USA.gov Benefit Finder
Answer a few questions to find government benefits you and your family may qualify for.
Funding, Grants & Financial Assistance
Find funding. Know where to look.
Legitimate government benefits, grants, scholarships, nonprofit funding, fellowships, business programs and free tools for finding financial assistance — gathered in one place.
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Individuals & Families
Government benefits and legitimate assistance programs for everyday financial hardship.
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USA.gov — Facing Financial Hardship
Find programs for food, housing, utilities, unemployment, health costs and other financial hardship.
211 — Help Paying Bills
Find local nonprofit and government assistance for rent, utilities, food, medical expenses and other bills.
TANF — Family Cash Assistance
Learn about state-run Temporary Assistance for Needy Families programs for eligible families experiencing financial hardship.
Utility & Energy Assistance
Find programs such as LIHEAP that may help eligible households pay heating, cooling, phone and internet costs.
Emergency Rent Assistance
Find state and local programs that may help when you are behind on rent or facing an immediate housing crisis.
DisasterAssistance.gov
Official federal starting point for finding and applying for assistance after a federally declared disaster.
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Nonprofits & Causes
Federal grants, private-foundation research and free tools for organizations working on a mission.
Grants.gov — Search Federal Grants
Search current and forecasted federal funding opportunities across government agencies.
Grants.gov — Check Eligibility
Understand which nonprofits, organizations, institutions, businesses and individuals may qualify for federal opportunities.
SAM.gov — Entity Registration
Register an organization for federal awards and obtain or manage its Unique Entity ID.
Candid
Research foundations, nonprofit funders, grantmakers and organizations.
Candid — Free Foundation Directory Access
Learn where you can access Candid's grant-research tools for free through participating locations and programs.
Candid — Introduction to Finding Grants
Free training on finding funders, understanding what grantmakers want and beginning a grant search.
Candid — Introduction to Proposal Writing
Free proposal-writing instruction with worksheets, outlines and sample materials.
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Education & Training
Grants, scholarships, work-study and other resources for college, career school, trade school and professional development.
FAFSA
The free application used to determine eligibility for federal grants, work-study, loans, and many state and school aid programs.
USA.gov — Types of Student Aid
Understand grants, scholarships, work-study and other ways to help pay for college or career training.
Federal Pell Grants
Learn about need-based Pell Grants, which generally do not have to be repaid when eligibility requirements are met.
Federal Work-Study
Learn how eligible students can earn money through part-time work while attending college, career school or trade school.
CareerOneStop Scholarship Finder
Search thousands of scholarships, fellowships, grants, prizes and other education awards.
Candid — Grants to Individuals
Learn how to search foundation funding for students, artists, researchers and other individuals.
USA.gov — Financial Aid
A government guide to FAFSA, student aid, grants, loans and other education-funding resources.
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Small Business & Innovation
Legitimate funding tools, innovation grants, capital programs and free expert assistance for entrepreneurs.
SBA — Loans & Lender Match
Explore SBA-backed loans and tools for finding participating small-business lenders.
SBA — Grants
Understand the limited situations where SBA grants are available and avoid misleading small-business grant claims.
America's Seed Fund — SBIR/STTR
Non-dilutive federal funding for qualifying U.S. small businesses developing innovative technology and research.
SBIR/STTR — Open Funding Opportunities
Search current federal innovation topics and solicitations from participating agencies.
SBA — Find Local Assistance
Find SBDCs, SCORE mentors, Women's Business Centers, Veterans Business Outreach Centers and other local support.
SCORE — Free Business Mentoring
Free ongoing mentoring from experienced volunteer business professionals.
SBA — Investment Capital
Learn about SBA-licensed Small Business Investment Companies that provide debt and equity capital.
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Individuals, Writers, Artists & Researchers
Places to look for fellowships, foundation grants and competitive funding available directly to individuals.
Candid — Grants to Individuals
Search strategies for finding foundation support for students, artists, writers, researchers and other individuals.
NEA Creative Writing Fellowships
Competitive National Endowment for the Arts fellowships for eligible published writers.
NEH Fellowships
Competitive National Endowment for the Humanities awards for eligible individual scholars and researchers.
CareerOneStop Scholarship & Fellowship Finder
Search scholarships, fellowships, grants, prizes and other awards across many fields.
Grants.gov — Individual Applicants
Learn how individuals can apply when a federal funding opportunity specifically allows individual applicants.
Candid — Research Funding
Guidance for researchers seeking foundation and federal funding for individual research projects.
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Learn to Apply & Avoid Scams
Before spending money on a grant finder or application service, start with these free official guides.
USA.gov — Avoid 'Free Money' Scams
Learn why generic government free-money promises are usually scams and where legitimate assistance can actually be found.
Grants.gov — Applicant Eligibility
Check eligibility before investing time in an application you may not legally qualify to submit.
Grants.gov — Applicant Registration
Learn the official registration steps for organizations and individuals applying for federal grants.
SAM.gov — Federal Registration
Official free federal entity-registration system required for organizations applying directly for many federal awards.
Candid — Learn to Find Grants
Free instruction on identifying realistic funders rather than blindly submitting applications.
Candid — Learn Proposal Writing
Free instruction and worksheets for writing a stronger foundation grant proposal.