State Government Grants

As passed by the United States Congress over two decades ago, a specific percentage of monetary revenue collected by the federal government must be allocated to, and passed down to individual states in the form of state government grants. State government grants are not only available to local townships and counties, but also available to:

• Citizens;
• Businesses and nonprofits;
• Government employees;
• Visitors to the United States;
• Seniors and the elderly; and,
• Military families and veterans.

State government grants help provide funding for the continuance of Medicaid and Medicare programs managed at the state level, new urban development and revitalization projects along with other needed endeavors at the state and community levels which benefit all citizens. State government grants for housing, temporary assistance to the needy and funds helping impoverished children and their families are also available. Savvy business owners and 501-C-3 IRS approved organizations can also benefit from these appropriations. Don’t forget those individuals seeking higher education can also benefit from state government grants in the form of Pell and supplementary educational funding. Some opportunities available to qualified applicants are:

The Children’s Health Insurance Program, also known as the CHIP program. Each state designs its own CHIP program, which includes eligibility requirements, benefits, premiums and application and renewal procedures. States decide on the benefits provided under CHIP, but all states cover routine check-ups, immunizations, hospital care, dental care, and lab and x-ray services. This provides free or low-cost health coverage for more than seven million children up to age nineteen.  CHIP covers both U.S. citizens and eligible immigrants.

Food Stamps, actually called the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, or SNAP, uses state government grants funding to help supply much needed food for those who meet poverty level threshold guidelines. In addition to in providing help with food and nutrition, state government grants help keep our elderly population safe and healthy. Because two out of every three Americans will need assistance with activities of daily living such as bathing, ambulating safely, dressing and toileting at some point in their lives, federal dollars are passed down to the local level which in turn are designated to long term care facilitates, adult day care facilities and home health agencies funded by state government grants.

How can the savvy entrepreneur or the 501-C-3 organizational executive take advantage of available state government grants? It’s easier than you may think! Business owners and real estate developers can leverage state government grants to their benefit in the areas of down town renewal projects, urban development revitalization grants and expansion opportunities. Advertising agencies can benefit from the use of state supplied contracts in certain areas of the United States to bring tourists in. Mental health providers; both clinics and independent clinicians can find funding in state supplied contracts as well for their services.

501-C-3 organizational executives can find state government grants funding in such areas as homelessness, food bank funding and job retraining. Because of the recent war efforts, and more specifically, the casualties caused by those conflicts, more pass-through funding for this specific population is now available to nonprofit providers.

There is funding available at the state level if you look. Simply put, the more ambitious you are in doing your research, the more opportunities you will find in the forms of contracts and state government grants.