Cleveland Public Library

The People's University

Free Money?

“We have all seen them, late night infomercials, websites, and reference guides, advertising “millions in free money”.  Don’t believe the hype!” – Grants.gov

Today, Grants.gov is a central storehouse for information on over 1,000 grant programs and provides access to approximately $500 billion in annual awards.  There are many types of organizations that are eligible to apply for government grants.   Grants.gov does not offer money for personal financial assistance or debt.

If you are seeking personal financial assistance, you may want to start at Government Benefits, Grants, and Financial Aid for Citizens: USA.gov.  This website breaks down forms of individual assistance by topic.  

Information about starting, growing, and succeeding in a small business can be researched at the Small Business Administration’s website at www.sba.gov.

Federal Student Aid including the Free Application for Student Aid (FAFSA) can be found at www.studentaid.ed.gov.  This website includes information about careers and how to prepare for and finance a college education.

Information about loans for education, housing, veterans, disaster relief, agriculture and more are available at www.govloans.gov.  For additional information, contact Cleveland Public Library’s Government Documents Department by phone at (216) 623-2870 or by email: Govdocs@cpl.org.