Personal Grants

Did you know that the government offers personal grants to individuals? If you are struggling to make ends meet (and really, who isn’t in today’s terrible economy?), you should consider applying for a personal grant, as they could help you get back on your feet. And it’s a grant, a gift, meaning you don’t need to pay it back like you would a loan.

In 2009 over $160 million in federal grant funds went to families in need.

How much free money can you qualify for? There isn’t a limit to the number of personal grants you can apply for – nor is there a limit to how much you’ll be awarded! Some people have been awarded up to $50,000, to help with things like medical bills, childcare, groceries, education, mortgage, and more.

If you are a low income family, you may be eligible for a grant. You don’t need to worry about your credit score, you don’t need to find a co-signer, you can even apply after a bankruptcy. There are specific grants for women, single mothers, disabled persons, veterans, African Americans, Hispanics, Asians, pregnant women, teachers, and more. You may qualify for any number of these grants that are offered through your local, state, or federal government, and sometimes you can find grants through private resources.

An excellent resource for finding these grant opportunties is grants.gov, where you can search for grants you may qualify for and apply for them, all on the same website. Keep in mind that there is a lot of paperwork you’ll need to fill out, carefully, and accurately, as part of the submission package, for each and every grant you apply for. You will need detailed information about your expenses and your income, so you will want to track that data carefully for a few months.

It is time consuming, and the review process can be long. But if you’re willing to put in the work, the rewards are certainly worth it. You won’t get the money, if you don’t ask. And once you have the money, it’s important to note that you need to prove you spent the money on what it was awarded for. So if you receive a grant to return to school, you need to carefully only spend that money on tuition and study materials, and save all your receipts. The same is true for a grant for home repairs, or for childcare. Spend carefully, and save those receipts.