Hi Casey
Welcome to the forums.
Government grants are available for specific purposes and or if you satisfy the legal procedures. Mostly, they are offered to non profit organizations that offer free services to the community.
If you are looking for a government grant, you will have to apply in the
U.S. Government's Grants.gov Website. The procedures and legal formalities have been explained in the website.
Also, look at the
Government's Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA). It lists the various grants and assistance available to the people. To qualify for any of the grants, you will have to go through the eligibility requirements listed in the website and ascertain if you can qualify for it.
Government grants are available to people only at a certain period of time. They are not available all the year round. The government will place an announcement about it in the Federal Register which is published each weekday.
In most cases, I know these grants are available for educational support, arts, scientific or other types of researches though there might be grants for individuals specifically.
One thing is important to know while looking out for such grants. Many companies advertise with offers giving you free money. You just are required to write a letter. This proposal letter should be well framed because there are lots of other people competing with you. If you qualify for it, you won't have to pay back them anything as it is free. But you will have to give a detailed explanation of the periodic progress, program evaluation and other periodical reports.
Regards
Roxette