Applying for a Grant
Applying for a grant used to be a difficult
and tedious process. The applications were long and often difficult to
obtain. Even worse, loans used to be difficult to locate. Unless you were
extremely familiar with government loan programs, in all likelihood, finding
a grand and applying for a grant meeting your specific needs may have been
nearly impossible to find.
Fortunately, that has changed in recent
years. Grants.gov, a web site listing all available government grants,
was created as part of the President's Management Agenda (PMA) and related
e-Government Strategy. Grants.gov is one of 24 PMA initiatives devoted
to improving services offered by the government over the Internet. According
to Grants.gov, the site was created as a partnership with the 26 Federal
agencies that offer grant programs. It is organized by the United States
Department of Health and Human Services, which is also the largest grant-making
agency.
By visiting Grants.gov, it's easy to see
how simple it is to apply for a grant. Gone are the days of preparing extensive
paperwork and printed documentation, as well as mailing the paperwork to
the agency awarding the grant. Instead, applying for a grant is now done
electronically through the site, offering individuals and businesses the
opportunity to flawlessly submit a grant application online.
There are five steps involved at Grants.gov
in applying for a grant.
1. Find an appropriate grant opportunity
in which you'd like to apply.
Visit Grants.gov/search/searchHome.do
for specific information on grants available to you. Be sure you meet all
criteria, or your time spent will be wasted because your application will
be voided in that instance. Jot down the grant's CFDA Number or Funding
Opportunity Number, which will be needed for Step 2, below.
2. Download the grant application package.
Once you've determined which grant or
grants you'll apply for, you're ready to download your grant application
package. Visit http://apply.grants.gov/forms_apps_idx.html for information.
Your first step is to download PureEdge Viewer, which is a free software
package required for filling out the application. The software is available
to both Macintosh and PC users. Instructions are included as to how to
install and use the software. After installing PureEdge Viewer, you're
ready to download your specific application package. Have the grant's CFDA
Number or Funding Opportunity Number for this step, which should have been
obtained in Step 1, above.
3. Register with Central Contractor
Registry (CCR).
Grant applicants need to be registered
with CRR prior to submitting a grant application through Grants.gov. By
registering with the CCR, the organization is required to designate an
e-Business Point of Contact (EPOC) According to Grants.gov, the EPOC is
the sole authority of the organization capable of designating or revoking
an individual's ability to submit a grant application on behalf of their
organization through Grants.gov. The CCR also provides organizational information
that Grants.gov uses to verify an applicant's identity and to pre-fill
repetitive information on grant application, which will ultimately save
you time in applying for a grant.
4. Register with Credential Provider.
Grants.gov employs the use of e-Authentication
to ensure the security of your information that is submitted electronically
in an application. e-Authentication is done through the use of Credential
Providers. It is the process of determining, with certainty, that the person
applying for the grant is who they are claiming to be in the application.
The Credential Provider for Grants.gov is an organization called Operational
Research Consultants (ORC). When you, as a grant applicant, are applying
for a grant, you'll receive a username and password, which is then used
to register with Grants.gov as an authorized organization representative,
or in other words, as an individual designated as authorized to submit
grant applications for your business or organization through Grants.gov.
Once you've registered as an authorized organization representative, your
EPOC is asked to validate the registration. Once your EPOC validates the
request, the individual requesting authorized organization representative's
status for your organization will receive a notification via email confirming
that you're not able to submit grant applications electronically through
Grants.gov, which is the fastest and easiest way to expedite your grant
application.
5. Register with Grants.gov.
As mentioned, when applying for a grant,
it is necessary to register with Grants.gov as an authorized organization
representative in order to submit a grant application electronically. According
to Grants.gov and their instructions file, the E-Business Point of Contact
(EPOC) listed on an organization's Central Contact Registry (CCR) registration
will receive email notification stating that the grant applicant has registered
to submit grants. The EPOC will then need to log onto the EBiz section
of Grants.gov and assign the "Authorized Applicant" role to the grant applicant.
Once the EPOC does this, the applicant will receive email notification
stating that they have been designated as an AOR and will be able to submit
applications through Grants.gov.
While there are many steps involved in
applying for a grant, doing so online will move the process along much
smoother and quicker than through traditional paperwork applications. The
site offers user-friendly instructions and support tools, including a tutorial,
a help section, a user guide, a quick reference section, and a frequent
questions and answers section. Through this information, most questions
and problems are addressed, and where something unusual occurs, personalized
support is also available through the Grants.gov contact center.
Resources Related to Business Grants
and Free Government Grants:
Business Grants, Loans and Free Government
Grants by State:
|
