Free Money, Free Stuff!

Many library patrons who are seeking 'free money' have not been told the lowdown on grants for individuals. They were given misleading ideas that masquerade as facts. In reality, financial help (not necessarily a grant) is available for many people in the areas of housing, business, health, utilities, and a host of other things. If they understand the grant money tree and how it grows, it is possible to find real help. There are billions of dollars of private and public grant money, but they do not go into a pipeline from the federal government or a private foundation directly to consumers. Very few of the programs created with this federal money are outright grants that do not have to be paid back. A look through the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (also online at www.cfda.gov), published by the General Services Administration's Office of Government-wide Policy, is instructive. Most are loans, loan guarantees, counseling, and inspection and certification services. Most true grants to businesses involve disaster relief, crop subsidies, and the development of cutting-edge technology toward market readiness. Neither federal government agencies nor foundations create pots of money that people can access by virtue of age, disability, gender, or being in business. Libraries will probably always have some free-money books on the shelves because of demand, but libraries can also provide an alternative--genuinely helpful financial information. State health department Web sites offer tips on what's available through state government; a complete list of state links is available at www.astho.org. At each state's site, librarians can explore such programs as health testing, support for AIDS victims, and casework and treatment for children who are ill with specific conditions.