Each year, federal government grants support community initiatives, research, infrastructure programs, and public interest projects. Grants are awarded on a competitive basis or distributed under a formula. The majority of federal grant recipients are state and local government agencies who then distribute funds to smaller entities.
Federal Agency Grant Pages
There are many federal agencies and departments that announce funding opportunities every year. Agency grant pages should always be viewed in conjunction with grants.gov when viewing funding opportunities.
U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)
A sprawling agency, most of USAID’s funding is allocated through Acquisition and Assistance (A&A) mechanisms. Grants are awarded to a responsible grantee to carry out a program with little direct involvement from USAID, while cooperative agreements are awarded to a partner but has more substantial involvement from the agency and contact with the partner during the life of the program.
For more information, please visit USAID’s grant page.
Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS)
CNCS is a federal agency that engages more than 5 million Americans in service through its core programs — Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, and the Social Innovation Fund. As the nation’s largest grant-maker for service and volunteering, CNCS plays a critical role in strengthening America’s nonprofit sector and addressing our nation’s challenges through service.
For more information, please visit CNCS’ grant page.
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
USDA utilizes science and public policy to improve economic opportunity in rural areas, promote agricultural production, and preserve natural resources. To achieve this goal, the Department offers an array of funding avenues that assist with projects that bring housing, community facilities, business guarantees, utilities and other services to rural America.
For more information, please visit USDA’s grant page,
U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC)
With a wide range of responsibilities in the areas of trade, economic development, technology, entrepreneurship and business development, environmental stewardship, and statistical research and analysis, DOC promotes job creation, economic growth, sustainable development and improved standards of living for all Americans by working in partnership with businesses, universities, communities and the nation’s workers.
For more information, please visit DOC’s grant page.
U.S. Department of Defense (DOD)
Through the National Security Education Program (NSEP), DOD awards scholarships to U.S. undergraduate students, fellowships to U.S. graduate students, and grants to U.S. institutions of higher education. These awards are for study or program development in languages and regions critical to national security. NSEP is one of the most significant efforts in international education since the 1958 passage of the National Defense Education Act, and it continues to play a critical role within the Department of Defense. The individual branches of DOD also offer several funding opportunities related to medical research.
For more information, please visit DOD’s grant page.
U.S. Department of Education (ED)
ED offers three kinds of grants: Discretionary grants that are awarded using a competitive process; student loans or grants to help students attend college; and formula grants, which use formulas determined by Congress and have no application process.
For more information, please visit ED’s grant page.
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
Whether you are a startup energy business looking to launch a pilot project, a company with proven technology that needs help reaching commercial scale, or a state, local or tribal government looking for funding resources for energy projects, DOE supports a number of grant, loan and financing programs.
For more information, please visit DOE’s grant page.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
HHS is the largest grant-making agency in the US. Most HHS grants are provided directly to states, territories, tribes, and educational and community organizations, then given to people and organizations who are eligible to receive funding.
For more information, please visit HHS’ grant page.
U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
DHS distributes grant funds to enhance the ability of regional authorities to prepare, prevent and respond to terrorist attacks and other disasters. Localities use grants for planning, equipment, training and exercise needs.
For more information, please visit DHS’ grant page.
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
HUD awards discretionary funding through over 20 Grant programs that support specific initiatives, including Affordable Housing Development and Preservation, Community and Economic Development, Environment and Energy, Fair Housing, Homelessness, Homeownership, Rental Assistance, and Supportive Housing and Services.
For more information, please visit HUD’s grant page.
U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI)
Through various bureaus, such as the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM), and the National Park Service (NPS), DOI awards grants and cooperative agreements for proposals that align with the Department of the Interior’s mission to manage and sustain America’s lands, water, wildlife, and energy resources, while honoring our nation’s responsibilities to tribal nations and advocating for America’s island communities.
For more information, please visit DOI’s grant page.
U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ)
DOJ offers funding opportunities to support law enforcement and public safety activities in state, local, and tribal jurisdictions; to assist victims of crime; to provide training and technical assistance; to conduct research; and to implement programs that improve the criminal, civil, and juvenile justice systems.
For more information, please visit DOJ’s grant page.
U.S. Department of Labor (DOL)
DOL’s stated mission is to foster, promote, and develop the welfare of the wage earners, job seekers, and retirees of the United States; improve working conditions; advance opportunities for profitable employment; and assure work-related benefits and rights. Through funding opportunities, the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) administers federal government job training and worker dislocation programs, federal grants to states for public employment service programs, and unemployment insurance benefits. These services are primarily provided through state and local workforce development systems
For more information, please visit DOL’s grant page.
U.S. Department of State (DOS)
Much of DOS grant funding is via the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA), which aims to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries by means of educational and cultural exchange that assist in the development of peaceful relations. ECA awards grants and cooperative agreements to nonprofit organizations to support academic, cultural, and professional exchange programs to promote mutual understanding.
For more information, please visit DOS’s grant page.
U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT)
DOT provides grants to help build up and maintain a fast, safe, efficient, accessible, and convenient transportation system for the American people, today and into the future. The Department funds an array of projects through several initiatives.
For more information, please visit DOT’s grant page.
U.S. Department of the Treasury
Albeit limited, Treasury provides funding in the form of grants, loans, and financial assistance.
For more information, please visit Treasury’s grant page.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
VA’s Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem Program is offered annually (as funding permits) by the Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care for Homeless Veterans (HCHV) Programs to fund community agencies providing services to homeless Veterans. The purpose is to promote the development and provision of supportive housing and/or supportive services with the goal of helping homeless Veterans achieve residential stability, increase their skill levels and/or income, and obtain greater self-determination.
For more information, please visit VA’s grant page.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Every year, the EPA awards more than $4 billion in funding to state and local governments, tribes, universities, nonprofit recipients, and other entities for grants and other assistance agreements to achieve their environmental goals. The EPA’s mission to protect human health and the environment is accomplished, in large part, by the awarding of funds to other organizations to conduct environmental program or projects. When the EPA transfers funds for a public purpose, it uses a legal instrument called an assistance agreement, which may be in the form of a grant or cooperative agreement.
For more information, please visit EPA’s grant page.
Institute of Museums and Library Services (IMLS)
IMLS’ goal is to inspire libraries and museums to advance innovation, lifelong learning, and cultural and civic engagement. They do this through research, policy development, and grantmaking.
For more information, please visit IMLS’ grant page.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Through the NASA Shared Services Center (NSCC), the Administration provides to several funding avenues, such as the Space Grant, Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs, NASA research opportunities, and International Space Station funding opportunities.
For more information, please visit NASA’s grant page.
National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)
The National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) is the grantmaking affiliate of NARA and is composed of professional associations of archivists, historians, documentary editors, and records administrators. Funding opportunities mainly focus on collecting, preserving, and publishing documents and archives.
For more information, please visit NARA’s grant page.
National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)
NEA is the only arts funder in America—public or private—that provides access to the arts in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories. Each year, the Endowment awards thousands of grants to provide all Americans with diverse opportunities for arts participation.
NEA awards cost/share matching grants to nonprofit organizations for a wide variety of arts projects, literature fellowships for published creative writers and translators, and Partnership Agreements with the 62 state/jurisdictional arts agencies and regional arts organizations.
For more information, please visit NEA’s grant page.
National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)
As one of the largest funders of humanities programs in the United States, NEH has awarded more than $5.6 billion for humanities projects through more than 64,000 grants. The independent agency promotes excellence in the humanities and conveys the lessons of history to Americans by awarding grants for top-rated proposals examined by panels of independent, external reviewers.
For more information, please visit NEH’s grant page.
National Science Foundation (NSF)
NSF funds research and education in most fields of science and engineering. It does this through grants, and cooperative agreements to more than 2,000 colleges, universities, K-12 school systems, businesses, informal science organizations and other research organizations throughout the United States. The Foundation accounts for about one-fourth of federal support to academic institutions for basic research.
For more information, please visit NSF’s grant page.
Small Business Administration (SBA)
The SBA helps people start, build, and grow businesses. The SBA aims to protect the interests of small businesses, preserve free competitive enterprise, and maintain and strengthen the overall U.S. economy.
For more information, please visit SBA’s grant page.
Social Security Administration (SSA)
SSA’s Office of Acquisition and Grants (OAG) funds research and demonstration grants involving the Old-Age Survivors Program, the Social Security Disability Insurance Program (SSDI), and the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Program. Grants are awarded for innovative research and demonstrations, adding to existing knowledge and improving methods and techniques for managing and administering SSA programs.
For more information, please visit SSA’s grant page.
Letter of Support Request Form
If you would like to request a letter of support for your grant proposal from the Office of Congresswoman Spanberger, we will need further background information about your organization, your grant proposal, and how this award will positively affect the Seventh District if you are awarded grant funding. Please note that our office can only write letters of support for proposals that are federally funded and accepted by federal agencies (no private organizations).
Below, you can search for current, past, and forecasted federal funding opportunities from grants.gov.
Check to make sure you live in Virginia’s Seventh District and fill out the form below to request a letter of support.