A government grant, in its raw form is complimentary money given by the government to help in development. Each year the government gives out a large chunk of money in the form of grants. But to get these, there´s a lot of competition in the market. Due to such high demand, people look for ways to get these grants without much effort but since governments also has a limit to provide, getting this free grant money is a lengthy process and involves extensive research, writing grant proposal, applying and waiting and a long approval process. But there are a lot of misconceptions regarding the government grants which needs to be removed. Due to fierce competition, extensive research, documentation and hard work is required to get this free money because government grants are the only practical way to get monetary help for development without getting under any debts. These free grants are usually aimed at education, business, social services, scientific research, evolving technology or healthcare related schemes, personal needs, home grants etc. The chief recipients of free government grants are:
1. Small business groups – they are an important part of the economy of any county and require these grants a lot and hence foster cut throat competition due to limited funds. For a handful of grants, hundreds of people apply. They are given to help these small businesses to help them grow and expand. The youth is also a target group for such free grants to encourage them to start new ventures.
2. Social service groups– government grants are also given for social services and are given on the basis of nobility of purpose. Government keeps a track of utilization of the funds and the welfare activities of the group. Non profit organizations and community development projects come under this.
3. Women Nowadays, due to increased sensitivity toward women, and the empowerment of women, small business grants are available also for them, and some programs exclusively target to help the female gender. Grants for women, are exclusively reserved funds for women; and the underlying ideology is that since women have been subjugated and neglected for such a long time in history, so now they must be given resources and opportunities to progress in this unjust world.
4. Health care sector – hospitals and medical researchers are one the major recipients of the free government grants and require little effort due to noble cause.
5. Students/academics Government grants are a feasible way for students to pay for education without coming under any debts. Government gives such grants to aspiring students basically to encourage and help them to study further. Usually government grants are given to students on the basis of their household income, their physical or mental disability or on any other basis on which the state thinks that grants should be given. However students are required to maintain good academic record to enjoy the grant for the entire course of time and submit their regular evaluation. Some grant programs are aimed at research and development in more extensive areas like health care, evolving technology and tourism. Some grants are also available for schools and colleges for development.
6. General people (personal needs, housing, exceptional circumstances) – this section of grants are generally for personal needs like housing etc. There is a major section of government grants reserved for people who lose their property due to natural or man made disasters or due to government activities. So these are a kind of re imbursement. They are aimed to help underprivileged people also as they are the best substitute for home and other loans. Moreover they are easier to get because they are given for basic necessities.
While applying for government grant money, one needs to check their originality because some private companies disguise loans in the name of grants. The government grants are exclusively convenient as they are free. Thus people in any of the above category with genuine need and concrete plan can receive the free government grants. But this task of acquiring grants is not an easy job. There is no short cut to get these government grants. Since they are essentially free, an increased demand has made the process drearier.
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A government grant, in its raw form is complimentary money given by the government to help in development. Each year the government gives out a large chunk of money in the form of grants.