Federal Grants for Senior Citizens

From community programs and supplemental housing to job training and transportation services, federal grants for senior citizens assist people on many different levels.

Read more about grants for senior citizens

When the U.S. Federal Government awards financial assistance to an institution, organization or individual that does not have to pay back the money, the money received is considered a federal grant. The grant recipient receives the money from the general federal reserve for a specific purpose.

Each year, more than 1,000 types of federal grant programs are offered by 47 federal agencies. Many of the grant subjects include grants for senior citizens.

The following are examples of federal grant areas.

• Community Development
• Employment, Labor and Training
• Food and Nutrition
• Education
• Health
• Housing
• Transportation
• Income Security and Social Services
• Regional Development

A full list of federal grant subject areas is located on the "Federal Grants Wire" website.

Many of the federal grants designed to assist senior citizens are given to non-profit agencies and organizations that provide services to seniors such as free education and computers. The following are several examples of these programs.

Congress authorized The Senior Community Service Employment Program, also called SCSEP, as part of the Older Americans Act of 1965. Funded by a federal grant through the U.S. Department of Labor, SCSEP provides workers age 55 or older with work-based training programs. To qualify, seniors must be have low incomes and poor prospects of employment.

The training program provides part-time, subsidized, community service work in many areas such as schools, hospitals, day care and senior centers. With their new training, qualified seniors transition to positions of employment that are not federally funded.

Funded through the Administration on Aging, Department of Health and Human Services, the "Nutrition Services Incentive Program" receives grant funds to distribute to state agencies for the purchase of foods for meals for seniors citizens. Agencies can serve the meals in group settings or deliver them to homebound seniors.

Under the Federal Agency of Housing, Department of Housing and Urban Development, the "'National Housing Act" provides senior citizens with subsidized, good quality, affordable rental housing. The government insures mortgage holders of the rental properties against incurring any loss on their mortgages.

"The Capital Assistance Program for Elderly Persons and Persons with Disabilities" is funded by a grant from the Federal Transit Administration, Department of Transportation. This program provides seniors and the disabled with transportation when public transportation is unavailable or insufficient.

• A free resource called the Federal Grants Wire provides listings of all federal and government loans and grants available. The listings are organized by several methods:
  • Subject area
  • Applicant type
  • Sponsoring agency
  • Assistance type

This website also includes a Federal Grant Index and a Federal Grant Directory along with many informative articles and helpful links.

• For information on learning how to write a grant proposal visit The Foundation Center.
• USA Gov - Government Made Easy provides official information regarding government assistance, grants and loans.

There are many websites on the Internet that offer assistance in finding grants or writing grant proposals. Use caution with any websites that ask for a fee before providing information. Some of these websites provide information that is no longer current and others add a recurring monthly fee billed to your credit card.

When contacting an online service to assist in locating possible grants or writing proposals, make sure the company offers a money back guarantee and has good customer support.

Federal grants for senior citizens provide important funding for much needed services for seniors in many areas of their lives.

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