Are You Seeking Emergency Financial Assistance?

Many charities provide services and items that you would otherwise spend money on, freeing up some dollars to apply to your most pressing needs. Among
the most common of these are food banks and open-dining opportunities, help or waiver of utility costs, and clothing and other household essentials.

Daycare Grants - Questions And Answers

Am I eligible to receive a grant to open a day care center in my home?

You might be eligible to receive funds through your States program. Almost all States provide funds for child care. States and/or local agencies (i.e., county, city, regional offices) may provide services directly or purchase them from qualified providers. Child care is also funded through other grant programs at the state and local level. You can check the web site to find more information about these grants, including the names of your state official and state program contact information for this grant program.

Are there special programs to assist child care programs in rural areas?

I live in a rural area. Can I get a grant to start a child care program? center? family child care home? day care?

The government has programs that offer loans to develop community facilities, which may include child care centers. Public entities (such as counties and cities) and non-profit organizations (under certain conditions) may be eligible for the loans. For details, consult government's web site.

Are there funds available for providing meals in child care?

I heard that the government provides funds for meals. How do I find out who to contact to get these funds? Who should I contact to get funding for serving food at child care? How do I get funds for serving food at my child care center? Are nutrition funds available for child care programs? centers? homes?

Your local state office can provide subsidies for meals and snacks for children enrolled in child care programs. You can obtain information on this subject by consulting their web site.

Where do I go to get funds to start or improve my child care program?

Does my state help child care providers? centers? family child care homes? day cares?

How do I contact my state to get help with starting my child care program?

Where can my families find child care funds?

The state agency responsible for subsidizing child care programs can tell you if funds are available to help you start a new child care program or expand your existing program, and they will let you know how to apply.

What other types of funding programs are available?

Does your program provide funds for youth programs?

What funds are available for youth programs? programs that serve youth?

Funding is also provided to local communities to support young people, particularly runaway and homeless youth, and their families through three grant programs authorized by the government. More information about these funding programs is available via a .pdf download from the government website. (To view the information, you must first download and install the free Acrobat Reader if you have not previously done so.

For more information about the basics of this program you can visit the website.

Grant funding is also provided for research, evaluation, and demonstration programs designed to explore specific issues, evaluate programs, and test new theories. To date the government has funded more than 150 demonstration projects and is currently funding 13 State Youth Development Collaboration projects designed to promote the youth development approach. For more information, you can visit their website also.

If You Don't Apply For That Grant Someone Else Surely Will!

Someone was quoted as saying that the daycare industry is a Billion dollar industry! Would it surprise you to know that there are daycare franchises that know just how to take advantage of all the government grant programs that they are eligible for? I have seen case by case details of how the owners of these daycare facilities use the government grant system to their advantage. While they still do provide adequate daycare to children that still leaves a number of other daycare facilities that are out there that if they just knew how these franchises were getting the government grants they would do the EXACT same thing to get the exact same grant funding.

One of the best pieces of advice that I have seen about finding grant programs is to find a business like the one that you want to start - a business that has received a grant - and find out how they got their grant!

Another sad fact that has to be faced is that a lot of grant recipients don't want to (or don't like to) talk about the grants that they have received. One of the reasons is because they may want to apply for the grant again and the less people that know about them then the less people will apply for them meaning that those that know about and apply will have a better chance of winning the grant award simply becasue not as many people have applied.

You may not be aware of it but there are a LOT of for-profit daycares that are receiving government grants because they know how to do it right!

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!

These Grant Programs Will NOT Come To You - You Have To Go To Them!

Many times I have advised people who were looking for grant programs to check with their local social services agencies. These social services agencies are part of the government and they would know best about the government grant programs that are available.

Contacting these agencies should be relatively easy. You can contact them by phone, by regular mailing address and you can even communicate with some of them via fax - I know this because I have done this before.

You can't just sit and wait for these grant programs to come to you. If you don't have access to your own computer then use on at the public library. If you don't want to do that get out your local phone book and start making calls.

Although I have seen in some instances where some actual grant recipients were contacted by the grant program itself this doesn't happen the majority of the time.

You have to get started and do the work yourself - especially if you do not want to pay a fee for grant program information. A lot of websites advise that you do a very thorough research when looking for grant programs and this is something that I whole-ly agree with. You have to do the work be it researching online or even just calling around.

If you want to find these grant programs you will have to do the work!

There is no secret here - just work!

Loopholes?

Because of the kind of work that I do I am privy to a lot of information.

While living life can be a constant struggle to some there are some things that can help a person when they are being bogged down with bills.

For instance there are a lot of people who will be receiving utility shut-off notices in the mail. But did you know that there is a way that you can avoid having your utilities shut off - at least temporarily for a few months? Of course you are still liable for any back balances that you owe BUT you can avoid getting your utilities shut off for a while. At least this gives you some time to either get the money together to help pay off the balance due or to get a grant to help you pay off some of that back balance.

Like I said before this is only a temporary fix because you are still liable for the amount that you owe. But at least it will give you some time to get some money together.

Why don't more people know about it? Well the people that do know aren't telling. While this method isn't illegal it could also be considered unethical - of course to the people faced with a shut-off they don't consider it like that - they are just looking for some help.

What is ironic is that this information has to be made accessible to you by your utility company. I have seen the information on my own utility bill so I know that they have to provide the information.

Another thing that is ironic is that the agency that handles this is courtesy of our own government - the same government that has grant programs.

So if you are facing getting a shut-off notice and are looking for some temporary relief to give you time to get the money together to pay your bill you will have to decide whether or not this is something that you want to do.

If You Don't Apply For That Grant Someone Else Surely Will!

Someone was quoted as saying that the daycare industry is a Billion dollar industry! Would it surprise you to know that there are daycare franchises that know just how to take advantage of all the government grant programs that they are eligible for? I have seen case by case details of how the owners of these daycare facilities use the government grant system to their advantage. While they still do provide adequate daycare to children that still leaves a number of other daycare facilities that are out there that if they just knew how these franchises were getting the government grants they would do the EXACT same thing to get the exact same grant funding.

One of the best pieces of advice that I have seen about finding grant programs is to find a business like the one that you want to start - a business that has received a grant - and find out how they got their grant!

Another sad fact that has to be faced is that a lot of grant recipients don't want to (or don't like to) talk about the grants that they have received. One of the reasons is because they may want to apply for the grant again and the less people that know about them then the less people will apply for them meaning that those that know about and apply will have a better chance of winning the grant award simply becasue not as many people have applied.

You may not be aware of it but there are a LOT of for-profit daycares that are receiving government grants because they know how to do it right!