Types of Grants and Where to Find Them

There are many types of grants and grant providers. It is important to understand them in order to identify grants for which you may qualify. The list below will help you find your grant by providing a brief description of the major types of grants. For each type of grant we also provide advice about where you can find grant opportunities. Also learn more about Federal Grant Recipient Categories.

Important Information Regarding Business Grants and Obama's Economic Stimulus Program: Go to our Grants for Business section to learn more about this program and how your company might benefit.

Remember to also check out “New Grant Opportunities” at the bottom of each page of this website to get real-time news on available grants. That section is updating continuously and demonstrates how often new opportunities are being announced.

And if you are a Regional Government that is interested in finding grants, check out Block Grants. As an alternative to Grants, see Microfinancing in the United States.

As a general consideration, most grants can now be found and applied for online. Check out some specific examples and tips for finding and applying for grants online. You may also want to take a look at Free Grants for a better understanding about what grants are.

Grants: Where to Look:

Don't forget to check your state's website to find grants. You might be surprised how many are available for business, for schooling, for non-profits and for other community agencies. And check out our articles about grants in specific states: Grants in Florida, Grants in Texas, Grants in California, Grants in Illinois, Grants in [[grants_in_tennessee|Tennessee]] and our newest, Grants in New Mexico.

States receive grants from the federal government and distribute funds according to their intended use. As an example, a major announcement late in 2016 concerns new grants totaling almost $1 billion which will go to fight the opioid crisis in the U.S. This is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Opioid Initiative that started in 2015. States had to apply for the funds by a specific date so it’s clearly important – whether you are an individual or a state – to stay on top of government announcements about grant opportunities. Our review of grants.gov provides clear instructions for using and searching that website.

Update August 2019

First, always check out the recent updates that are summarized at the bottom of each page on this website. We are constantly making updates and adding new information that could help your search. Some articles you might not have noticed include topics that could be of great interest. These include Land Grants (yes, the do still exist, but you need to know where to find them…) ,Government Grants to Purchase a Home and even Grants for Felons. Another alternative to grants you might want to consider is Crowdfunding. Once used mainly for business and art projects it’s now used for a number of different personal needs, like financing a home or paying medical bills.

News February 2019 Sometimes it can be even easier: you can arrange to have grant opportunities come to you! For example, a new announcement of grants from the National Endowment for Humanities recently arrived by way of their newsletter, which you can sign up to receive via email. The Office of Digital Humanities was briefly closed down during the government shutdown but they are back up and running. And they have new grants and new deadlines for applying. These grants are for studies in the area of Digital Humanities. The new deadline for applications is rxtended to March 26, 2019. You can find additional information and specifics about new grants at the website of the Instititutes for Advanced Topics in the Digital Humanities.

Travel Grants:

Interested in Travel Grants? Whether you're a student, a teacher or other type of professional or someone just interested in learning and in improving human relations worldwide? Check out Travel Grants for some opportunities.

For those who are disabled and for their caregivers, see our article about Disability Grants and what your options are now that disability.gov has gone away…

And for single moms: there may not be a lot of grants for you but there are various programs and support services that should be of interest. Find out more in Grants for Single Moms.

More Grant Resources We add new articles regularly based on requests and input from our readers. Some of the most recent include:

For Women in Business (and those who want to be): a new article about Business Help for Women. It's got lots of helpful information about new and updated information about ways to finance and grow your business.

For Job Seekers: Have you ever thought about working for the government? Federal and state governments are huge employers and you can easily search online for jobs from entry level to senior executive. Take a look at Government Jobs.

Grants For Individuals: No they're not abundant but they do exist. See what's available and if you might be eligible for Personal Grants.

Students: If you're trying to figure out how to pay for college – and who isn't?! – take a look at our article about Grants for College. And good luck!

Ex-Offenders: If you or someone you know has recently been released from prison – or expects to leave prison soon — you or they may have a tough go of it. Particularly if you've been in for a long time, the world has changed dramatically. And very little support is offered by the prison system to help you get back into society. There are some people that can help though and you need to look them up and get all the help you can get. Check out our review of Grants for Felons to find some options for assistance.

Senior Benefits If you are a senior you probably know about Medicare but did you know there are lots of programs available for Seniors? Whether you need help buying food, repairing your furnace, finding a job or even finding a creative arts project, get some great tips in Grants for Seniors!

Grants for Women are far more numerous than you might think if you search the topic. The most frequent and attention-getting ads and articles are typically all about grants to help pay for school. But women's lives are about that and so much more – and happily there are lots of grants out there to help. Lots more information is available at Grants for Women.

Church Grants are pretty specific and have their own universe of potential grantmakers. If you are looking for funds for a church see Grants for Churches.

Government Grants: For up-to-the-minute information on new grant opportunities, check the bottom of each page on this site often for daily updated information. For information on all available government grants, go online to Grants.gov. Federal agencies now typically announce grant opportunities online. Go to the Government Funding section to find links to federal grant programs and opportunities.

State Grants: Individual states also offer a wide variety of grants, including some for individuals and often hard to find grants in the arts. You can do an internet search to find out if your state has a website devoted to this purpose. If you live in Florida, Illinois, New York, Texas, California or Tennessee, go directly to our articles on Grants in Florida, Grants in Illinois, Grants In New York, Grants in California, Grants in Tennessee and Grants In Texas to discover opportunities there. New York stands out in terms of its grant programs for the Arts and Humanities, worth checking out if you live there (or would like to!).

Pell Grants: Pell Grants are awarded by the Federal Government based on financial need. Criteria are evaluated based on the applicant's completed Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Learn more on the Pell Grants page.

Project Grants are what you typically think of when you talk about competing for grants. They are awarded based on the applications of those seeking funds, and they exist in a wide variety of areas including health and medical research, science and technology, education, the humanities, social services, the arts,and community development.

Other Grants: Identifying available grants from Foundations and Corporations is a bit more involved as there is not a single central listing agency. If you are a teacher - or know one who could use some financial support - definitely see our article about grants for teachers. One worthwhile approach is to find the “Foundation Center Cooperating Collection nearest you.” These collections, created by the Foundation Center (a nonprofit research and publishing group in New York), provide some of the Foundation Center’s publications and typically can provide print and online directories of national funders as well as additional useful resources. You can also learn valuable tips about finding and successfully competing for Foundation Grants in a system we recommend – read about it in our March 2103 Newsletter.

Some corporations are very active in support of their communities. They give grants to effective non-profits that are making a difference locally. For interest, Walmart is a great example. Last year their foundation gave out $1.4 billion in cash grants and “in kind” donations in the U.S. and around the world. Check out their website to see grants they offer an ongoing basis.

A great way for non-profit organizations to find available grants is by learning more about the Common Grant Application and its web site. According to that site, grantseekers who can use their services include Non-profit organizations, Non-governmental organizations, Charities, Churches, Libraries, Schools, Government agencies, Individuals, Groups, and associations, coalitions, and alliances of grantseekers. Also see our latest article on Grants for Nonprofits.

Trusts and Corporations can also be found through subscription-based directories such as the Foundation Center Directory. The most basic subscription is about $240 per year, providing fairly limited search capabilities. More functional versions begin at $480 for one year.

Grant Database Services: In addition to the resources noted above, there are many consultants who can help you. A potentially less expensive route is to investigate some of the many grant-related software programs that can help you find grants, prepare to write grants, and apply for grants.