Posts Tagged ‘Government Grants’
Beware of Free Government Grant Scams
Beware of Free Government Grant Scams
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Jeslyn_Jessy]Jeslyn Jessy
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has warned all the consumers that they have to be more alert and do not get trapped by the “Free Government Grant” scams. The grant scammers are very aggressive recently and you may see their advertisements in local newspapers, magazines and leaflets. They also approach you through telephone calls. Many people have been cheated and lost a lot of money.
The following is the precaution steps the consumers should take to avoid themselves from losing money to these “free grant” scams:
• Do not trust any phone caller who claims that he or she is calling from Federal Grants Administration. It is quite difficult to trace the telephone numbers as the scammers are smart. They normally disguise their area code in caller ID system to convince you that they are calling from the government agencies. They may claim legitimacy and pretend to ask you some basic questions to determine whether you are qualified for the grant.
• Never give your bank account information to anyone
The scammers normally start the telephone conversation by congratulating you on your eligibility to receive free grant from the government. Then they inform you that the procedure is very simple. By just providing your bank saving account, they can deposit your grant directly into your account in a few working days. After obtaining your account information, the scammers are able to “steal” the money from your account without getting your approval.
• Never ever make any payment to anyone in order to obtain free grant
This is another tactic used by some scammers. They pretend to be the agencies that are responsible to process the grant. They instruct you to make a lump sum of payment as one-time processing fee to their accounts in order to obtain your grant. Of course, at the end of the day, you don’t get any single cent. A real government agency definitely do not request you to pay a processing fee for a grant that you have already been awarded.
• Ignore all the unknown telephone numbers
It is safer if you can ignore all the unknown telephone numbers. Do not entertain any phone call which you are not familiar with. You will be safe from being trapped.
• Do not trust any advertisement or promotion held by private companies.
These companies normally state that they are assisting government to manage free grants for qualified citizens. Federal government will never appoint any private company to do that!
Bear in mind that there is only one official internet access point for all federal grant-making agencies, i.e. <A target=”_new” href=”http://www.grants.gov”>www.grants.gov</a>. Only this website is able to provide you all the real information. Be smart and avoid yourself being one of the victims of the scams.
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No CommentsGovernment Grants or Contract?
Knowing the differences between a government contract and a government grant can save you sweat, money, and time. Knowing the differences between these two major financial support will not only give you a clearer view, but will also guide you on choosing the best funding assistance that you can ask from the government.
Generally, government contracts and grants are both government programs, in which, the government allocates a certain amount of money to help a particular small business.
Since they are both from the government, many people are confused whether government contracts and government grant are the same or not.
In essence, government contracts refer to acquisitions while government grants refer to assistance. Hence, from that point of view, it already states the big difference between the two.
Government Contracts
In the United States, the federal government is considered as one of the biggest contractor. Normally, the federal government requires consumer products like milk, sugar, etc; military products such as guns and other types of ammunitions; and services like consulting agencies or contractor services.
Basically, government contracts are considered as “award instrument” setting up an equally binding lawful bond between the seller, known as the contractor, and the government, known as the buyer.
In government contracts, the seller is obliged to supply or distribute services, supplies, or goods to the government. The seller’s operative and serviceable qualities are described in the contract.
The actual process, in which, the government purchases supplies, services, goods, or products is known as acquisition. Acquisition is made through the “award of contracts.”
Normally, the government acquires goods, services, etc. for their own utilization. The government can also provide these acquired goods and services for use by “non-government organizations,” taking account of the “general public.”
Consequently, government contracts are not limited to services and goods. It may also include research and development projects. This type of government contract is typically bestowed for a particular technical, methodical, or systematic inquisition and analysis aimed towards specific parts of “research and development,” which the government considered necessary.
Research and Development Government Contract include the following:
1. Utilization of comprehension and information obtained from research, aimed at producing devices, models, materials, systems, or methods to uphold the necessary research, such as techniques to complete “novel improvements” to systems and equipments on hand.
2. Plan of demonstration procedures, activities, processes, and techniques that completely support the operation of research and development.
3. A scientific exploration, rigorous study, or specific scientific investigation intended for acquisition of more complete scientific information or comprehension
4. Viability of distributing or employing “research and development” results to group situations or to the community
Like government grants, businesses can also generate notable income on government contracts. However, it has long been proven that the government usually takes time before they can pay the purchased amount, usually 4o days.
Hence, it is best to develop counter measures to accommodate this kind of situation because it is just the way things are in the government.
Government Grant
As mentioned, government grants refer to the assistance that government agencies provide to small businesses or any other type of businesses that have technological developments.
Even if it appears as if the government is assisting small businesses on their new endeavors, the government is the one who is chiefly benefiting from the program. By providing assistance to businesses that develop new technologies or innovations, the government is also strengthening its economy by creating a well-built “economic infrastructure.”
Experts say that government grants are considered as the most remarkable form of financial support. Usually, government grants are given out in monetary forms and are usually utilized for a special function.
The best thing about a government grant is that it is not a loan that you have to reimburse or settle up in the future.
Sounds good? Read on.
The problem with most businesses in considering government grants over government contracts is that they consider grants as free money. What they do not know is that not all business can avail of government grants.
To avail of government grants, your business should have a new invention or should be developing your existing technology to enhance operation and functions of your services or goods. Hence, one cannot simply rely on government grants to fund his or her business.
Indeed, government grants and contracts are extremely different from each other, but they both carry out positive results in return.
Get Through High School with the Help of a Government Grant
In today’s fast-paced and eagerly competitive world, not having an education is career suicide. College graduates make anywhere from 40% to 200% more than those that have only graduated from High School. This means that getting an education is a given when seeking a more lucrative and successful career.
Unfortunately, one of the biggest hindrances to this rise to success is the fact that education costs money. And not everyone has enough for their daily bread and milk – much less high school or college tuition. While going to a public high school can definitely keep the costs low, there are those that seek to obtain better education or even support for their public high school education through grants.
Fortunately, the government also puts a premium on education and has earmarked a good amount of the federal budget towards helping qualified students obtain financing for their studies through grants. Educational grants are a great way to help alleviate some of the financial burden an education can sometimes bring.
Government Grants
Government grants are made available every year with the Annual Federal Budget. This allocates a good deal of money for various government agencies to forward projects and grants. This budget should be used to forward the welfare of those covered by each agency. The projects may be forwarded by various entities: agencies, cities, states, and even the President himself. However, ultimately, it is Congress that gets say on which projects to push through with.
The great thing about grants is that they are non-taxable, and you do not have to pay for them at all! (There are some programs that will require some sort of payment, but as a general rule federal grants come without strings attached.) In all, there are an estimated 1,500 government programs aimed at helping qualified students afford an education.
Grant projects become available to the agencies once the budget is made available to them. Various grants will then be offered to those that qualify for certain projects. These grants will become available on the CFDA, or the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance. This would be a good place to look up a grant that fits your qualification.
There are various grants aimed at helping students get through both high school and college – there are even grants that will get you through graduate programs. There are too many grants to list here, but suffice it to say that there are grants to deal with homeless veterans, continuing education programs, home building grants, and grants that help veterans with their jobs such as job training grants.
Finding a Grant
There are a lot of ways through which you can find grants for your educational needs. The best thing to do, first of all, would be log on to http://www.cfda.gov to find a comprehensive and complete listing of these grants. Look specifically for grants that pertain to your profile. And take note of other similar grants.
Aside from government grants there are tens of thousands of other educational grants offered by each state, by private foundations, and other non-profit organizations. A good way to find these grants would be to consult with some local education officials or to log on to the internet, which should help you find a matching organization for your need.
Next you will have to make sure you qualify for the grant you have chosen. The basic qualifications for a person to avail of these grants is that he or she must be a legal citizen of the United States and should also belong to a household that pays taxes. There may be slight alterations to this basic requirement, but that should be the general rule.
You should then apply for a FAFSA, or the Free Application for Student Financial Aid. This application will make your eligible for a Pell Grant. The amount this grant offers depends on your current financial situation, your dependents, and other considerations. No matter what amount this grant offers, it should not be taken in stride since every single dollar going towards your education should be worth it.
Getting the grant. Grants are easy to file, yet hard to win. You will need to learn how to produce a convincing, honest, and thorough grant document. The race here is very competitive since there are many that file for these grants and only a few do get their applications approved. Make sure you study the grant specification properly and make sure you are truly qualified for the grant.
No CommentsEmpowerment through grants for women
There are many U.S. government grants that are available today. American citizens are not just aware or familiar with it because there is not advertisement about it. This is probably because there are no funds allocated for such announcements.
One specific type of grant gives focus on women alone. This can be research about women, other women oriented projects or businesses. Obviously the main requirement is that your project must focus on women, women’s needs (like health) or you the grantee, must be a woman.
To be able to acquire that grant you need to focus on several things, these are the following:
- Know the different types of grants given for women
- Choose which one fits your needs
- Look into also if you are eligible for that grant you fancy.
- Get the application form or what some call as the grants application kit
- Review the necessary details necessary for the application
- Don’t rush. Your writing must be well-written and succinct.
- Make sure that there are no errors, erasures and grammatical errors in your application.
- It is very important that your written request be done very well. A well written paper gets the attention of the reviewers. You will have more chances that the grant be awarded to you.
- It would help you better if you can enroll yourself in a proposal writing class (there are online courses available too). You will be able to write your request in a much more understandable language that is very important for the reviewers.
- Make sure to pass your application before the deadline. If you can, try to pass it earlier so it will be the first in line. You don’t know how much competition there is for business or research funding.
- Wait after a few days you will receive a report about the evaluation of your request. If you do get it they will request more information about you or your business endeavor.
This is a list of things you need to remember to get that grant but you must remember you need positive thinking and better writing to get it.
Don’t be discouraged just because you are a woman. Instead feel empowered! The government gives more incentives for women. Be strong. Get that grant. And get yourself a better life. You have the power to change things.