RS20514: Grants Information on the World Wide Web
Merete F. Gerli
Information Management Specialist
Information Research Division
Updated April 5, 2000
Summary
This report shows key sources of information on government
and private grants and nonfinancial help now on the Internet. Constituents, who know their
projects best, may search using computers at home or in local libraries. For federal
funding or nonfinancial help, all programs in the federal Catalog of Federal Domestic
Assistance can be searched by keyword and a number of indexes. Federal Web sites
inform, guide, and give rules, circulars, and updates. Organization Web sites such as the
Foundation and Grantsmanship Centers give sources for finding out about private,
corporate, and community foundations. They also offer guides to writing grants proposals.
This report will be updated yearly.
Introduction
The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance is the
primary source of information on federal grants and nonfinancial assistance programs,
although actual funding depends upon annual budget appropriations.
The Catalog can be searched via the World Wide Web
at the General Services Administration (GSA) site, which has various indexes, including
keyword searching; or the Health and Human Services (HHS) site, which also provides
indexes by department, agency, program, subject, and recipient, as well as links to
notices in the Federal Register and to Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
circulars affecting programs.
The printed Catalog is widely available in
libraries, including government depository libraries. A list of such libraries by state
can be accessed via the Internet (see below, under "Catalog in Print, on
Disc, and CD-ROM").
Both the printed and Web versions of the Catalog
include "Appendix IV: Agency Regional and Local Offices" that handle federal
grant applications and disbursement of funds. Since legislation in every Congress may
significantly change programs and their annual budgets, constituents should contact these
offices early in the process before applying for federal funding.
State government departments and agencies also fund
projects and administer federal block grants, but information on state programs is not as
easily accessible as federal resources on the Web. The printed and Web Catalogs
include a "State Single Points of Contact" for grants seekers wanting general
guidance in obtaining government grants. Also, various Internet sites access state
government home pages, and constituents may wish to search agency by agency and contact
appropriate offices for information. One example is: http://www.nasire.org/stateSearch/. Other
sites may be found via search engines under keywords or phrases such as: "state
governments" AND grants.
Because federal funding is very limited, sources of private
funding should also be considered. For example, the Foundation Center (see below)
publications and its Internet Web site identify state and community foundations that may
be particularly interested in funding local projects.
For those seeking printed sources, the Catalog of
Federal Domestic Assistance, Foundation Center directories, and other grants
publications are available in local libraries and for purchase. Many local libraries now
have catalogs on the Internet, and book publishers and online distributors offer
publications for sale. Terms to identify relevant books include "grants,"
"grants-in-aid," "proposal writing for grants," "research
grants," and "block grants."
Key Federal Funding Source
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance
The Catalog describes some 1,400 federal domestic
assistance programs, financial and nonfinancial assistance programs administered by the
departments and agencies of the federal government. It is the primary source of
information about federal grants programs, although actual funding depends upon annual
budget appropriations.
General Services Administration http://www.cfda.gov/
Health and Human Services http://aspe.hhs.gov/cfda/index.htm
Catalog Indexes and Listings.
- Programs by independent and other agencies
http://aspe.os.dhhs.gov/cfda/ideptaa.htm
Developing and Writing Grant Proposals http://aspe.hhs.gov/cfda/ia6.htm
This site provides guidance in formulating federal grant
applications, including initial proposal development, basic components of a proposal,
review recommendations, and referral to federal guidelines and literature.
State Single Points of Contact http://www.cfda.gov/public/cat-spocs.asp
Under Executive Order 12372 of 1962, federal grants
applicants may be required to submit a copy of their application for state government
level review and comment. The state offices listed here coordinate government (both
federal and state) grants development and provide guidance to grants seekers.
Federal Agency Contacts in Region/State http://aspe.os.dhhs.gov/cfda/ia4.htm
Much of the federal grant budget moves to the states
through formula and block grants--state, regional, and local federal offices often handle
grants applications and funds disbursement. Each federal agency has its own
procedures--applicants should call the department or agency in question before applying
for funding to obtain the most up-to-date information.
Catalog in Print, CD-ROM, and Disc
Related Federal Sources
Official Federal Government Web Sites
http://lcweb.loc.gov/global/executive/fed.html
To better develop a grant proposal, search a department or
agency's home page to learn more about its programs and objectives. Some government
departments or agencies have Web pages specifically designed for grants seekers (see
below).
U.S. State and Local Gateway http://www.nonprofit.gov/index.html
This Web site was developed in collaboration with the
National Partnership for Reinventing Government to give state and local governments easy
access to federal government information.
NonProfit Gateway http://www.nonprofit.gov/index.html
This network of links to federal government information and
services was devised to assist nonprofit organizations. Examples:
- Environmental Protection Agency
http://www.epa.gov/epahome/nonprof.htm
- Health and Human Services GrantsNet
http://www.hhs.gov/progorg/grantsnet/
- Housing and Urban Development: Funding
http://www.hud.gov/fundopp.html
- Interior Department Nonprofit Gateway
http://www.doi.gov/non-profit/index.html
- Justice Department Community Support and Grants
http://www.usdoj.gov/08community/index.html
- Labor Department Nonprofit Information Gateway
http://www.dol.gov/dol/public/nonprofit/main.htm
- Transportation: Grants Information and Policy
http://www.dot.gov/ost/govtaffairs/nonprofit.html
Federal Register http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/aces/aces140.html
Search for updates and notices affecting federal assistance
programs. Scroll down to check current year; scroll down farther to enter Catalog
program number, or subject/keyword "AND CFDA" in Search Terms box.
Today's Federal Register, and the Archives
http://www.tgci.com/resources/federal/ffed.html
Under "Today's Federal Register," this Web site
gives the current day's grants announcements, department and agency announcements of grant
application review meetings, grant awards, deadlines, requests for comments on agency
procedures, new rule reminders, and special events. The Federal Register Archives section
includes grant announcements going back one year: search by keyword/subject "AND
2000" for notices updating the latest Catalog of Federal Domestic
Assistance.
Grants Management Web Site http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/index.html
OMB establishes government-wide grants management policies
and guidelines through circulars and common rules. OMB Circulars are cited in Catalog
program descriptions: some program descriptions on the Internet version of the Catalog
link directly to OMB Circulars required for program management, and others just give OMB
Circular numbers, which may then be printed from this Web site.
Private and Corporate Funding Sources
The Foundation Center http://www.foundationcenter.org/
This gateway presents information about the grant seeking
process, private funding sources (including national, state, community, and corporate
foundations), guidelines on writing a grants proposal, addresses of state libraries with
grants reference collections, and links to other useful Internet Web sites. The Center
maintains a comprehensive database on foundation grantsmanship, publishes print and CD-ROM
directories and guides, conducts research and publishes studies in the field, and offers a
variety of training and educational seminars. Includes:
- Online Orientation: the Grantseeking Process
- User-friendly Guide to Funding Research and Resources
- Proposal Writing (online "Short Course" on developing a good grant proposal)
- Community Foundations on the Internet (by state)
- Private Foundations on the Internet, with subject and geographic indexes
- Corporate Grantmakers on the Internet, with subject and geographic indexes
- Foundation Center Cooperating Collections, listings by state at:
http://www.
foundationcenter.org/collections/index.html. Free funding information centers in
libraries, community foundations, and other nonprofit resource centers provide a core
collection of Foundation Center publications and a variety of supplementary materials and
services in areas useful to grants seekers.
The Grantsmanship Center (TGCI) http://www.tgci.com/
In addition to useful links to government resources, this
site includes information on community foundations and international funding. Community
foundations (by state) are often particularly interested in local projects and maintain
diverse grants programs. They may also serve as a resource for grant information and may
provide training and technical assistance for local nonprofit organizations. TGCI also
offers publications, training and workshops in proposal writing, grantsmanship, and
fundraising to nonprofit organizations and government.
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