At the outset, when you apply for financial aid, do remember that the granting of funding is done as a voluntary philanthropic activity by corporations, educational institutions, and federal bodies and do not require any kind of payment by way of application or processing fees. In other words, all grant applications are free to grant applications. The financial aid is offered pending a thorough analysis of your eligibility criteria. If you are approached by any individual or agency offering to help you get funding in return for a fee or a commission, be warned that it is likely to be a scam.

If you run a not-for-profit organization and are seeking some form of financial aid, you must first research and make a list of all funding agencies that specifically fund your chosen area of interest. The official federal government website, offers a complete list of all grant programs offering financial aid along with the area in which the grant is offered. Individual governmental agencies may also post such data on their individual websites.

Successfully obtaining financial aid for any project or undertaking requires that your vision and mission are concurrent with what the grant provider envisions. Also, when you narrow down your list of funding agencies, to ensure that you do not waste time in applying to agencies that do not serve your specific area of work.

When you apply for a free grant, you are required to have a complete and systematic record of all necessary financial details, your organizations sources of revenue, the list of expenses incurred and the tax payable by you. Most funding agencies look for specific details about the objective of your project, the background, and mission of your organization, a detailed budget of proposed expenses if funding is received, tax status and so on. The more specific you make your application, the more likely your application is to be approved. And if, for some reason, your free grant application is rejected, do not give up hope. There are a number of organization that is willing to offer to fund and it may only be a question of time to find the right match.