Grant Types Explained

• There are several types of grants, and they are each administered for various purposes. They generally fall under 2 - 3 grant types.

The type of grant you apply for will depend on your need and what you plan to use it for as well as how much of an effort you plan to exert.

The grant types include:

1. Categorical Grants - these federal grant funds can only be spent on very specific purposes and the recipient of these funds have to match a portion of the funds received. Categorical grant funds come in two types:
Project Grants, which are grants that fund research projects and the recipients have to have certain qualifications to receive theses grants. And, Formula Grants, only provide funds for certain projects as governed by law.

2. Block Grants - are large federal grants that are allocated to state or local governments to disburse for general use to its constituents.

3. Earmark Grants - are specified by the U.S. Congress in appropriations. They are not competitively awarded. 

Grant programs can fund projects in 20 different categories that inlude:

• Health
• Disaster Prevention and Relief
• Education Regional Development
• Energy
• Environmental Quality
• Agriculture
• Business and Commerce
• Art
• Community Development
• Food and Nutrition
• Employment Labor and Training
• Consumer Protection
• Housing
• Information and Statistics
• Humanities
• Science and Technology
• Law, Justice, and Legal Services
• Transportation
• Social Service and Income Security

Each of these grant types has their own requirements and guidelines that have to be followed and some of them may require you submit a grant proposal before you can even begin the grant application process. Contact me directly for assistance.