Overview

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Welcome to the Compassion Captital fund e-learning lesson on Acquiring Public Grants. With so many available funding opportunities, the process of seeking and acquiring funding can seem confusing and overwhelming. However, assistance is available to help organizations navigate the process successfully. At the end of this lesson you will be able to: access and use grant research tools, identify relevant Federal programs and grant opportunities, identify the elements of a Federal grant proposal, explain the Federal grant solicitation and award process, and explain how grant proposals are evaluated.

Grants.gov is the premier site for up-to-date news on funding announcements.

Established in 2003, Grants.gov maintains a searchable database of grant opportunities from 26 contributing agencies, offers regular emails regarding available funds, maintains an online submission system for participating agencies’ grant opportunities, and provides a number of training tools and informational resources about the grant application process. Today, Grants.gov is a central repository for information on more than 1,000 grant programs that distribute nearly $500 billion annually.

Deciding what type of funding is right for you depends on your organization’s individual circumstances.

If you are just starting out, seeking funds from state or local sources may be the best choice. It may be easier to get needed technical assistance from local program staff familiar with your organization and community. On the other hand, if you believe that your organization has the capacity, staff, skills, and support necessary to seek funding from the Federal government, then take the time to fully prepare for the process. Whatever source you decide to pursue, research is important.