Free Government Grant Assistance and Loan Programs
Online applications for 100% free government grant assistance and loan programs.
All discretionary grants offered by the 26 federal grant agencies can be found, plus you don't have to register with Grants.gov to find grant opportunities. However, once you are ready to apply for a grant, you will need to register. This registration approval process takes 3-5 business days.
Free Grant Opportunities Search
Search by keyword, Funding Opportunity Number (FON) or Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) number.
Search by a variety of categories of funding activities.
Search from a list of agencies offering grant opportunities.
Search by more specific criteria such as: Funding Instrument Type, Eligibility or Sub-agency.
Search for Recovery Act Opportunities.
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Catalog Programs are classified into 15 types of assistance
(A) Formula Grants
(172 Programs)
Allocations of money to States or their subdivisions in accordance with distribution formulas prescribed by law or administrative regulation, for activities of a continuing nature not confined to a specific project.
(B) Project Grants
(872 Programs)
The funding, for fixed or known periods, of specific projects. Project grants can include fellowships, scholarships, research grants, training grants, traineeships, experimental and demonstration grants, evaluation grants, planning grants, technical assistance grants, survey grants, and construction grants.
(C) Direct Payments for Specified Use
(133 Programs)
Financial assistance from the Federal government provided directly to individuals, private firms, and other private institutions to encourage or subsidize a particular activity by conditioning the receipt of the assistance on a particular performance by the recipient. This does not include solicited contracts for the procurement of goods and services for the Federal government.
(D) Direct Payments with Unrestricted Use
(37 Programs)
Financial assistance from the Federal government provided directly to beneficiaries who satisfy Federal eligibility requirements with no restrictions being imposed on the recipient as to how the money is spent. Included are payments under retirement, pension, and compensatory programs.
(E) Direct Loans
(45 Programs)
Financial assistance provided through the lending of Federal monies for a specific period of time, with a reasonable expectation of repayment. Such loans may or may not require the payment of interest.
(F)
Guaranteed /Insured Loans
(64 Programs)
Programs in which the Federal government makes an arrangement to identify a lender against part or all of any defaults by those responsible for repayment of loans.
(G) Insurance
(12 Programs)
Financial assistance provided to assure reimbursement for losses sustained under specified conditions. Coverage may be provided directly by the Federal government or through private carriers and may or may not involve the payment of premiums.
(H) Sale, Exchange, or Donation of Property and Goods
(23 Programs)
Programs which provide for the sale, exchange, or donation of Federal real property, personal property, commodities, and other goods including land, buildings, equipment, food and drugs. This does not include the loan of, use of, or access to Federal facilities or property.
(I) Use of Property, Facilities, and Equipment
(17 Programs)
Programs which provide for the loan of, use of, or access to Federal facilities or property wherein the federally owned facilities or property do not remain in the possession of the recipient of the assistance.
(J) Provision of Specialized Services
(93 Programs)
Programs which provide Federal personnel directly to perform certain tasks for the benefit of communities or individuals. These services may be performed in conjunction with nonfederal personnel, but they involve more than consultation, advice, or counseling.
(K) Advisory Services and Counseling
(75 Programs)
Programs which provide Federal specialists to consult, advise, or counsel communities or individuals to include conferences, workshops, or personal contacts. This may involve the use of published information, but only in a secondary capacity.
(L) Dissemination of Technical Information
(91 Programs)
Programs which provide for the publication and distribution of information or data of a specialized or technical nature frequently through clearinghouses or libraries. This does not include conventional public information services designed for general public consumption.
(M) Training
(46 Programs)
Programs which provide instructional activities conducted directly by a Federal agency for individuals not employed by the Federal government.
(N) Investigation of Complaints
(38 Programs)
Federal administrative agency activities that are initiated in response to requests, either formal or informal, to examine or investigate claims of violations of Federal statutes, policies, or procedure. The origination of such claims must come from outside the Federal government.
(O) Federal Employment
(7 Programs)
Programs which reflect the Government wide responsibilities of the Office of Personnel Management in the recruitment and hiring of Federal civilian agency personnel.
Note: Numbers in parenthesis after the type of assistance indicate the number of programs listed in the Catalog having that type. Also, a program may have more than one type of assistance associated with it.
Government Grants - Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA)
CFDA currently tracks over $10 million federal dollars obligated to domestic assistance programs. The following chart displays projected and actual Recovery and non-Recovery federal dollars obligated.
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) provides a full listing of all Federal programs available to State and local governments (including the District of Columbia); federally-recognized Indian tribal governments; Territories (and possessions) of the United States; domestic public, quasi- public, and private profit and nonprofit organizations and institutions; specialized groups; and individuals.
You do not need an account to search the catalog and view Federal assistance programs.
FAQs
Where can I get help about CFDA? For questions about CFDA, you can contact the Federal Service Desk by clicking on the For Help: Federal Service Desk link on the bottom left of every page or by visiting the Federal Service Desk at (https://www.fsd.gov). Users may call the Federal Service Desk by dialing 1-866-606-8220 (national) or 1-334-206-7828 (international) from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Do I need to register for an Agency User account to use the system? No. CFDA Agency User accounts are only for Federal government staff managing the CFDA program data. You do not need an account to search the CFDA catalog or to view Federal assistance programs. This information is freely available to any interested party. You can search by keyword, by agency, by program number as well as fine tune your search requests using the advanced search feature.
Why was my account request rejected? CFDA system accounts are only for Federal government staff managing the CFDA program data. If your account request was rejected, that means that the Agency Coordinator was unable to confirm your status as a government staff member. If you feel this decision is in error, let us know via the help@cfda.gov e-mail address.
Is there a User Manual? The public user manual is available on the homepage (www.cfda.gov) in PDF format. There is also a link to it at the bottom of every page.
Is there a way to electronically download program data? The CFDA established a public FTP site in order to promote sharing of program data, as well as to provide a means for related government systems to download data reliably and efficiently. The FTP site URL is ftp://ftp.cfda.gov and provides users with the ability to anonymously download program data in csv format. There are two available file options:
Daily File: This file is updated nightly and will contain the following limited program data fields: Program Number, Program Title, and Agency. The file name will adhere to the following naming convention: "programsYYDDD" with the 2-digit year and 3-digit Julian day, e.g., programs09159.csv
Weekly File: This file is updated weekly (Sunday night) and will contain ALL program data fields publicly available. The file name will adhere to the following naming convention: "programs-fullYYDDD" with the 2-digit year and 3-digit Julian day, e.g., programs-full09164.csv
How can I tell if a CFDA program contains Recovery Act funding? All CFDA programs that are funded in whole or in part by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (the Recovery Act) have a "RECOVERY" icon embedded in their header information. This icon is visible in the [Search Recovery Programs] results and when you view the program description for a Recovery Act-funded program.
The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance is a government-wide compendium of Federal programs, projects, services, and activities that provide assistance or benefits to the American public. It contains financial and nonfinancial assistance programs administered by departments and establishments of the Federal government.
In 1984, Public Law 98-169 authorized the transfer of responsibilities of the Federal Program Information Act from the Office of Management and Budget to the General Services Administration (GSA). The transfer took place in July 1984. These responsibilities include the dissemination of Federal domestic assistance program information through the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance, pursuant to the Federal Program Information Act, Public Law 95-220, as amended by Public Law 98-169. GSA now maintains the Federal assistance information database from which program information is obtained. The Office of Management and Budget serves as an intermediary agent between the Federal agencies and GSA, thus providing oversight to the necessary collection of Federal domestic assistance program data.
As the basic reference source of Federal programs, the primary purpose of the Catalog is to assist users in identifying programs that meet specific objectives of the potential applicant, and to obtain general information on Federal assistance programs. In addition, the intent of the Catalog is to improve coordination and communication between the Federal government and State and local governments.
Programs selected for inclusion in the Federal assistance data base are defined as any function of a Federal agency that provides assistance or benefits for a State or States, territorial possession, county, city, other political subdivision, grouping, or instrumentality thereof; any domestic profit or nonprofit corporation, institution, or individual, other than an agency of the Federal government.
A "Federal domestic assistance program" may in practice be called a program, an activity, a service, a project, a process, or some other name, regardless of whether it is identified as a separate program by statute or regulation. It will be identified in terms of its legal authority, administering office, funding, purpose, benefits, and beneficiaries.
"Assistance" or "benefits" refers to the transfer of money, property, services, or anything of value, the principal purpose of which is to accomplish a public purpose of support or stimulation authorized by Federal statute. Assistance includes, but is not limited to grants, loans, loan guarantees, scholarships, mortgage loans, insurance, and other types of financial assistance, including cooperative agreements; property, technical assistance, counseling, statistical, and other expert information; and service activities of regulatory agencies. It does not include the provision of conventional public information services.
For years, GSA has published a printed version of the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA or Catalog), as required by legislation dating to 1977 and 1983. That same legislation allowed GSA to distribute free copies of the printed Catalog to designated recipients. In fiscal year 2003, nearly 10,000 paper copies of the Catalog were distributed at no cost to the recipients.
Current legislation, however, authorizes GSA to determine in what form to prepare and publish the Catalog. Consistent with the Administration's Electronic-Government initiatives, the Government Paperwork Elimination Act, and a move to a paper free environment, GSA will now disseminate the Catalog electronically through the CFDA website on the Internet. As a result, effective immediately, GSA will no longer print and distribute free copies of the Catalog.
The Internet and GSA’s free CFDA website at http://www.cfda.gov will be the primary means of disseminating the Catalog. The CFDA website will also contain a PDF file version of the Catalog that, when printed by any user, will have the same layout as the printed document that the Government Printing Office (GPO) has provided.
GPO will continue printing and selling the CFDA to interested buyers. For information about purchasing the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance from GPO, call the Superintendent of Documents at 202-512-1800 or toll free at 866-512-1800, or you may reach GPO's on-line bookstore at
http://bookstore.gpo.gov.
Search
for grants for unemployed people.
Debt
Debt
concerns are usually pushed aside until the beginning of each year, but
evaluating how much debt you really have is important any time of the year. What
you should not do when in debt, is accumulate additional debt when already
burdened with out of control bills. To be able to start working on getting debt
relief, all debts should be listed to get a total amount owed. Some people
do not stop to consider just how much in debt they really are, and they may not
know how far in debt they are.
To
become debt free, it is necessary to identify all debts and work on a plan to
eliminate them one by one for more stress free living. Waiting until the
beginning of a new year, may just cause more late fees, more phone
messages from bill collectors, and more financial stress. One good step is
simply to not add any new bills or make any new charges on credit cards in an
effort to stop making any new debts. Just a few dollars or more over the minimum
required payment is the next best way to begin taking control.
Consider
cutting out entertainment like renting, buying, or going to the movies and
eating out. Ditching just these two areas alone could give a hundred or more
dollars toward paying off small debts or paying down large bills. It can be hard
but worth it for a while. Try entertaining friends at home and have less
expenses. Better yet, establish a weekly activity, like playing games and rotate
homes to feel like you are getting out of the house. It can soon become a habit
that you may look forward too and enjoy while saving money.
Setting
goals to pay off specific debts can help keep you on track, and once you begin
paying more toward balances it soon becomes easier. There is pride in knowing
you are getting control of debts. Make a budget
and stay on it and watch the bills reduce with each payment. Think twice before
spending money on wasteful items. Keep your goals of paying down specific bills
in view to help motivate you. Getting out of debt has to begin with a first
step. Cutting out needless spending is the first place to begin to have more
money.
Review Disclaimer:
Review information was gleaned from the website, and is neither an endorsement by us nor an confirmation of content nor a warranty of any promises made by the website. Use the review information at your sole discretion and sole liability.
First-Time-Home-Buyers-Grants.com Review - How to Appeal for First Time Home Buyers Grants
Knowing how to appeal for first time home buyers grants can be important to those prospective homeowners out there who have the desire and the ability to own and maintain a home may not have quite the amount needed for an upfront down payment. This shouldn’t be a bar to someone who needs a first time home buyer grant, though, because there are certain programs which exist that can help.
Anything to do with first time home buyers grants can get a little complicated if one doesn’t take the time to research the subject thoroughly before trying to obtain one. And always keep in mind that an initial turn down for such a grant doesn’t mean that it’ll be impossible to still get that grant. It just means that a bit more work will be needed, is all.
The first thing to do would be to identify grant programs. Fortunately, the federal government has its own “grant.gov” website where anything that’s available about first time home buyers grants can be found. Just head to the site, start at the beginning and follow the prompts. Keep in mind, as well, that no money down home loans are also still out there just in case a grant does not pan out.
However, given that the federal government is acutely aware of the need to keep housing markets stabilized in the current challenging economic environment, first time home buyers grants are relatively open and reasonable in terms of qualifying for them. It’s always a good idea, no matter the kind of home loan being contemplated, first of all gather information on credit history, by the way.
This is because even a program that helps bring prospective buyers together with various first time home buyers grants programs will run a credit check. Obtaining a credit report and score and going over them before hand to look for errors that can trip up the application process is an excellent idea. It won’t lower credit score, either.
First time home buyers grants also come with a number of stipulations that have to be satisfied before any such grant can be awarded. First, these grants are never awarded directly to the potential buyer. Rather, first time home buyers grants usually are coordinated with the lender and the state agency that has responsibility for administering the program.
In the end, prospective homeowners need to arm themselves with as much information as possible when it comes to obtaining first time home buyers grants. It not only helps ease the stress and anxiety that comes around the home buying process in general but it also can help to greatly ensure the likelihood of getting the grant.
Basically, a first time home buyers loan usually always comes with first time home buyer assistance counseling and advice, not only by the lender but also by the government, in the form of pamphlets and “how to” instruction. There are a set of federal laws that speak to the regulation and administration of several different first time home buyers loan programs that currently exist, as a matter of fact.
Home loans for first time buyers, even in the current tight and credit market environment are possible, make no mistake about that. But, the work needed to qualify for a first time home buyers loan has increased greatly. What this means is that lining up a good credit history, references, stated or documented income and a host of other paperwork is just going to be a fact of life. Nobody, though, who’s looking for a first time home buyers loan program should become discouraged, because the government has a deep interest in encouraging home ownership in this country. There are grant programs as well as lender programs to help those looking for first time home buyers loan programs find them.
The first thing to do is make use of the Internet and a search engine. Enter in any phrase related to first time home buyers loan programs and websites and there’ll be literally hundreds of sites offering assistance. Be careful, though, to investigate thoroughly any site promising “no strings attached” grants and aid, because there are no real programs related to first time home buyers loan assistance that come with “no strings attached.”
Many lenders also have special programs set up for prospective home buyers out there on the market searching for their first home. These buyers usually have good credit and good jobs, but might not be able to swing a 20% down payment to keep LTV (“loan-to-value”) within traditional guidelines. Always check with any lender to see if it offers first time home buyers loan programs, in other words.
The Chapter 13 Bankruptcy Plan and Confirmation Hearing
Unless the court grants an extension, the debtor must file a repayment plan with the petition or within 15 days after the petition is filed. Fed. R. Bankr. P. 3015. A plan must be submitted for court approval and must provide for payments of fixed amounts to the trustee on a regular basis, typically biweekly or monthly. The trustee then distributes the funds to creditors according to the terms of the plan, which may offer creditors less than full payment on their claims.
There are three types of claims: priority, secured, and unsecured. Priority claims are those granted special status by the bankruptcy law, such as most taxes and the costs of bankruptcy proceeding. (3) Secured claims are those for which the creditor has the right take back certain property (i.e., the collateral) if the debtor does not pay the underlying debt. In contrast to secured claims, unsecured claims are generally those for which the creditor has no special rights to collect against particular property owned by the debtor.
The plan must pay priority claims in full unless a particular priority creditor agrees to different treatment of the claim or, in the case of a domestic support obligation, unless the debtor contributes all "disposable income" - discussed below - to a five-year plan.11 U.S.C. § 1322(a).
If the debtor wants to keep the collateral securing a particular claim, the plan must provide that the holder of the secured claim receive at least the value of the collateral. If the obligation underlying the secured claim was used to buy the collateral (e.g., a car loan), and the debt was incurred within certain time frames before the bankruptcy filing, the plan must provide for full payment of the debt, not just the value of the collateral (which may be less due to depreciation). Payments to certain secured creditors (i.e., the home mortgage lender), may be made over the original loan repayment schedule (which may be longer than the plan) so long as any arrearage is made up during the plan. The debtor should consult an attorney to determine the proper treatment of secured claims in the plan.
The plan need not pay unsecured claims in full as long it provides that the debtor will pay all projected "disposable income" over an "applicable commitment period," and as long as unsecured creditors receive at least as much under the plan as they would receive if the debtor's assets were liquidated under chapter 7. 11 U.S.C. § 1325. In chapter 13, "disposable income" is income (other than child support payments received by the debtor) less amounts reasonably necessary for the maintenance or support of the debtor or dependents and less charitable contributions up to 15% of the debtor's gross income. If the debtor operates a business, the definition of disposable income excludes those amounts which are necessary for ordinary operating expenses. 11 U.S.C. § 1325(b)(2)(A) and (B). The "applicable commitment period" depends on the debtor's current monthly income. The applicable commitment period must be three years if current monthly income is less than the state median for a family of the same size - and five years if the current monthly income is greater than a family of the same size. 11 U.S.C. § 1325(d). The plan may be less than the applicable commitment period (three or five years) only if unsecured debt is paid in full over a shorter period.
Within 30 days after filing the bankruptcy case, even if the plan has not yet been approved by the court, the debtor must start making plan payments to the trustee. 11 U.S.C. § 1326(a)(1). If any secured loan payments or lease payments come due before the debtor's plan is confirmed (typically home and automobile payments), the debtor must make adequate protection payments directly to the secured lender or lessor - deducting the amount paid from the amount that would otherwise be paid to the trustee. Id.
No later than 45 days after the meeting of creditors, the bankruptcy judge must hold a confirmation hearing and decide whether the plan is feasible and meets the standards for confirmation set forth in the Bankruptcy Code. 11 U.S.C. §§ 1324, 1325. Creditors will receive 25 days' notice of the hearing and may object to confirmation. Fed. R. Bankr. P. 2002(b). While a variety of objections may be made, the most frequent ones are that payments offered under the plan are less than creditors would receive if the debtor's assets were liquidated or that the debtor's plan does not commit all of the debtor's projected disposable income for the three or five year applicable commitment period.
If the court confirms the plan, the chapter 13 trustee will distribute funds received under the plan "as soon as is practicable." 11 U.S.C. § 1326(a)(2). If the court declines to confirm the plan, the debtor may file a modified plan. 11 U.S.C. § 1323. The debtor may also convert the case to a liquidation case under chapter 7. (4) 11 U.S.C. § 1307(a). If the court declines to confirm the plan or the modified plan and instead dismisses the case, the court may authorize the trustee to keep some funds for costs, but the trustee must return all remaining funds to the debtor (other than funds already disbursed or due to creditors). 11 U.S.C. § 1326(a)(2).
Occasionally, a change in circumstances may compromise the debtor's ability to make plan payments. For example, a creditor may object or threaten to object to a plan, or the debtor may inadvertently have failed to list all creditors. In such instances, the plan may be modified either before or after confirmation. 11 U.S.C. §§ 1323, 1329. Modification after confirmation is not limited to an initiative by the debtor, but may be at the request of the trustee or an unsecured creditor. 11 U.S.C. § 1329(a).
Review Disclaimer:
Review information was gleaned from the website, and is neither an endorsement by us nor an confirmation of content nor a warranty of any promises made by the website. Use the review information at your sole discretion and sole liability.
Debt settlement is a better option than consolidation loans, bankruptcy, or avoidance. Utilizing a debt settlement to payoff their debt, consumers are able to improve their debt-to-income ratio and have more control over the process of getting out of debt. Furthermore, we will advocate solely for their clients to help them get out of debt and remain debt free.
Debt Help:
* Impact Debt Settlement works with you and for you, not for the credit card companies.
* Many of the "nonprofit" debt reduction agencies that you see advertised are, in fact, funded by credit card companies.
* Companies like those are working to get every penny they can from you with their 'debt relief', whether it is by raising your interest rates or your monthly payment. Debt consolidation that can and should be reducing debt are instead protracted so consumers pay more and pay longer.
* Impact is independently funded, and so has no one’s interest in mind but yours. You are the focus of all the skilled and hard work of the legal and financial team; this is your debt reduction team.
There are few things in life more stressful than debt: the anxiety and dread that you can feel in your stomach, the toll it takes on your family life, the feeling of fear that you will never find sufficient debt relief.
The Impact We Make: Impact Debt Settlement eliminates the confusion and the stress of debt repayment by handling creditors for you.
* You will let us handle harassing phone calls or threatening letters.
* You will not have to call and ask time and again for debt relief.
* You simply make your reduced monthly payments, and we handle the heavy lifting.
You are in control of your financial freedom and debt relief, but you are given the helping hand you need. And it is a very strong hand.
Why Payoff Debt: Avoid bankruptcy by restructuring your current debt situation. Our services will help you with having creditors call and harass you.
Our debt experts will negotiate with your creditors to lower the amount of unsecured debt you have. Most customers will see a dramatic drop in their monthly payments to their credit card companies. Clients will save money in interest and other credit card fees because we are usually able to negotiate that interest no longer be charged for accounts that are enrolled in our program..
The goal of our program is to pay off your unsecured debt in the least amount of time possible, usually 1-3 years, with the least amount of money. All of your unsecured debt will be structured into one monthly payment. This will make it easier to keep track of your finances and settle debt.
Alternative options should be explored when an individual gains so much debt that the monthly payments become too much of a burden. The ideal situation is to pay off debt as quickly as possible. Bankruptcy was a simple solution for individuals struggling with debt in the past. As a result, an individual that filed bankruptcy severely damaged his/her credit ratings and may have lost some accumulated assets in the process. Today, debt settlement is a viable alternative to bankruptcy to pay off your unsecured debt and regain your financial freedom much quicker than the alternative.
Wouldn’t I be better off if I just filed for bankruptcy? Bankruptcy should only be used as a last resort, when other means of getting out of debt have failed. If you file for bankruptcy, you’ll have a very serious black mark on your credit history that you’ll have to live with for a very long time-typically 7 to 10 years.It’s much better to RESOLVE your debts using our system. By paying your creditors what they agree to accept, you’ll prove you’re responsible, and your credit will probably IMPROVE.
Can’t I just get a loan to cover my debts right now? Getting another loan isn’t a good idea. Because you’re already seriously in debt, any bank or lender will consider you a high risk. If they do loan you the money-which is by no means a sure thing-you’ll probably pay a much higher rate, or they’ll want collateral to guarantee the loan. Your goal needs to be getting OUT of debt, not digging yourself in deeper, and certainly not putting your possessions-perhaps even including your home-at risk.
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People who are just starting out might find it hard to get a loan or a credit card. That's because having no credit history makes it difficult for lenders to know if you're a good risk to repay a loan and make your payments on time.