Can You Really Get Federal Government Grants For Free?
July 29th, 2010You’ve probably heard the great news – the government is giving away free money. They are the federal grants that can be used for just about anything – start your own business, purchase a new house & lot and buy a new car, and hear this… pay your credit card bills! To be honest, these stories are not true at all. And no, government grants are not free.
When you browse through the Internet now, you will often see a lot of advertisements about federal grants being given by the government for free and you’ll even hear people talking about these on some social networking sites and chat rooms. To put an end to all these controversies, this article will help reveal the real truth behind federal government grants.
Contrary to what these people claim, these grants aren’t like a Christmas present that can be given to anyone. Instead, this money are being given as an obligation by the government to a qualifying applicant, and being that it’s called an obligation, there are certain conditions that needs to be fulfilled in return. As a matter of fact, the grants are only given to some specific sectors in the society to help in building projects for the benefit of the whole community. Examples are:
• A state-wide flood control project – These are project proposals that aim to prevent excessive flooding in the locality. Usually, this project involves the construction of flood walls as well as building of retention basins that can help in preventing flooding and downstream erosion.
• Projects to attract investors to build businesses at some depressed downtown areas – Basically, these are projects implemented by a certain group of individuals or an organization, in order to attract more businesses to be established in a locality, thus, generating more income and jobs to people living there.
• A neighborhood street project – These are road development projects to repair or renovate damaged roads for the convenience of everyone.
• Water conservation program – These projects are proposed to reduce the usage of water in the locality and to find means in recycling waste water to be used for different purposes.
The common goals of all these project proposals are to provide welfare to the community. Before implementation, these projects are being subjected to strict government supervision. In addition, they must meet the standards set by the government during the whole duration of the project funding and all expenditures must be properly accounted for.
In conclusion, while it’s true that the government does shell out billions of dollars every year to be given out as federal grants, these grants are actually given only to help the whole community or are for charitable works only. So don’t believe it when someone tells you to ask money from the government to pay your bills. That is so untrue and that’s not how things are, for as they say, “Nothing comes free in this world.”