Grants.gov is a source to FIND and APPLY for Federal government grants. There are over 1,000 grant programs offered by all Federal grant making agencies. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is proud to be the managing partner for Grants.gov, an initiative that is having an unparalleled impact on the grant community. Grants.gov allows organizations to electronically find and apply for more than $400 billion in Federal grants.

PLEASE NOTE: If you are in need of personal financial assistance such as Social Security/Supplemental Security Income, Medicaid or State Social Services, you can find help at www.govbenefits.gov. This type of individual assistance is not available on the Grants.gov website.

About Federal Grants

A Federal Grant is an award of financial assistance from a Federal agency to a recipient to carry out a public purpose of support or stimulation authorized by a law of the United States. A grant is not used to acquire property or services for the Federal government’s direct benefit. Twenty-six Federal agencies annually offer over 1,000 grant programs in various categories.

About Grants.gov

Grants are not Benefits or Entitlements. A Federal Grant is an award of financial assistance from a Federal agency to a recipient to carry out a public purpose of support or stimulation authorized by a law of the United States. Grants are not Federal assistance or loans to individuals.

Grants.gov was born as a governmental resource named the E-Grants Initiative, part of the President’s 2002 Fiscal Year Management Agenda to improve government services to the public:

“Agencies will allow applicants for Federal Grants to apply for and ultimately manage grant funds online through a common web site, simplifying grants management and eliminating redundancies.”

The concept has its origins in the Federal Financial Assistance Management Improvement Act of 1999, also known as Public Law 106-107. P.L. 106-107 was enacted in November of that year and the purposes are to:

  • Improve the effectiveness and performance of Federal financial assistance programs.
  • Simplify Federal assistance application and reporting requirements.
  • Improve the delivery of services to the public.
  • Facilitate greater coordination among those responsible for delivering the services.

The 26 Federal agencies that award grants and cooperative agreements are actively implementing P.L. 106-107 through interagency work groups, developing common data elements, electronic processes and uniform administrative rules across agencies.

The first stage of Grants.gov was a successful pilot that enabled participating grantors to post and grant seekers to search for grant opportunities. Since Nov. 7, 2003, all Federal agencies are required to post all competitive grant opportunities on the Grants.gov site.

The second stage was a pilot of the “Apply for Grants” feature, which included participants from 20 of the 26 Federal granting agencies, and over 100 grant applicants. The process was further refined and implemented on Oct. 31, 2003, featuring a simple, unified application.

Today, Grants.gov is a central storehouse for information on over 1,000 grant programs and access to approximately $400 billion in annual awards. By registering once on this site, your organization can apply for grants from 26 different Federal agencies.

Contact Grants.gov

To contact Grants.gov about finding and applying for grants, you may contact the Grants Program Management Office via one of the methods below:

1) Email at support@grants.gov;

2) Telephone the Grants.gov Contact Center Phone: 1-800-518-4726. The Contact Center hours of operation are Monday-Friday, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., Eastern Standard Time; Grants.gov is closed on Federal Holidays.

When contacting Grants.gov, the following information will help expedite your inquiry:

  • Funding Opportunity Number (FON)
  • Name of Agency You Are Applying To
  • Specific Area of Concern

3) U.S. Postal Service (USPS) Mail Address:

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Office of Grants
200 Independence Avenue, S.W.
HHH Building
Washington, DC 20201

To contact Grants.gov about the administration of the grants streamlining initiative under the Federal Financial Assistance Management Improvement Act of 1999, also know as Public Law 106-107, you may contact the P.L. 106-107 Program Management Office at PL106107@hhs.gov or via the USPS mail address listed above.

Fraud Alert: If you have received a phone call from someone seeking your bank account or other personal information in order to process a government grant that you did not apply for, you can submit a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission.

If you have information regarding a grant fraud specific to HHS, please contact the HHS Fraud Hotline at 1-800-447-8477.

Web: Grants.gov

See also…

Government and Administrative Law

Business and Finance Law