Contrary to what people and the ads may say, the U.S. Government does not ‘give away’ free grant money to just anyone for any use. A government grant money is not a present, nor a gift with no strings or expectations attached.

“A grant is a form of gift that entails certain obligations on the part of the grantee and expectations on the part of the grantor,” explains Jay M. Shafritz, author of the book American Government and Politics.

Unfortunately, many people have been led to believe that the government is just giving away free money to anyone who applies for it, and for just about any use. The truth is that government grant money is really not available to just anyone, and most often, grants are awarded to groups or organizations whose projects or research will be ofbenefit to the community or general public.

For instance, government grant money may be awarded to a civic group who is planning to finish any of the following projects:

* A neighborhood sidewalk construction project
* A community program to re-train displaced workers
* A city project to attract new companies to a rehabbed downtown area

As you can see, these projects are basically community-oriented, and is a good overview of what government grant money is usually for – a ‘good cause’. So all these ads you read or see telling you that government is giving away free grant money to help you with debt consolidation or start up your small business may not be all together true UNLESS – you can find a way to use your business idea to further a current local community project or perhaps provide needed services in your community, such as child or elder care.

Originally posted 2009-03-16 20:03:12. Republished by Old Post Promoter.