Visit the FireGrantsHelp.com Grants 101 section for a tutorial on the basics of identifying, applying for and securing grants.
“Grants" is a general term for the multitude of federal, state, local and corporate programs available to assist state and local governments, nonprofit social service groups, and community based organizations. This assistance can take many forms, including direct funding, loans, surplus government equipment, and other resources.
Grants are not simply “free money”; each individual grant program has strict prerequisites and eligibility requirements that must be satisfied by your organization. One should also consider that the number of funding requests usually far outweighs the available funds of a particular grant program. With this in mind, one can appreciate that a considerable amount of research and planning will be essential in order to submit a strong application. While the overall strength and completeness of your application certainly increase your odds of success, sometimes even the strongest of applications fail to be funded. Disheartening as this may be, an attitude of unwavering persistence often times pays off for those willing to live by the old adage; if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.
