It is important to go through the entire source. You don’t have to read everything, but you have to at least review the title of every entry. Place a check mark on those entries that you feel MIGHT be of some interest to you.

Two grades can be enough. But it must be at least 2. Read each entry in detail and place either an “A” or “B” next to the entry. Using a “1” or “2” is also good. The higher grade should identify those entries that seem more likely and the lower grade should identify programs that are a little less likely but are “maybes.”

As you probably guessed from reading the step above, you should now go back and contact all your “A” list programs first. Leave your “B” list programs for a later round. You want to tackle the most obvious first. You can start digging deeper later, but you may not have to. I know it sounds like an obvious choice, but some people get overwhelmed with so many places to go to. This prioritizes the process for you.

This is a must. Do not assume that you know everything about the program just by reading the description in the book. You have to get the details before you make the decision if this is a program for you. You can contact the agency in any of the following ways:

A. by telephone,
B. by email,
C. by website, or
D. in person

You may even want to do a combination. You can go to the website and review their programs and then call and ask for specifics. But remember; even if you get details about a specific program on the web be sure you contact the agency by phone or email to insure you have the complete information. Like printed material in books, a lot of material on the web can also be out of date or even misleading.

Your initial contact with an agency should be friendly. Many people are intimidated to contact any government agency. Remember you don’t have to know what you are talking about, because most of the bureaucrats don’t know what they are talking about either. This is the government, remember. Your best approach is to try to be as inclusive as possible in your initial contact. Try not to say things that can get you a “no” answer right off the bat. For example, don’t let the first words out of your mouth be:

“Hi, I want a grant to start a bakery. Will you give me one?”

This can get the door closed on you right away when in fact there may be lots of money sitting there waiting for you. The bureaucrat answering the phone may not be aware of any grant programs because he just started working there a few weeks ago and is really not aware of all the programs. Or he may not be aware of any money that says “bakery” on the label. Or if you are looking for a townhouse he will look down his list for the word “townhouse” and tell you that there is no money available. Or the government may be offering other kinds of money that does not have the name “grant” attached to it but it means the same thing. They may be offering money in the form of “direct payments” or under a program called “loans,” but in fact you never have to pay back the money if you live in the house for more than 3 years. That’s just as good as a grant.

You can miss a lot by trying to be very specific. The problem is that most people in the government don’t even now what is available. By being specific the official can find an easier way to tell you “no” and send you on your way. You’ll be happy, because this is what you sort of expected anyway. And the official will be happy because they don’t have to do any more work. So it is much better to start with something like:

“Hi. I’m trying to get a description of all the money programs that are available for housing or real estate.”

You want the official to stretch her imagination and try to come up with a complete list for you. When you get a complete descriptive listing, review it in close detail and call the office back and tell them all the programs for which you would like to apply.

When you are calling the government, getting a lot of voice mails or being put on hold, it’s hard to remember how important that person is who finally answers the telephone. That’s the person who can give you the money. So how well you treat them can determine your success or failure in getting what you need. If you start yelling when the person answers the phone because you’ve been sitting on hold for the past 10 minutes, you don’t sound like you are going to be the highlight of any bureaucrat’s day. That bureaucrat gets paid the same amount of money whether they help you for free for 2 weeks or if they hang up on you right after you say hello. What you have to do is try to get that person to want to spend time with you. You want them to enjoy talking with you. The more comfortable they are in talking with you, the more likely they are to share inside information that will increase your chances and make it easier for you to get the money. It is basic common sense that can easily be forgotten, like: a) Don’t be nasty when they answer the phone because the first words out of your mouth can set the stage for the entire conversation. b) Don’t act like you hate them except for the fact that they are sitting on the money (even though it may be true) because this will come through in your conversation and they will not want to help you. c) Send “thank you” notes when people are exceptionally nice because it is the best way to ensure that you are remembered the next time you call. I can go on and on, but simply put …. TREAT PEOPLE LIKE YOU WANT TO BE TREATED.

Think of it as being back in school when you would go and brown nose the teacher. The good brown nosers would meet with the teacher after class and not only talk about school, but also talk about their life. They would show the teacher pictures of their dog and talk about how much they like baseball; anything to get the teacher to relate to them not as a student but as a person. Once the teacher sees a student as a person, it’s hard to flunk them no matter how bad they are. These bureaucrats have the power to pass or fail you on your money exam. So the more they get to know you as a person, the more likely they are to help you pass the test. So when you are talking to them, don’t be afraid to talk about personal stuff along with the professional. They certainly have the power to help, because they are the ones who give out the money.

If being good on the phone increases your odds of getting the cash, then face to face will do even more. This may not be practical or even possible all of the time, but it is certainly another way for a bureaucrat to put a face with an application and this will make it that much harder for her to just say “no”.

I really mean don’t wait until the last minute to apply. Especially with those offices that only give out money at certain times of the year. As deadline time approaches, the bureaucrats can become too busy to provide you with any individualized help. So the best strategy is to call early and to call often.

If after reviewing all of their programs you decide that they have nothing for you, you have one more important thing to do before you move on. Call up one of the program officers and tell them about your search. See if they are aware of any programs that may suit your needs, or if they know of other agencies that have ANY kind of financial assistance for your project.

These people are in the business and are likely to attend meetings and conventions with people from other agencies who also hand out money. They are on the front line of government programs and will likely know other people who do this work.

Keep going through this process and keep applying to as many programs as possible. Apply even if people tell you that you have a very small chance of getting the money. Apply even if they tell you that you “may” not be qualified. When you hear terms like “may” or “small chance” this still means that you do have a chance, and that is all you need. Don’t worry about filling out so many applications. Once you’ve done the first one the rest are pretty much the same. The whole process is a numbers game. Just like the lottery, you have to play to win.

No matter how easy the application may appear you are likely to encounter some difficulty with at least one question. But this is not a real problem. There is plenty of help.

The best way to handle this is to call the office giving out the money and ask to speak to a “program officer” for the program to which you are applying. They are the people who are directly involved in handing out the money. Be blunt and tell them that you “have no idea what they are talking about in question #6 on the application.” You are probably not the first person in the world who had trouble with that question. The office probably realizes it is confusing, but they didn’t have money in the budget to reprint the forms.

If for some reason you are not getting help directly from the office giving out the money, you can always contact the office of your elected official. This is your Congressman or Senator at the federal level, your state elected official for state programs and your councilman or mayor at the local level. They all have people on their staff whose job it is to solve problems that taxpayers are having with the government.

We all hate to be nags. But it is important because an application can get lost so easily in a mountain of paperwork.

• Call to make sure they sent out your application.
• Call to make sure they received your application.
• Call to make sure you know when you will be notified if you are accepted.
• Call a few days after the notification date if you have not heard anything yet.

It may be uncomfortable at times. But the squeaky wheel does get the grease.

If you get the money, call. Make sure you thank them and ask all the stupid questions you think are necessary to know when, where, and how you are going to get your money. If your application is rejected, be sure you call anyway. This is the only way you may learn the truth about why you did not get the money. Ask how soon you can apply again. They may be accepting applications every month and too many people applied last month. You always have to keep learning how and why organizations give out money and by being an applicant you are in a wonderful position to ask.