How to Really Get Free Money from the U.S. Government

Have you ever seen a commercial or infomercial for products that claim to help you get thousands of dollars from government grants? Sure, it sounds tempting: for less than $50 you're practically guaranteed to find a way that you can get money to start a business, write a book, build a house or go back to school. The truth of the matter is that these books and programs are practically useless to most people, despite the claims in the commercials.

Yes, you can get grant money from the government, some with no strings attached, but it's not as easy as the person selling you the advice would like you to believe. The United States Government issues billions of dollars annually in the form of SBIR (Small Business Innovative Research) grants, but they are highly competitive. These grants can provide you with up to $850,000 to start or expand your business. Additionally, state agencies may offer grants for various projects that suit the goals of the elected officials.

Now, books and programs that claim to show you how to get free money from the government appear to contain a wealth of information, but a vast majority of it will be useless to the typical reader. Most of the content of these books are simply directory listings of various agencies by state. So unless you're planning on moving, owning property or doing business in more than one state, about 98% of the information in these books and programs won't help you. Also, since agencies move, people change jobs and phone numbers and area codes change, it's not unusual for the information that was current at the time of printing to be out of date by the time it reaches your hands.

If you really want to get free money from the government, start at grants.gov. This is a web site that lists al federal grant programs which is searchable and allows you to subscribe for email notifications of new grants. If you don't see anything of interest to you, visit your local SBA outreach center (which you can find at SBA.gov). These centers provide free advice for people that own or are starting businesses. The counselors there can often point you in the right direction.