Everywhere you go on the internet, you are bombarded with ads about "free government grant money." The promises range everywhere from paying off personal debts to buying a home with the government's money.

I have seen many Q&A forums where people ask the same question repeatedly: are government grants for real, or are they just some spammer, scammer trying to sell some grant program?

Normally, the answer to these questions is consistenly short and to the point... "Scam!"

I would like to suggest that both the questions and the answers are usually, well... simplistic.

Here is, in my opionion the biggest truth and the biggest lie about government grants respectively:

1. There are scores of legitimate government grants that are offered to individuals for any number of different reasons; such as, college, graduate school, money to start a business, money to expand your business, money for minorities and women to start and expand businesses, money for housing initiatives.

2. The government is NOT a giant Automatic Teller Machine, waiting with baited breath for every citizen to walk up, insert their driver's license and print and endless supply of cash. The government is it seems printing an endless supply of cash, but they are not going to give it just anyone.

So where does the truth lie (no pun intended)? I believe it resides somewhere inbetween these two extremes. Like almost anything else, many people use grant assistance programs and never follow the instructions. They browse over the material, whip out a sloppy application and expect that the money will come pouring in. When it doesn't they cry "scam."

It is wrong for companies to promise that you WILL get money from federal grants. It is equally wrong for people to say that grants are only for institutions.

If you desire to get your piece of the trillion dollar (plus) pie that is being baked right now, do your due diligence and read all about it. Be careful about it. Don't trust everybody, but keep in mind, that doesn't mean you can't trust anybody. There are competant people who can assist you in navigating the grant application process... and actually make it to your destination (that elusive pile of cash that WILL be given away).

Yours truly,

John Meyers
GrantsMadeEasy.com