A number of grants, for a variety of organizations, are offered by the federal government. Currently, the federal government coordinates 1000 different grant programs. These government grants are offered in a wide range of areas, twenty-one categories total, from agriculture and the arts to energy quality and nutrition. Additionally, government grants are offered by several different agencies, twenty-six to be exact. These departments include the Social Security Administration, National Endowment for the Arts, and United States Department of Education. You can begin your search for government grants on this website: www.grants.gov. The site is searchable by grant type and by agency. It also provides comprehensive explanations of the application process, as well several helpful documents for first-time applicants. Once you've applied, there is a system on the site that allows you to track the progress of your application. If you are an organization, there are three steps you must complete to start applying for government grants. The steps are very simple, but be forewarned that, as with most government bureaucracy, you'll have to decipher a multitude of acronyms. Also, remember that there is a separate, and different, registration process for individuals as opposed to organizations. Here are the steps an organization must take before applying: * Register your organization * Register yourself individually as an AOR--Authorized Organization Representative * Get authorized, by your organization, to act as its AOR. Registering your organization is a matter of getting a Data Universal Number System number (DUNS), as well as registering with the Central Contractor Registry (CCR). To register as an AOR, in other words to become an individual qualified to submit applications on behalf of your organization, is a two-step process. First, get a username and password from the site's Credential Provider. Then, register with Grants.gov. After you've done these two things you can set up your online profile The third and final step to complete before applying for government grants is getting approval from you organization to act as its AOR. Finding and applying for government grants might seem like a daunting task. But, through grants.gov, the government truly does what it can to make the process more manageable. Several checklists and step-by-step guides are available to download. Additionally, you can simplify your search for government grants by subscribing to email notifications. You can personalize these notices for updates on new grants that meet the specific criteria you're looking for. They also offer periodic newsletters with advice and updates.
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