Grantee Structure

• In most -- but not all -- cases, only tax-exempt, nonprofit organizations are eligible to directly apply for government grants. If you, or your company, conduct financial literacy activities and are structured as a for profit you might want to consider partnering with, or subcontracting to, a tax-exempt organization whose mission aligns with this type of activity. In such cases, the tax-exempt organization will be the grantee. It not only will be the grant applicant, but if the grant were awarded, it also will control all aspects of the grant, including the receipt and disbursement of funds, as well as authorizing all activities conducted with grant funds and the personnel responsible for these activities.
  
  

Competitive Award Process

• Most government grants are awarded on a competitive basis. This means your grant proposal is evaluated and ranked against all other proposals received on criteria that likely will include your capacity to successfully carry out the activities described in the grant proposal. For example, relevant expertise of key personnel, as well as the soundness of the proposed programs and services. It is, therefore, critical that you propose outcome-oriented financial literacy programs and/or services with projected results that are realistic and can be objectively measured.
  
  

Federal Grant Makers

• The MyMoney.gov website provides information on federal agencies that award financial literacy grants. Additionally, the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance provides a database you can search by keyword. For example, "financial literacy" to help you identify other federal agencies that might fund such activities.
  
  

State and Local Grant-Makers

• Some state and local governments also award grants. Funding of this type is sometimes passed through from a federal agency in the form of "block grants" with which the recipient -- a city or county -- determines the activities that are eligible for funding. Two examples are the Community Development Block Grant and Social Services Block Grant programs, which support social welfare activities at the state and local levels. Conduct an Internet search for "block grants 'x'" and replace 'x' with your state or municipality to determine if these types of grants might be available in your area and the governmental entity that oversees them. Then view the entity's website or contact them to learn whether block grant funds can be used to support an activity like financial literacy and, if so, how to apply.