The U.S. Federal Government provides millions of dollars in grant funding to qualifying nonprofits each year. As a 501c3 tax exempt organization, you may be eligible to apply for these grants to support your current programs and launch new ones.

There are a few helpful tips to apply for federal funding:

• Grants can be searched and applied for on the www.grants.gov website. It is a common site for 26 federal agencies to post their grant opportunities and offer an easier way for the grantees to search and apply for the funding.
• You must Check Your Eligibility prior to applying for any grants. Eligibility is often defined in the instructions for the specific grant on in the synopsis section. If you don’t verify that you are legally eligible to receive the grant, you might waste a lot of your time and effort, no matter how well-worded and strong your application is;
• Obtain a DUNS number, which may be applied for on the Dun and Bradstreet (D&B) website. A DUNS number is a special 9-digit number assigned for each physical location of your organization. You may obtain the number for free.
• Take advantage of the free training videos and guides that are available on the grants.gov website. These tools will equip you with the necessary knowledge about the grant-searching and application process.
• When preparing the application, allow yourself plenty of time (don’t wait until the very last week before the deadline) to make the application concise and clear, brief but with the necessary amount of detail. Also, keep your audience in mind.
• Make sure to submit the entire application packet at the same time, being very careful in the use of attachments. All attachments must be in the exact order as indicated in the forms.
• Print the application packet before clicking the “Submit” button for proofreading purposes. This way you can ensure accuracy and proper formatting, as well as presence of all attachments. All the best!