Where to Learn More About Grants

1779 map of Livingston Manor and neighboring c...

Image via Wikipedia

Grants are complicated documents, and it takes a highly skilled person to write or review a grant. If you’re looking to apply for a grant, there are many resources you can turn to for help to make it through this difficult process successfully.

A Professional Grant Writer

A professional grant writer is an invaluable resource. These writers compose intricate proposals that are sent to the grant-giving foundation to evaluate whether the candidate is worthy of the grant. They are skilled in demonstrating the needs of an individual or company and how a specific grant can fit those needs. Grant writers will be knowledgeable on everything from research grants to land grants. If you’re unsure of who to contact, visit a site like Canada 411 to search for writers in your area.

Grants.gov

Grants.gov has a wealth of information on grants and how to apply for them. You can search for grant opportunities that fit your needs, apply for the grant through the website and track your application. Search for land grants on the site to find ways in which the government can help you obtain land.

Your Local Government Office

Local government officials can answer your questions on the availability of land grants in your area, and they can even give you a history of land grants made in your city or state. The Texas General Land Office, for instance, offers a searchable database of land grants, which unveils Texas history and the history of the state settlement.

Filed Under: Business Finance, Environment Tagged With: , ,

Land Grants: Modern Awards with a Rich History

A farm, Bethel, Vt. (LOC)

Image by The Library of Congress via Flickr

Land has been a valuable commodity since America’s early days. Today, land grants are major boons to businesses, organizations, and individuals.  Governments may award a land grant to a business that will improve a piece of neglected property, or as recompense for military services. Land grants are highly valued in the 21st century, while historically, their significance is both ancient and far reaching.

 

Rewarding the Militia

 

Following their military service, Roman soldiers were frequently gifted denarii and/or land as a reward for their services to the Empire. This gift of land as a prize for military service appeared in America following the Revolutionary War, when parcels of land were awarded to the veterans. The Military Act of 1812 was a Congressional act that stipulated gifts of land across the country were to be awarded to volunteer soldiers of the War of 1812; Illinois alone set aside 3.5 million acres of tillable land for this purpose.

 

 

Land for the Future

 

In the 16th century, land grants were provided by Britain, Spain, Portugal, and the Netherlands for the purpose of establishing overseas settlements; recipients were then legally required to improve their land by planting crops and erecting a house. This provision led to the establishment of America’s original 13 colonies. Through the 19th century, the growth of railroad was made possible through land grants; the astounding transcontinental railroad would drastically change America’s future forever.

 

Since their inception, land grants have supported the growth of the Nation. Today they support business who provide economic growth and employment, organizations who seek to preserve and educate, and individuals who hold tight to the American dream.

Filed Under: Environment, General, Land Grants Tagged With: , ,

Getting the ‘Open’ Sign Fast

Let’s face it: it’s hard starting up a business. You have to think about a land contract, filing your taxes, licenses, hiring, accounting, finances. Crazy stuff! And all you want to do is get to the day when you can, for the first time, put up the ‘Open’ sign!

One of the biggest hurdles to make when opening up a business is cinching the deal of the property — the land. That’s one of the biggest costs right there to owning a business. But if you play your cards right, you can get past a lot of the expenses that come with owning a piece of property. How?

They’re called land grants. And you get them from the government.

Know, though, that this is like sitting at professional poker tables and dealing your ante in, because it’s all up to the stars, whether they’re aligned or not. In order for you to obtain a grant, you have to estimate your costs, then write the proposal, include all your relevant information, and then basically the final step: pray. You did well on the other steps before the praying step, and your chances are decent that the government might award you a land grant, saving you money.

Typically, if you’ve contributed to your community in ways that can show you deserve a land grant, your chances are better. But that’s all up to you and how you write your proposal. You basically need to sell yourself. Whatever the case, you can know this, for sure: any costs that are cut down will definitely get you to your ‘Open’ sign.

Filed Under: Environment, Financial Tagged With: , ,

Getting a Land Grant

Keaton Keaton Revolutionary Land Grant 

Image via Wikipedia

The process of obtaining a land grant is not as simple or as quick as people may think. First of all people need to understand what a land grant is and what land grants are typically used for before they apply for a grant.

A land grant is a gift of land or the land’s privileges from the government or other authority. The gift of the land was usually given as a reward for services to an individuals. In the past, land grants were typically given to people in return for their military service. Now, land grants are usually awarded to people and companies that want to use and develop unused land. Most of the uses for unused land is to grow crops, build a school, or is used for a program in the community.

If you have found a piece of land that you are interested in then you need to go about getting the approval to use the space. You will have to estimate the costs of what you want to use the land for. If you are going to build a building for the community then you will have to estimate how much it will cost. It is important to be exact as the government can be very strict.

You will also need to write an effective and purposeful proposal. The proposal will be very important because it will tell the government exactly what you want to do with the land. You want to include exactly what you wish to accomplish and why you think that you deserve to get the grant.

 

Filed Under: General, Land Grants Tagged With: , ,

History of Land Grants for Use of College and Universities

Land grants have an interesting history. The most interesting history of all land grants is that of the university land grant history. Although land grants are rarely used anymore for educational purposes less than 150 years ago when grants were used to build educational universities. Here is a look at how these land grants were able to help build and develop colleges and universities all across the United States.

The way land grants were is the government gave the states federal land that they could use to find colleges and universities. The states have two choices. First, they could sell the government land to private businesses and organizations and use that money to fund colleges and universities. This is a popular choice as many of the land grant that were available could bring a larger sum of money by targeting small businesses and private organizations.

The second choice was to build colleges and universities directly on the federal land. If the college and university was built using federal land this meant that the college must appeal to a wide range of students and offer an affordable education. The college and university was also offer agricultural and environmental lessons in effort to increase the amount of science and agricultural learning that within specific areas.

It is believed that by getting this land to the states they would be able to turn a profit on the federal land and fund local colleges and universities that allow local individuals to receive a higher education.

Filed Under: Financial, Land Grants Tagged With: , ,

Obtaining Local and State Land Grants for Local Citizens

A number of years ago federal land grants were done away with by the federal government. Even though federal land grants are no longer available many local and state governments offer land grants to citizens in an effort to have them relocate to other areas. It is believed that by offering free land people will be encouraged to build homes on the existing plot of land and develop the economic growth of the area.

Land grants are available in cities that usually have a decrease in population. In effort to increase the population and surrounding community the governments offer free land to citizens. There are several ways in which you can find land grants that are available in multiple areas. Here is a look at how to find free land grants that are available on this state and local level and what type of considerations should go into applying for a local or state land grant.

Internet Resource. Every state’s land grant office has its own Internet website. This website will outline the application process and number of grant available to those seeking a land grant. If you are unable to find your state land grant office online the Land Grant Alliance has a list of available resources for you to reference.

Considerations for Grants. The consideration for land grants very based on the state and the reason for the land grant. This means that the city and state will usually consider employment status, financial status and expectations for the community. It is important that you do your research regarding the application process before you apply for your land grant. It is also important to research why land grants are available in that area. Common reasons for land grants include a recent natural disaster or high unemployment and crime rates. It is important to understand what type of community you are entering before you apply for your grant.

Filed Under: Land Grants Tagged With: ,

Connecticut Recently Purchased 750 Acres to Preserve

In Berlin, Connecticut things are going to stay greener. At least, 750 acres will, since the town has acquired open lands beginning in December of ‘05.
The state’s 2003 Plan of Conservation and Development stimulated the purchases to create a drive to buy up Berlin land and keep it undeveloped. This purchase only represents 40% of the total 1,800 acres dedicated to open green space in and around the city.
The most recent acquisition was of more than 450 acres of the Girl Scouts of America land through a land grant of $199,250, and the city closed the buy on January 6, 2011. The Blue Hills Conservation Area was formerly owned by the Meriden Gas Turbines power plant, being the largest plot of land donated (450 acres).
The Berlin Conservation Commission and the Berlin Land Trusts are working to preserve as much land as possible. Dennis Kern, President of the Berlin Land Trust said they’re very supportive of anything the town can do toward preserving land.
Connecticut Wildlife Benefit

Kern also reported that the open land in Berlin is situated with many various pieces of land that are all connected, enabling wildlife to roam free without having to cross highways or private properties.
As of now, the bonding for open land acquisition has been used up, and there are no more immediate plans to purchase more land. Berlin Economic Development Director James Mahoney added that further plans to acquire land would need the issuance of additional bonding funds.
Berlin considers large pieces of land as they become available, and then it is put before the town council on whether to proceed with a certain piece of land, based on quality, potential and price.
Connecticut’s long-term goal is that at least 21 percent of its land is open green spaces. Currently, successful preservation of 400,000 acres has been accomplished, making up 73% of the state’s 673,000 acre requirement for reaching that goal.
Filed Under: General, Land Grants Tagged With: , ,

Getting a Free Land Grant

Georgia Surveyor's Grant
Image via Wikipedia

Although it is impossible to get a free land grant for federal land, you can get a free grant for municipal land. There are many benefits to obtaining this land, most notably being able to build a house there. Many cities across the US are offering citizens free grants in return for them relocating into a new area. However, there are a few steps you need to take in order to receive one of these grants.

The first step is to search on the Internet for cities where you can obtain a free land grant. Using keywords like Free Residential Lots and Free Commercial Lots in your search will help you narrow down the areas that you can move to. It is usually the case that cities offering these grants have dwindling populations and need new people to move there in order to boost their economies. A majority of these cities also tend to be in the Mid West.

You should ideally visit the city a few times before you go ahead with obtaining any land. Although receiving a grant for free land sounds perfect, you should think about why the local government is giving it away for free. If a lot of people are moving out of the area and the government is keen to get new ones in, there is usually a reason WHY people are moving out in the first place, perhaps due to lack of employment or high crime rate.

It is also highly important that you read the fine print on any land grant contract you receive. There are often such clauses as the size of your house or the time frame that you will have to move in by. A standard contract will ask you to contact a housing developer within six months and move in fully within three years.

Enhanced by Zemanta
Filed Under: Land Grants Tagged With: , , , ,

A Look at Mining Land Grants

Land grants may be given out by the government for a number of reasons. However, the most likely scenario is that your company or organization is providing a benefit to the landscape or the country. One type of land grant that is given out is for companies looking to mine the land for valuable resources.

There are two main types of this grant, called Abandoned Mine Land Grants and Regulatory Program Grants. The first kind of grant is awarded to the state rather than an individual organization. The grant is given on the provision that the local governing body takes care and maintains the regional natural landscape after mining has occurred. The other grant is awarded to groups for the purpose of enforcing certain laws about mining, as well as inspecting mining sites to make sure they are up to standard. These grants are again awarded to the local government of the separate state, although they can also be awarded to Native American tribes in areas where they still live and are responsible for the land.

These grants are handed out by The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, which also handles the regularity of distribution and the amount of grant monies awarded. The organization assesses each grant on a quarterly basis in order to decide whether an increase in grant money is required. This will depend on a range of factors, including staff wages and over-running factors from the previous quarter. When it comes to waste removal, it use to be the case that this was dependent on the amount of money awarded in the grant. However, more and more nowadays external renewable energy companies help with the removal of waste, meaning that the amount awarded for the grant can be stretched further.

Enhanced by Zemanta
Filed Under: Land Grants Tagged With: , , ,

How to Finance a Small Business

If you are tired of working for somebody else and you have an idea that has profitability, you may want to think about setting up your own business. Although it requires hard work and dedication having your own business can change your life and give you a feeling of freedom that you perhaps never had before. However, you will need quite a substantial sum of money to get your business off the ground. If you are thinking of working for yourself, you will need to amass some money to finance your business initially.

The first think you should do is decide how much money you will need for the first few months. You should work out your potential overheads and investments, as well as how much business you will make and any incoming money you will receive. You then need to write up your business loan proposal. This is a document that gives details on your company and its history and how much money you are looking to borrow from the bank to set up. However, your company has to be a pre existing business for it to qualify for a bank loan. The banks do not tend to give out money to brand new companies as their investment has no guarantee of being protected.

If you do have a start up company, you can apply for a Small Business Administration loan. This is a dedicated loan that is given to new firms to help them set up on their own. Again, there is no guarantee that the investment of the loan is protected for the body that awards them, so they may require you have a number of commodities or collateral which they can secure their loan against. If you do not have a good credit history, you might want to think about getting a personal loan which you can pump into your business.

Filed Under: Business Finance Tagged With: , , , ,
« Older Posts