Government grant money comes in a variety of forms—student aid, tax shelters and exemptions, funds for the arts, etc. And while dollars signs and light bulbs might ring and ding inside your head upon hearing this little tidbit, actually laying claim to a piece of the federal government’s financial pie ultimately means demonstrating your need of funds to the appropriate approbations agency. In other words, despite well traveled myths, grant money is not simply there for the taking—citizens must file paperwork, meet the stipulated criteria, and cajole social workers into granting government grant money to fund their project.
One of the easiest ways to wet your beak in the government’s birdbath is to enroll in college. All but guaranteed by the Federal government and her coffers, the Stafford program doles out a minimum amount of $2,625 a year in loans to applicable collegiate attendees—specifically meaning, those who applied on time. While sometimes in the form of loans (meaning that students will eventually have to pay back portions of received funds) government funding for student aid totaled to 105 billion in 2003. That’s a lot of lucre. But, as explained, it is not simply up for grabs. In order for students to receive large amounts of grant money (and more specifically, money that does not have to be paid back), prospective or returning students must clearly demonstrate a financial need for these funds. FASFA forms require a complete and accurate parental or independent income statement to ascertain this need. Therefore, economically disadvantaged students receive more government grant money. Clearly, this is the fairest way to disseminate these resources (on a need-based basis)—and this also acts as the paradigm of how other government grant monies are funneled to the public—on a need-based basis.
The National Endowment for the Arts coughs up millions of dollars in assistance programs to fledgling artists, art programs, and community projects (think about who forked up the cash for that civic monstrosity deemed by local artistic leaders a “statue”). By no means a worthless service, the National Endowment for the Arts grants government funds to groups and individuals unable to solicit the needed resources to complete projects that benefit the entire community (like those statues). Once again, people have a distorted perception of how the National Endowment for the Arts slips artists money. Far from a free-for-all, hopeful artists must petition the proper channels (which are fairly clogged with similarly-minded artists), filing the appropriate paperwork and demonstrating need for money (however, in this case, the most economically disadvantaged artist does not necessarily walk away with the grant—need is determined by the overall benefit to society). In actuality, comparably few artists are able to secure government money through the National Endowment for the Arts.
In the end, applying for and securing grant money comes down to be able to unequivocally demonstrate your need for government assistance. Is this a grey area? Of course it is. But, the agencies that funnel government funds to well-deserving projects and individuals generally do a phenomenal job of determining who deserves government grant money. After all, I haven’t received a penny.
By Jean-Pierre Lacrampe