List Only

Goverment grants? Do they exist?

A couple of years ago I heard someone talking about how the Government has to 'give' away so much money per year. Is this true? And if so, what are the quailificatons? I am a single mother of two and although I work I am still considered low income. I do not receive child support. I also live in government funded housing so my rent is based solely on my income. I want to move someplace that my children have more yard to play in and where we could have more room- however at this time I am unable to qualify for a loan and don't want to because I know I would have trouble paying the monthly fee to the bank. Is there some kind of grant (no strings attached) that I would qualify for in order to purchase a home in PA. I say no strings attached because I would not be able to pay anything back-I don't want a loan. And yes, I know I would then be responsible for property taxes each year. I am taking college classes in order to better our lives. Not some deadbeat parent trying to live for free.

Public Comments

1. www.grants.gov you can give it a try
2. Yes, they do exist. I get grants from the government. Go to fastweb.com or fafsa.com and they both have the options. It depends on the school you are going to and all of that. Don't worry about it. They are both recognized websites and don't worry about filling out information. They are government approved sites that have confidentiality. Try to get as many grants as possible and scholarships as well.
3. no, your not a deadbeat parent (deadbeats are the parents who run from childsupport) and your family knows you are working hard to provide a better life for them (and yourself). nope, they dont give away homes... but they do offer first time home buyers and homeownership programs (federal or pa). here are some links; if you cant find what you need, just call them and ask to be pointed in the direction for info. if all else fails, contact your gov's office (info is on pa.gov) and ask his office what department to speak to about housing help. HUD http://www.hudclips.org/cgi/index.cgi http://www.hud.gov/ http://www.homesales.gov/homesales/mainAction.do PA http://www.state.pa.us/papower/cwp/view.asp?A=11&Q=441745 http://www.state.pa.us/papower/cwp/view.asp?A=11&Q=436544 http://www.newpa.com/contact.aspx http://www.newpa.com/programDetail.aspx?id=27 http://www.newpa.com/default.aspx?id=217 http://www.newpa.com/default.aspx?id=180 MISC http://www.acorn.org/index.php?id=2627 .
4. Check out http://www.grantgate.com
5. Government gives money as grants every year, but not in the way you think it is. First off, be warned that there are too many grant scams out there from companies promising to give you grants or write grants for you. Read the warning from the FTC http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2004/03/grantresources.htm http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/alerts/alt134.htm Here is also one of the warnings issued by the Better Business Bureau http://www.concord.bbb.org/tips_timesharescams.html The government is NOT in the business of giving away free money for the sake of giving away money. There are no grants for paying bills, for getting out of debt or for buying a car. The Housing and Urban Development in their Grants Available page makes it clear that they do not provide grants to individuals -- hence no grants for a person to buy a home http://www.hud.gov/grants/index.cfm "While HUD does not offer direct grants or loans to individuals, we do work through local governments and non-profit organizations to make financial assistance and counseling available." Grants are free, but it means OBLIGATION. You will be obligated to do as the grant sets out to do. Grants have objectives, and your purpose must fit the objective of the grant. For one, you have to write the grant application and the grant application is not a simple document - you have to explain how your purpose for applying for the grant fits well with the objectives set out by the grant. There is a stringent review process through a committee. You will compete with other applicants for the grant money, and this grant review committee will evaluate the merits of each proposal. Only those that they feel exemplifies the objective of the grant will be approved. You can go to the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) http://www.cfda.gov and Grants.gov http://www.grants.gov - these are two FREE sites created by the federal government to provide transparency and information on grants. Browse through the listings and see if you can find any grant that would support your purposes. Even if you buy books on "how to get grants" or list that supposedly has information on grants -- all of them are mere rehash of what CFDA has, albeit packaged differently. Note though that these grants generally support non-profit organizations, intermediary lending institutions, and state and local governments. Most of the federal grants are given to specific target groups with specific requirements (e.g. minority business owners involved in transportation related contracts emanating from DOT - Grant#20.905 Disadvantaged Business Enterprises Short Term Lending Program. Individuals especially for personal purposes are not eligible for federal grants. Grants are also often given to non profit groups or organizations involved in training or other similar activities (grant 59.043 Women's Business Ownership Assistance that are given to those who will create women's business center that will train women entrepreneurs The most you can get are downpayment assistance from non profits such as Nehemiah Corp http://www.getdownpayment.com and a few assistance here and there -- but not the full cost of the home
6. this site may help http://www.thestudentloanconsolidationguide.com