huge number of business opportunities available with the federal government for businesses of all sizes. Do you know how to find and go after them? Check out our latest update to fob.gov and see how you might be able to boost your business.

Do you feel intimidated when you think about turning to the Small Business sAdministration for help and advice? Don’t be! You can get a lot of very worthwhile information and training from them just by going online. Learn more about the Business Guide in our latest update to sba.gov.

The latest news on Apply for a Grant is a great reminder and how-to about the government website that lists all current federal grant opportunities. There are thousands of them — and the site gets updated daily! You can let it overwhelm and frustrate you or you can get a quick refresher about how to use this resource to find opportunities for your business, big or small.

How About “Epic Grants”? This one’s not just for businesses but if you are making a living as a game developer or an educator or a filmmaker these could be for you. The are “Epic Grants” from Epic Games. Millions of dollars are available and applications are being accepted and judged on an ongoing basis ’til the money runs out. Discover more and get on it at Grants for Small Business

By the way, remember the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act? Was it a success? There are pretty strong opinions on both sides. And there are actually some opportunities left. You can learn more, including how to find them in our recently updated guide to recovery.gov.

Did you know you could be blowing your chance to get federal assistance for school just because you’re late applying? And unfortunately you’re not alone. It’s a terrible waste of a golden opportunity so go find out more at Federal Assistance in the United States. Seriously, it’s a mistake to leave money on the table, go check it out now!

Free college? Maybe so if you live in Tennessee! The University of Tennessee has announced that it will offer free tuition to many. See Grants in Tennessee for more about what students will qualify.

Have you seen the latest grant news in Florida? Grants are available for preserving sacred places, which in some cases perhaps could be related to housing. Grants of $50,000 to $250,000 are available. If this pertains to you go see our recent update to Grants in Florida. But don’t waste time — check it out now because applications are be due by May 1.

Did you know it’s possible to crowdfund your way to a down payment on a new house? It could happen — even in this crazy market. Others have figured it out — you can do in our March update to Down Payment Assistance.

What’s Happening with Healthcare?

Some commentators are expressing concerns over the Trump Administration’s potential move to make change the Medicaid system to function like block grants rather than as an entitlement. Their fear is that a reduction in funds and aid for low income and those with disabilities would be the result, as it was when Welfare Reform changed previous benefits to block grants. Others feel strongly that there could be plenty of upside for everyone as it would give the states more flexibility and stimulate creative solutions that would benefit all. And it’s highly unlikely that the administration would endanger benefits so close to the 2020 presidential elections. Get the latest in our Block Grants update.

Have you ever checked out the Federal Register? Did you even know it exists? You can learn a ton of amazing stuff — about grants as well as what’s going on in the federal government — in our guide to the Federal Register. And our latest update should cause quite a bit of concern. One of the things you can do on the Federal Register is to submit comments about upcoming bills. It is a requirement that the Register accept these comments as part of our democracy — and the comments can affect the fate of the bills. A recent discovery by the Wall Street Journal brings up serious issues that warrant further investigation. Take a look at our latest update to our review of the Federal Register.

And last but certainly not least: April is Social Security Month! The Social Security Administration is recognizing and celebrating it with some great tips and access to information that can help you plan, save, and enjoy your retirement. Their top highlight is all you can do when you create your My Social Security account. Suze Orman even gets in on the act — and you can learn best practices for protecting your information, which these days is more important than ever. Discover more in our review of ssa.gov.

So Happy April, and get on those taxes — act now to get some free help — see Free Tax Help for some guidance!