Federal, local and state government funding is often available for nonprofit initiatives. Government funding comes in the form of grants, loans, subsidies, fellowships, scholarships, traineeships, technical information, advisory services, and sales or donations of federal property. It may be unclear what level of government funding is coming from, since federal funds are often administered through state and local government units.
Some tips
- Federal funders generally prefer projects that serve as prototypes of models that other organizations can replicate .
- Local government funders almost always require strong evidence of community support for a project.
- Keep careful records about how you spend a government grant, since an audit is always a possibility.
- Make sure you have the staff capacity and infrastructure in place to manage the grant and handle the reporting requirements.
- Many government awards require a local match -- raised from foundation, corporation or individual sources.
Federal funding
- Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (U.S. Office of Management and Budget): The CFDA describes federal domestic assistance programs, financial and non-financial assistance programs administered by the departments and agencies of the federal government.
- FirstGov for Nonprofits -- Links to federal departments and agencies (executive, legislative, judicial) and a guide to access relevant publications.
- Grants.gov – This is a federal grants website allowing you to find competitive grant opportunities within all federal grant-making agencies.
- Grants Management Website: The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) establishes government-wide grants management policies and guidelines through circulars.
- Homeland Security Grants: This site simplifies access to homeland security and public safety grants information.
- Notices of Funding Availability: NOFAs are announcements appearing in the Federal Register inviting applications for federal grant programs.
Federal agency grants
State funding
For more information please contact us
Linda Blanton
Planning, Development & Communications Director
867-9700 ext 2230
lblanton@ccpfc.org
