Being a senior citizen is not easy, especially in a fast-paced culture such as the United States. Elderly people find more time to do lots of things. Unfortunately, most other people they want to do these things with are either busy or working. At least, there’s a pension they can use to enjoy their golden years – and maybe even a hefty savings.

But what happens if by some circumstance the elderly person does not have a pension, or enough social security, or if he or she is in dire financial straights without savings to cushion the blow. Being less mobile and incapable of the backbreaking work needed to dig themselves out of this financial rut, they find themselves pretty helpless and financially vulnerable.

The federal government puts great importance in taking care of the elderly and has created numerous programs to address their needs. Among these programs is the institution of financial grants to special projects for the elderly. These grants may include housing, medical care, and even jobs and job training especially designed for elderly citizens.

Applying for these grants does not require too much. You only have to be a taxpaying citizen of the United States and you have to meet specific requirements for application. For example, you will need to be of a certain age, income bracket, and so on to be eligible for certain grants.

There are different grants all depending on your profile. And there is no one general profile for any grant. This means that there is a grant for pretty much every need across the board among the elderly. Availing of these grants is a great way to get started on a new life, especially when a job from 9 to 5 doing office work may no longer be advisable for the elderly.

Grants also give senior citizens a greater window of opportunity to take advantage of – which is a great service to them because opportunities dwindle the older they get. A grant may open the doors to a new skill, a new business opportunity, and extra finances for elderly working citizens and better health and home service.

Also there are grants for institutions and companies so that they may accept elderly workers (those 55 and above) and pay them competitive rates. The grants vary. Some can be applied for by companies and others are applied for by the elderly themselves.

Government Grants

Government grants are made available every year with the Annual Federal Budget. This allocates a good deal of money for various government agencies to forward projects and grants. This budget should be used to forward the welfare of those covered by each agency. The projects may be forwarded by various entities: agencies, cities, states, and even the President himself. However, ultimately, it is Congress that gets say on which projects to push through with.

The great thing about grants is that they are non-taxable, and you do not have to pay for them at all! (There are some programs that will require some sort of payment, but as a general rule federal grants come without strings attached.)

Grant projects become available to the agencies once the budget is made available to them. Various grants will then be offered to those that qualify for certain projects. These grants will become available on the CFDA, or the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance. This would be a good place to look up a grant that fits your qualification.

Finding Senior Citizen Grants

All you have to do to browse these grants is to log on to http://www.cfda.gov to find a comprehensive and complete listing of these grants. There will be many other websites promising to be the best and most exhaustive list of grants around. However, you will find that many of these sites will either extract a fee from you or will forward you to bogus sites and scams.

Also, you should make sure that you know exactly what kind of grant you are looking for. As mentioned earlier, there are senior citizen grants for most every need. If you are looking for a change of career in the golden years – a new small business, job training, or job openings that match your age, then there are grants that can assist in this process.

While there are grants for many needs, the landscape can still seem a little hazy for those that are not acquainted with the application process for grants. There are some services available that will help you write grant applications, find suitable grants, and follow up existing applications. However, it still would be best if you first consulted with official government institutions first.