Grant Program For Broadband Internet!

As part of President Obama's stimulus plan there is a grant program that has been started to increase broadband internet access! The first of these grants are supposed to start this month - April 2009!

$8 Billion Dollars has been earmarked for this grant program although the details haven't been fully finalized on how this grant funding will be spent and who will qualify for the grants.

There has been a lot of interest in this particular grant program from lobbyists, telecommunications service providers and community organizers.

The funding agency said it plans to have three rounds of funding for broadband grants, with the first funds available as early as next month through June. The grants must be awarded by Sept. 30, 2010 and the government must ensure that the projects are mostly complete within two years. Applicants must also show the project would not have occurred if not for this funding program.

Part of the reason for this funding program is to generate jobs right away; workers will be needed to dig more trenches to lay down fiber and put up more cell towers. It is also a key to creating valuable high-paying jobs in the future that can help lift troubled economies.

There will be three agencies that will be in charge of the funding program which will oversee $4.7 billion in funding!. The U.S. Department of Agriculture will distribute $2.5 billion in grants and loans. The FCC has been given $350 million to create a better data collection system with a mapping program showing what services are provided in every geography of the nation. The FCC is also supposed to come up with a plan within one year to bring broadband Internet to all Americans. The remainder of the $8 billion will go to administration costs, subsidy programs for low-income users, and audits of the grants.

But before doling out the money, the agencies said they will host a series of public meetings to get comments about how best to implement the program. The agency decided to host the public meetings after receiving more than 2,000 requests for private meetings from telecom companies and other interested parties!

At the hearings and on the agency's public comments web site, interested parties can make recommendations. The funding plan was broadly worded in a way that can include wireless, fiber optic and cable networks and the agencies said they will take into consider which technologies make the most sense from an economic and technological perspective for the area served.

Updates!

The Washington Post also noted that under the stimulus law, the "first funds" for broadband expansion must start flowing between April and June of this year! All grants must be awarded by Sept. 30, 2010, and the broadband projects are supposed to be almost complete within two years.

The administration says it is soliciting comments from interested parties on a wide range of topics, including the criteria for awarding grants and who will be eligible to receive them.

It just goes to show you that I am not the only one that knows that there are government grant programs out there to be had for the small businesses! Here is a link to an article written by someone else who knows that there are government (and other) grant programs out there for the small business. I hope you enjoy reading the article and I hope that it convinces you that there are indeed government grant programs out there for those that have (or are thinking about starting) a small business!

Government Grant Program For Removal of Lead Paint In Homes!

The Department of Housing and Urban Development has issued A Federal Grant award in the amount of $7 Million Dollars to one city to help eliminate lead hazards in the homes of low-income households. This grant money is expected to help more than 500 families over the next three years. (So far this grant program has helped over 700 families in the local area!)

To qualify for one of the individual grants

• the home must have children under the age of 6
  
  
• the home must be owner-occupied or rental housing built before 1978
  
  
• Families are eligible if their household income is at 80 percent or below the median income, or $63,200 for a family of four.

The individual grant awards are at a maximum of $10,000 per individual grant award and the home repairs / improvements may include the replacement of lead paint-contaminated doors and windows or removal of the paint itself, followed by repainting.

For more information about this government grant program you can contact the Housing Commission by the phone number that they have included or you can send them an email via the email address that was given.



Government Grant Programs For Housing?

In their continuing efforts to help people to not become homeless the government has grant programs for housing which should be available in most states. If you need help for building a new home, financial assistance help with your mortgage or you need financial help to help pay your rent then you should look into what the government grant programs may have to offer you! They have government grant programs that help provide financial relief for those that are having problems paying their rent, if you need a low interest loan to help construct your own home!, and government programs for special prices for homes and apartments.

This is probably another one of the reasons that real estate investors have been applying for government grants relating to housing! For instance homeowners may be eligible to apply for government programs where they get reimbursed for providing discounted rent to low income families!

People who want to build their own home can get housing grants and loans. People who can afford small amount of down payment can build homes through sweat equity and get low interest home owner funds and loans.

Receive Money To Relocate!

Here is a program that offers families as much as $50,000 to relocate to another city so that they can involved with that city's only synagogue.

Fearing that the city's congregation would dwindle and die, this program was started last year and its goal is to bring as many as 19 more Jewish families over the next five years. Worried about what the future might hold, one of the congregation members put up money to begin the program to attract as many as 20 new Jewish families. Ads in Jewish newspapers were taken out to help spread the word.

So far, about 400 families have since applied and 60 of them were qualified after their initial screening. Finalists go through a vetting process that includes written references -- including one from their rabbi -- home visits, checks for criminal and financial problems, and interviews.

In return for resettling and being active with the congregation for at least five years, families are reimbursed as much as $50,000 to cover items including moving expenses, housing, outstanding debt, education, temple dues and seed money for a small business. The fund will also pay the first year of temple dues for the family and, eventually, help with a down payment on a permanent home.


One of the families that has taken advantage of this program didn't receive the full $50,000 amount but they could receive as much as $30,000 to help pay off debts and reimburse them for resettlement expenses, including rent and furniture for the house where they are living now.

Grants! - President Barack Obama's Stimulus Package Plan Includes: $1,000,000,000 for low income home energy assistance $2,000,000,000 for childcare and block grants *Please see my Grant Basics 101 - Daycare Blog for more information about daycare-related grant programs! $16,126,000,000 for student financial aid $3,000,000,000 grants to airports $500mil Native American housing block grants $1,500,000,000 for homeless assistance grants If you would like a complete listing of the stimulus package programs then please look at the Ebook offers on the left side of this blog!

Does Your Church's

Organization Need Money

For Their Youth

Program?

The purpose of this grant program is to increase the number of gifted young people considering ordained ministry as a profession because studies have shown that fewer than 7 percent of clergy serving most denominations at this time are under age 35.

So far, nine of these grants have been awarded to eight congregations representing four different denominations and one federation of Asian-American congregations. One of these congregations was a Presbyterian congregation in Charlotte, North Carolina!

Daycare Start-Up Grant Applications Being Accepted! One state's Department of Social Services has issued a Request for Application for the start up of new or the expansion of existing child care facilities for children ages birth through 24 months. Applications for this grant has been accepted in previous years March 30, until May 7 of the same year. However you can use this printable version application as a worksheet to prepare for future applications. You can watch the department's web site for future grant applications in the early spring. You can also be added to their notification list for their next child care grant by e-mailing your name, mailing address, telephone number, and e-mail address to their own email address.

Rose
Grant Basics 101 Daycare Blog

The Switch To Digital TV!

I just got finished posting on my Getting To Know You Blog about the switch to digital tv and me not being ready for it!

I have now come to find out that the deadline date has been extended to June 12 which is a BIG relief to me!

Since grant research and grant consulting is what I do I decided to go ahead and fill out my application online for the 2 $40 off coupons that the government is allowing each household!

I went to their website and filled out an application online. I already know from listening to the news that the funding has run out for the coupons but those who still sign up between now and March are still eligible to apply for the coupons.

I have a copy of their application and will give a copy to those who make a $5 donation however it should be noted that even though the date has been extended to June, the application itself still has the February 17, due date on it. However you will be glad to know that the application also includes links to their website as well!



Even though this doesn't officially qualify as a government grant (heck - maybe it does!) I do believe that all things are related....

This is after all a program providing financial relief to those in need and actually this is quite different because it seems that all households regardless of income are eligible to apply for this coupons - which is probably one of the best examples of a government grant program - right?

IRS data show that each year about 131 million individuals file tax returns and pay an average of $7,633 to the IRS. The U.S. Office of Management and Budget and recent independent studies show that the government gives out over $1.5 Trillion a year to individuals through its free money programs. One and one half trillion dollars in government money programs, divided by 131 million taxpayers, means that the average taxpayer is getting $11,450 a year in cash back from the government in free money programs. Are you getting yours?

How About A Grant Program For Biking Organizations?

There is a biking-related foundation that has awarded four grants so far this year in the amount of $10,000. Applicants can request up to $10,000. Requests for more than $10,000 will generally be viewed unfavorably unless the applicant has an extremely compelling case that the proposal is of unique and/or national importance. These grant awards have gone to organizations that are supporting their communities through bicycling, establishing innovative bike programs for young riders, and setting—and raising—the bicycle-advocacy bar. Grants are awarded for best practices in bicycle advocacy, safety, and youth programming. Bicycle advocacy organizations must have a mission and activities directly relating to bicycling. They typically work to improve bicycling conditions and affect positive change on a local, regional, state, or national level. Most are incorporated 501c3 nonprofits.


Recipients of these grants include an organization that has an incentive program that promotes healthier, happier children, and a cleaner environment, by encouraging kids to ride their bikes and walk to school. Their program began in 2004 at an elementary school and has since gone on now to include other elementary schools as well.

This grant program strives to put more people on bicycles more often by funding important and influential projects that leverage federal funding and build momentum for bicycling in communities across the U.S. These projects include bike paths, lanes, and routes, as well as bike parks, mountain bike trails, BMX facilities, and large-scale bicycle advocacy initiatives.

Since 1999, this organization has awarded 180 grants to municipalities and grassroots groups in 45 states and the District of Columbia, investing nearly $1.5 million in community bicycling projects and leveraging close to $500 million in federal, state, and private funding.

Who is eligible to apply? - The organization welcomes grant applications from organizations and agencies within the United States that are committed to putting more people on bicycles more often. Nonprofit trails groups and public agencies or departments at the local, regional, and national levels may apply for facility grants. The organization encourages municipalities to partner with bicycle advocacy groups when applying for our funding in order to insure that bicyclists are involved in and supportive of the project. The organization does not fund individuals.


Fundable projects include paved bike paths and rail-trails as well as mountain bike trails, bike parks, BMX facilities, and large-scale bicycle advocacy initiatives.

The organization does not accept applications for bicycle recycling, repair, or earn-a-bike programs, or for bicycle rodeos.

Grant applications will be accepted from nonprofit organizations whose missions are bicycle and/or trail specific. Public agencies and departments at the national, state, regional, and local levels, are encouraged to align with a local bicycle advocacy group that will help develop and advance the project or program. (Please note that grants are rarely awarded to organizations and communities that have received their grantfunding within the past three years.)

If your organization is new, and you have not yet acquired your nonprofit status, you may submit an application with the assistance of another nonprofit that has agreed to serve as your fiscal agent. You will need to provide a letter from the fiscal sponsor outlining their role in the project.

This organization does not fund individuals.

It is also important to note that the organization has moved to paperless applications. Applications are now accepted via e-mail only.

The completed application consists of three main parts. Please submit the following material in ONE e-mail, with your project title in the subject line. Your e-mail message should not exceed 10 MB.

1. Cover Letter: The letter should introduce your organization and proposal. It should appear as the body of the e-mail.
   
   
2. The application is available as a downloadable file: This Microsoft Word file includes the Administrative Information Form and the Grant Application Narrative.
   
   
3. Attachments: These include your financials as well as support letters from the bike industry*, a list of your board members, a project map or plan, and media articles.

*Support letters from the local bicycle industry are KEY to your proposal. Letters from this organization's members—retailers and suppliers—will strengthen your application. Please ask your supporters to address their letters to the Grant Committee, as form letters will not be considered. You can visit the organization's website to view a list of their members.

Additional information is not encouraged unless it is absolutely essential to the organization's understanding of your project. They will contact you should they need further information on which to base a decision.

The organization no longer accepts mailed or faxed applications. All application materials must be submitted together, in the same e-mail message—no exceptions. Incomplete or excessively long applications will not be considered.

Completed applications can be sent via email

Grant Application Schedule runs on a quarterly cycle up to February 2010. Applications must be e-mailed by the due date in order to be considered for the ensuing decision date.

Depending on the number of applications received, the organization currently awards funding to about 15–20% of completed applications.

Generally, grantees can expect to receive funding within three weeks of the grant award.

For more information about this grant program you can read the organization's guidelines on their website, contact them via email or you can contact them by phone.

Are You Looking To Buy A Home At A Discount?

So many people are looking for government (or other) grant money to be able to buy their own home. Here is a government grant program that allows eligible applicants to buy a home at a discounted price.

If you are a law enforcement officer, this program may help you purchase a home in a HUD-revitalization area by offering qualified purchasers a 50% discount off the list price of homes available from HUD's inventory. You must agree to live in the home for three years and it may be your only residence during that time.

General Program Requirements

In order to qualify for this benefit program, you must be or have been a law enforcement officer who is employed (full-time) and is a current or prospective homeowner.

Application Process

For more information about applying for this program, you can visit the government's website.

Update! - If you are a law enforcement officer, firefighter, emergency medical technician, or teacher, this program may help you purchase a home in a HUD-revitalization area by offering qualified purchasers a 50% discount off the list price of homes available from HUD's inventory. You must agree to live in the home for three years and it must be your sole residence.

General Program Requirements - In order to qualify for this benefit program, you must be or have been a law enforcement officer, firefighter, emergency medical technician, or teacher who is employed (full-time) and is a current or prospective homeowner.

Objectives - To strengthen America's communities by providing homeownership opportunities to law enforcement officers in HUD- designated revitalization areas, and to improve the quality of life in these neighborhoods by their presence.

Types of Assistance - Sale, Exchange, or Donation of Property and Goods.


Uses and Use Restrictions - Law enforcement officers may purchase HUD-owned single unit properties located in designated revitalization areas at a 50 percent discount off list price. Officers must agree to occupy homes as their sole residence for a period of 3 years. The officer must also agree to execute a second mortgage and note in the name of the Department for an amount equal to the 50 percent discount. This zero interest note will gradually decrease over the 3-year mandatory residence period until it reaches zero. Should the officer leave the home before the 1st anniversary of occupancy, 90 percent of the discounted amount will be due to HUD. Departure before the 2nd anniversary of occupancy will require a 60 percent repayment, and departure before the 3rd anniversary of occupancy will require a 30 percent repayment of the discounted amount. Officers must certify initially, and once annually, for each year of the occupancy term, that he/she continues to own and live in the home as a sole residence, and that no other residential real estate is owned.

Eligibility Requirements - Applicant Eligibility

This program is limited to a specialized group. To be eligible for this program, participants must be law enforcement officers. A law enforcement officer is defined as an individual who is employed full-time by a Federal, State, county, or municipal government or a college or university, and is sworn to uphold, and make arrests for, violations of Federal, State, county, or municipal law. The authority to make arrests must be general arrest power - not simply arrest authority which is confined to a specific building, facility, or group of persons.


Beneficiary Eligibility - Law enforcement officers purchasing a HUD-owned home in a designated revitalization area for use as their residence.
Credentials/Documentation


Application Procedure - Interested law enforcement officers apply by submitting a bid for a property listed through HUD's sale disposition program. Properties for sale are listed on the internet at sites accessible to the general public. Bids are submitted electronically. The bid amount submitted must be displayed list price.

Award Procedure - A winning bid is selected randomly each week. The winning bidder is offered the property at a 50 percent discount off the list price. A document package is mailed to the selected bidder. The bidder accepts by signing and returning the sales documents. The selected bidder receives title to the home at a sales closing. The selected bidder arranges for financing of the purchase price.


Deadlines - Properties eligible for this program are offered exclusively to officers for bidding for five days beginning with the first listing of the property. Unsold homes continue to be available for purchase through the program under modified rules related to the length of time the property is unsold.


Formula and Matching Requirements - The assistance is in the form of a 50 percent reduction in the list price of the home selected for purchase.


Length and Time Phasing of Assistance - The assistance is provided in exchange for the buyer's commitment to occupy the homes as a personal residence for three years. Each year of occupancy results in the forgiveness of one third of the discount value. Early vacation of the premises requires repayment of a pro rata amount of the discount.

Post Assistance Requirements - Reports - The officer purchasing the home must submit an annual certification for each of three years that he or she resides in the home and does not own any other residential real property.

Program Accomplishments - As of April 1, 2003, approximately 7,352 officers have purchases homes under this program in the United States and the District of Columbia, with an estimated value of $367,600,000. Sales in fiscal year 2003 are estimated to be approximately 1,500. Projections for fiscal year 2004 are about the same.

Program information is available on HUD's official website.

There are also related programs for teachers!

For policy questions not covered on the website, you can contact the office division by regular mail, email or by phone (this is not a toll free number).

Proposed Grant Program To Help Pay Back Student Loans.....

Although this program is only in the "proposal" stages now this is the procedure of how new grant programs get started all the time!

There is a current proposal underway to start a new state program that will help provide doctors to areas that are medically "underserved".

The proposal includes the offering of grants to help repay education loans and other incentives (including financial incentives) to help make it more attractive to doctors to serve in areas that do not have adequite medical help.

source
Empire State News

So many people have emailed me and asked me about whether or not there are any grant programs out there to help them pay off their student loans and here is a very good example of a grant program (even though its still in its early proposal stages) that talks about just that!

To find out about other grant programs relating to paying back student loans you can take a look at my Grants Related Page and click on the "Student Loans link that appears near the top of that page.

If Convicted Sex Offenders Can Get Federal Aid, Then Why Can't You?

I get a lot of email from people who ask about grant programs and financial aid for going back to school. They tell me that finding information about financial aid for school is too hard to find.

Then you're going to have to explain why there was a recent article about how convicted sex offenders were getting federal financial to take online courses? And to make this story even more newsworthy it turns out that a lot of them spent the money on things like clothing and music! One of Iowa's most dangerous sex offenders has received thousands of dollars in federal aid to take college courses through the mail! (Prison inmates are ineligible for this kind of funding. Students convicted of certain drug offenses are also ineligible.) One of the "loopholes" for applying for this kind of federal financial aid is that the applicant doesn't have to disclose their living arrangements on their application forms - which means that the sex offenders didn't have to disclose where they were "living". In the state of Iowa more than 10 offenders in a Cherokee Mental Health Institute received grants. More than half of them dropped their courses after receiving the grant money.

Recent information about such offenders receiving this grant money came as a result of a newspaper report about 54 offenders at one Florida center getting $200,000 in grants in one year.

Of course there are arguments on both sides about this recent finding. On the one hand some think that being able to take educational courses will help some sex offenders adjust better in society and others think that it is a waste of taxpayer dollars.

But as someone who does grant research I find the fact that those mentioned in the article were able to find out about such information about grants quite intriguing when other people have told me that they couldn't find any information about grants and / or financial assistance for going back to school. Now you even know that there is financial aid available even if you want to take online courses!

A $15 MILLION Dollar Government Grant Program Open To The Public!

This means that ANY one (or any organization) can apply for this grant!

However be forewarned that the deadline to apply for this grant is

February 18, 2008!

This government grant program invites investigators who possess the theoretical, methodological, measurement, and managerial skills, as well as institutional resources, to undertake a large-scale survey data collection project to submit proposals to conduct a general survey and an international survey. This survey is a personal interview survey that collects data on a wide range of topics: behavioral items such as group membership and voting; personal psychological evaluations, including measures of happiness, misanthropy, and life satisfaction; attitudinal questions on such public issues as abortion, crime and punishment, race relations, gender roles, and spending priorities; demographic characteristics of respondents and their parents. The basic survey design is a repeated cross-sectional survey of a nationally representative sample of non-institutionalized adults who speak either English or Spanish. The survey consists of a 90-minute in-person interview, with forty-five minutes devoted to the core items, 15 minutes to questions selected as part of the international survey program, and 30 minutes allocated to topical modules. The “core” consists of questions that regularly appear on the general survey, allowing long-term comparisons. The topical modules are used to introduce new topics not previously investigated by the general survey and to cover existing topics in greater detail. The topical modules are currently supported by external funding secured by the principal investigator (PI).

Basically what this means is that if you are an individual or organization (you can be either a for-profit or non-profit) then you are eligible to apply for this grant program which basically consists of gathering some survey information. If you are an individual or organization that has some experience with taking surveys then why not benefit by being able to get a grant for doing the kind(s) of surveys that you would be doing on a regular basis anyway?

This government grant program may make one award for the next four-year funding cycle which is FY 2009-2012, to support the 2010 and 2012 general survey program and the U.S. component of the international survey program. It is anticipated that the government agency in charge of this grant award will award in the range of $10 million and at most $15 million, over four years (approximately $2.5 million, but not more than $3.75 million per year) to support data collection and dissemination activities of the survey process.

The expected starting date is November 2008!

The following activities are eligible for award funding

• Two waves, 2010 and 2012, of data collection for the general survey, including the United State international surveys.
  
  
• Participation in the international survey.
  
  
• Continued development and refinement of the supported module on public knowledge and attitudes concerning science and technology.
  
  
  
• Survey instrument and module development and experimentation for both the general and international surveys based on scientific expertise in relevant social sciences.
  
  
• Survey design, innovations, and continual enhancement (based on assessment and analysis) of both the cross-sectional survey and panel designs.
  
  
• Post data collection editing, processing, and generation of constructed variables, datafiles and codebooks.
  
  
• Data dissemination through a cutting-edge web-based data archive.
  
  
• Provision of user assistance.
  
  
• Support for a Board of Overseers.

AWARD INFORMATION

Anticipated Type of Award: Continuing Grant

Estimated Number of Awards: 1

Anticipated Funding Amount: $10,000,000 to $15,000,000 for up to 4 years, pending availabilty of funds.

ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

Organization Limit: None Specified - (this means there is no limit on the kind of organization that is eligible to apply for this grant)

Only one proposal is allowed from an organization.

Letters of Intent(required):

To expedite the review process for this grant program, proposals must be submitted via the government's official website process by 5:00 PM, proposer's local time, on the due date (February 18, 2008). This letter of intent should contain the following information:

• the title of the project,
  
  
• a brief project description,
  
  
• the names and affiliations of the principal investigators and other senior personnel and professionals, and
  
  
• the names of any other participating institutions.

Only one letter of intent per group should be submitted. Failure to meet the letter of intent deadline will disqualify a proposal from consideration. Letters of intent are not evaluated for scientific merit; rather, they are used to assemble review panels with appropriate expertise. Please direct any questions about the letter of intent to the Program Officer listed as Contacts for Additional Information.

Notification of the award is made to the submitting organization by a Grants Officer in the Division of Grants and Agreements. Organizations whose proposals are declined will be advised as promptly as possible by the cognizant Program administering the program. Verbatim copies of reviews, not including the identity of the reviewer, will be provided automatically to the Principal Investigator.

To get the latest information about program deadlines, to download copies of publications relating to specific grant programs, and to access abstracts of awards, visit the government website.

Latest Government Grant Program For Individuals To Apply For!

Just another bit of information to help further dispel the myth that there are no government grant programs out there for individuals to apply for!

Fellowships in prose (fiction and creative nonfiction) or poetry are available to exceptionally talented, published creative writers. Fellowships enable recipients to set aside time for writing, research, travel, and general career advancement. This program operates on a two-year cycle with fellowships in prose available in FY 2008 and fellowships in poetry available in FY 2009. Individuals may apply only once each year. Competition for fellowships is extremely rigorous. Potential applicants should consider carefully whether their work will be competitive at the national level. For FY 2009/Poetry Complete application packages must be postmarked (or show other proof of mailing) no later than March 3, 2008. Do not expect notification of awards and rejections before late December 2008. The Arts Endowment’s support of a fellowship may begin any time between January 1, 2009, and January 1, 2010, and extend for up to two years. An individual may submit only one application per year.

This grant program does not and will not fund:

• Individuals who previously have received two or more fellowships
  
  
• Individuals who have received any Creative Writing or Translation Fellowship within the ten years prior to the application deadline.
  
  
• News reporting
  
  
• Scholarly writing.
  
  (Writers who are engaged in scholarly work should contact the agency that has a related grant program.)
  
  
• Vanity publication or self-publication
  
  
• Work toward academic degrees

This grant program is open for individuals to apply.

The grant award is $25,000.00

Individuals are encouraged to submit their applications electronically through the federal government’s online application system

For The Poetry Grant Program

Applications will be accepted between January 2, 2008, and March 3, 2008. Do not send applications before January 2, 2008. Complete application packages must be postmarked (or show other proof of mailing) no later than March 3, 2008. Do not expect notification of awards and rejections before late December 2008. The support of a fellowship may begin any time between January 1, 2009, and January 1, 2010, and extend for up to two years.

The Government Doesn't Care About Nurses?

Unfortunately when peop;e don't know (or don't have) the right information about grants they come to their own conclusions. Here is a reply that I posted to some who said that the government didn't care about nurses:

Unfortunately this is not true. As someone that does grant research I can tell you that there are many grant and scholarship programs out there for nurses and the reason is because of the shortage of and the need for nurses.

There are also programs that provide financial help for single mothers. My very first grant research client was a single mother who was looking for financial help with both starting her own business and continuing her education. Since this was a few years back I was able to find her 4 such programs that provided finacial assistance including providing financial help with her student loan. Yes there is actually an organization out there devoted to helping single mothers financially with their student loans.

Just because you can't find the information about these programs doesn't mean that they don't exist - it just means that you haven't found the information yet.

Another Grant Program For Individual Women With A Purpose!

This grant program provides seed money to individual women (and other organizations as well) for innovative programs or non-degree research projects that promote education and equity for women and girls. In order to be eligible for this grant program:

• Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents.
  
  
• your project must promote education and equity for women or girls
  
  
• your project activities must take place within the United States or its territories

The deadline to apply: January 15, 2008

Maximum Award: $5,000-$10,000

Number Of Awards: 29

If you have any questions about this grant program or whether or not you meet all of the eligibility requirements, you can contact them by phone, email or you can send mail to their customer service center. You can also visit their website for more information about this grant program that is open for individual women to apply for.

Grant Basics 101 - Page 2!

I have had to split my Grant Basics 101 page into 2 continuing pages. The reason why is because there was so much information about grant programs, the grant program process and just general questions and answers that the information was making the one page too big in size!

But it does prove a very valid point and that is that there is just so much information out there about grant programs and the grant program process in general. It also shows that people have a lot of questions about grant programs because they are not familiar with what it is all about.

Hopefully my pages and this blog will help to answer a few questions that you may have about grants and the grants process in general.

Most people who are not familiar with it seem to think that they can just apply for a grant and get the grant money and this is not true. What I want to make a point of here is that one is not automatically guaranteed a grant! You have to apply for the grant and your application has to be chosen to be awarded a grant. It is not an automatic process and you will not automatically get a grant just because you have applied for it!

Hopefully though my pages will show you that there are a number of grant programs out there which you may be eligible to apply for. These pages should also help dispel the myth that there are no grant programs out there for for-profit businesses and that there are no grant programs for those that either want to start their own daycare business or that there are no grant programs for those that already have a daycare business but who are looking for grant funding to help their daycare business.

There may even come a time when I will have to split the pages even more because there is just so much information about grant programs out there and there are new grant programs being created all the time!

Non-Profit vs For-Profit

There have been times when I have seen the question asked "Should I be a non-profit or a for-profit?"

My answer to that question is that you should be a combination of both! Why? Because you get the best of both worlds that way!

For instance one woman took her love of landscaping and started a non-profit organization. With a group of volunteers, her organization starting cleaning areas of the city. Then a proposal was made to find out whether or not starting a training program would help the community. That proposal was submitted and more than one grant award was given to this non-profit organization.

Now how does the "for-profit" thing come into this? Did you know that the for-profit business was spawned from the non-profit organization? Proceeds from the for-profit aspect go to supporting the organization's daycare center. And what is the most ironic thing of all is that after their for-profit version helped support their non-profit organization - they started to get more grant money!

Musician Receives Grant!

A North Carolina

musician has received

a grant of over

$100,000!

What is most interesting about this grant award is that he will be able to use the money in any way that he wants! I have often talked about grant programs such as this kind where the grant recipient can use their grant money in any way that they want. They can use it to pay their bills. They can use the grant money to pay off their debts and they could even use the grant money to buy a car!

A previous recipient of this grant program was an inventor that used the money to further produce their invention!

Other past recipients of this grant were a choreographer, attorney, college professor, photographer and two poets.

This grant money goes directly to the individual and not to an organization or non-profit agency.

With his grant money this year's recipient will use it to produce another CD of his music in which he will include snippets of rap music.

In order to be eligible for this award the applicant must:

• show exceptional creativity
  

• show promise for important future advances based on a track record of significant accomplishment
  

• have plans for future creative work in which the award can help to finacially facilitate

This grant program is open to individuals only and can include writers, artists, teachers and entrepreneurs.

In order to be eligible to apply for this program you must be nominated and your nomination will be reviewed by the organization's selection committee. This program does not accept applications or unsolicited nominations!

To date over 700 individuals have received this award.

For more information about this program, you can find all of the contact information including phone number and address by going to the organization's website.

Are You A Woman Who Has A Dream Of Starting Her Own Business?

I have talked many, many times about how there are grant programs out there to help people fulfill their dreams of starting their own business and here is yet another grant program that is for the same thing!

If you are a woman that has a dream of starting her own business then you should know that there is (yet another) grant program that you may be eligible to apply to!

Remember this is an actual grant program where you are awarded grant money that you do not have to pay back!

And like the majority of grant programs out there this one was started (quite some years ago) with the purpose of helping women fulfill their own dreams of starting their own business.

In order to apply for this grant program you have to submit an essay explaining why you think that your business would be successful. You also have to submit a business plan of your business as well.

Another thing about this grant program is that if you are awarded the grant money you also get help from other professionals to help you with starting your business.

The grant award is $50,000

The deadline to apply for this grant program is December 2007

Would You Like To Be Awarded One Million Dollars?

It seems that all of those "wishes for a million dollars" are starting to come true! More and more opportunities are presenting themselves for people to receive a million dollars!

Here comes a program where you will be awarded $1 Million Dollars if you can prove that which is "unexplained"! For instance can you prove that ghosts exist? What about the areas of occult or the "supernatural". Do you have test theories? Can you prove your results? If you can then this would be the program for you to apply for.

So far no one has been awarded the million dollars!

Calling All College Students!

Would a $100,000 grant award help you and your team develop a new technology-related project? Do you have a business plan for a project or business to help bring more education and/or awareness to the community?

These are just 2 of the requirements for eligibility that are needed for a grant program that was started last year! Business plans submitted have been funded as part of the early process and all vie for the final grant award of $100,000.

Already one project submitted involves rap music where besides using it as a self-promotion for its own artist, the rap music itself is being used as a teaching tool!

Another project involves the developement of a gaming device that others can use at parties and social gatherings.

Another project partially funded is being developed by a team of college students who want to create a better and less "prejudiced" version of Digg!

The finalists will be given the opportunity to pitch their ideas to executives who may fund their projects!

$500,000 Grant Program For Innovative Ideas!

How's this for a grant program?

This grant program is open to EVERYONE!. That means that you can be an individual, a non-profit, for-profit, business, organization or whatever - you are still eligible to apply! It doesn't even matter where you are located. You can be located outside the US as well as in the US. It's your idea that counts!

This grant program was put in place to help bring good ideas relating to technology and the world. Do you have an idea that will bring new information to the world? Does your idea involve the use of using the internet to bring information to the world? Then you may be eligible to apply for this grant!

To apply for this grant you first have to fill out a form on their website because no applications will be accepted by mail, fax or email. If they like your idea then they will contact you and ask you to submit a more detailed proposal.

The deadline to apply for this grant is in October 2007!

WebDesign Scholarship Deadline August 18, 2007!

Annoncing

A $5000 Webdesign

Scholarship

For Students!

The deadline for this scholarship program has been extended because the scholarship program's sponsors are looking for more students to apply!

Here is a quote from their website

We have only been notified of a couple submissions for our web design scholarship.

Hoping to give more students a chance to discover this scholarship opportunity to win $5,000 we have extended the entry deadline until Saturday, August 18th.

A Baptist Church Receives a $100,000 Grant For Their After School Program!

In South Carolina a baptist church has received over $100,000 in grant money to help expand one of their after-school programs. Since this grant program has been opened to faith based organizations that means that churches can now apply for this kind of grant money if and only if they are eligible to apply.

I should also mention that a daycare center also got a grant from this very same grant program!

The purpose of this grant program is to help enhance the kind of education that students get during regular school hours. If an after-school program can help a student improve in their regular studies it helps the student to improve overall. After school programs such as tutoring, mentoring and other skill-enhancing programs are eligible to apply for this grant program. Also if the programs help the parents of these students - such as teaching english, etc then those programs too can be eligible for applying for this grant program.

Originally this grant program started out with only public schools in mind but the reality is that it is not only the public schools that provide valuable skills to help students participate and be able to function in the real world. That is why this particular grant program has now been made available for faith-based and other non-profit organizations to apply for.

However schools are still eligible to apply for this grant program if they have an afterschool program that they feel is worthwhile.

Official Government Information

One of the things that you should know about the government grant programs is that these grant programs are funded with taxpayer money - yes the money you pay in taxes! It is also the rule that the government has to make the information about their grant programs "freely accessible to the public". Now that means that the government has both a website and printed copies of their grant program information available at public libraries. I am a constant visitor to the government's website about their grant programs because it is part of my work.

However other people have lamented on how difficult the information is on the government's official website. Have you ever dealt with the government before? If you have then you know that dealing with them is not a smooth or easy process. So why would you expect it to be different as far as the information about their grant programs would go. I mean we are talking about the government here.

There is just no secret about finding these government grant programs. You have to do the work, weed through all the information just to be able to find a grant program that you may be eligible to apply for.

You may ask the question of "why do people bother?" and the answer to that question is that the grant money is free! If you had the choice between taking out a loan or getting a grant - which option would you choose?