Grants for individuals can be more difficult to find than grants for small businesses or nonprofit organizations. But there are grant opportunities available for individuals through local charities, nonprofit groups, businesses and foundations. Searching grant and scholarship databases is one way to make your search a little easier. Contacting local organizations and businesses in your area is another way to find grant opportunities.

Foundation Grants to Individuals Online

The Foundation Center maintains an online database that includes grants for individuals, as well as scholarships and loan opportunities for researchers, artists, students and others. To access this database, you'll have to pay a subscription fee or find a local or university library that has a subscription to access the database for free. There are 250 public libraries throughout the United States that subscribe to this database. You may be able to access it through your local library website without having to visit the library. This database is updated quarterly and includes 6,000 listings for individual grants sponsored by foundations, charities and other nonprofit organizations.

FastWeb

FastWeb is an online database that includes information about academic scholarships and grants. While this database includes mostly college or university scholarship opportunities, there are some individual grant listings for undergrad and graduate students. FastWeb is free to use and is updated regularly. You may have to answer a questionnaire about yourself so the website can match your needs with grants and scholarships within the database.

Nonprofit Organizations

Many nonprofit organizations, such as local art leagues, writing programs, small-business foundations, charitable organizations and others help support their communities by offering grants to students, researchers, artists and small business owners. Contact your local chamber of commerce or visit your local library to learn more about the types of nonprofit organizations in your area. Visit websites of these organizations (or contact the organizations directly) to obtain information about grant opportunities.

Cities, Towns and States

To learn more about grants offered by your city, town or state, visit local government -sponsored websites or contact your state's department of human resources or department of planning office. You can also contact the chamber of commerce to learn more about city- or town-sponsored grants.

Libraries

Contact your public library and ask about grant and scholarship databases. Many public libraries compile grants, scholarships and fellowships for residents and students. Local and national grant opportunities are usually included. You can also contact local university and college libraries to see if they have a grant or scholarship database. If the public is permitted to use the library, you'll be able to go through their databases for free.

Source:

Foundation Center: Foundation Grants to Individuals Online

Michigan State University Libraries: Grants for Individuals

FastWeb

More Information:

EPA.gov: Tips On Writing a Grant Proposal