Where can I find information about government grants?

Although there is a great deal of online information about federal funding programs, it has the potential to seem overwhelming. Since government funding programs and priorities change frequently, it is a good idea to call or e-mail the agency in question before applying for government funding in order to obtain the most up-to-date information on its programs.

In contrast to the overabundance of information on federal funding, information on state and municipal grants may be difficult to find. Check with local government officials and congressional offices directly to see what information they make available.

Federal funders generally prefer projects that serve as prototypes or models for others to replicate; local government funders require strong evidence of community support for a project. The majority of government grants are awarded to eligible nonprofit organizations, not to individuals. Government grants nearly always have stiff reporting requirements. Careful record keeping is a must, since an audit is always a possibility.

The following is a list of publications and web sites that are useful in seeking government funding:

• Grants.gov is a comprehensive site that calls itself "THE single access point for over 900 grant programs offered by the 26 Federal grant-making agencies." Managed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, it offers users "full service electronic grant administration" with guidelines and grant applications available online. You can search by agency, category, or browse the available grant opportunities.

• USA.gov is a government web site that provides the public with easy, one-stop access to all online U.S. federal government resources, including government benefits and grants information.

• USA.gov for Nonprofits includes links to federal web sites and information about grant programs, by cabinet department and federal agency. Visitors can also search Notices of Funding Availability from the Federal Register.

• The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance is a searchable database of information about federal assistance programs.

• National Endowment for the Arts supports all areas of the arts.

• National Endowment for the Humanities supports all areas of the humanities.

• Community of Science (COS) Funded Research Database allows you to search grants awarded by the National Institutes of Health (NIS), National Science Foundation (NSF), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR), and the Medical Research Council (MRC) in a variety of ways. You can search grants by keyword, geography, institutional recipient, award amount, date, agency, investigator, departments and more. Free registration is required.

• Institute of Museum and Library Services supports all areas of the arts and humanities.

• Dumouchel, J. Robert. Government Assistance Almanac. Detroit, MI: Omnigraphics, Inc., annual.

For more books and articles on government funding, try searching our Catalog of Nonprofit Literature (CNL), the Center's bibliographic database. You could start searching on the subjects "Government funding" or "Government funding--directories".

Many of the books and articles found through CNL can be located in Center Libraries and Cooperating Collections. It is best to call ahead to verify a specific library's holdings.

Can't find the answer you're looking for in our FAQs? Ask our Online Librarian.