CMHS Consumer Affairs E-News
December 15, 2003, Vol. 03-115

NEW GRANTS.GOV WEB SITE OFFERS ONE-STOP SHOPPING FOR INFORMATION ON APPLYING FOR ALL FEDERAL GRANTS

Site Supports President's E-Gov Initiative By Improving Grant Application Process

HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson has unveiled a single, comprehensive Web site that will contain information about finding and applying for all federal grant programs.

The Web site, Grants.gov, makes it easier for organizations to learn about and apply for federal grants. Its launch marks an important milestone in President Bush's Electronic Government (E-Gov) Initiative.

"For the first time, there will be a single government-wide source for information about grants programs across the federal government," Secretary Thompson said. "By putting relevant information in one place, we're helping to level the playing field for organizations less familiar with federal grant programs so that they too can identify and apply for appropriate grants."

Grants.gov is a key element of President Bush's E-Gov initiative, which aims at harnessing Internet-based technology to make it easy for citizens and businesses to interact with the government, save taxpayer dollars and streamline citizen-to-government communications.

The White House Office for Management and Budget named HHS as the lead agency for this Grants.gov initiative. HHS awards more than half of all the competitive grants across the federal government.

"President Bush has made it a priority for his administration to provide government information and applications in ways that are more accessible and easier to understand," OMB Director Joshua Bolten said. "Grants.gov is a strong step forward in that effort, as it makes the federal grant-making process simpler and more efficient for applicants. The launch of this important Web site is a milestone in progress on the President's Management Agenda."

HHS led the development of the cross-agency Web site, which now has information about more than 800 available grant programs involving all 26 federal grant-making agencies. These agencies together award more than 360 billion in grant funds. The site provides information in a standardized format across agencies and includes a "Find Grant Opportunities" feature to help applicants find potential funding opportunities.

The site also contains an "Apply for Grants" feature that greatly simplifies the application process by allowing applicants to download, complete and submit applications for specific grant opportunities from any federal grant-making agency.

To date, application packages have been posted to the Grants.gov Web site by five agencies -- the U.S. Departments of Commerce, Education, Energy, Justice and HHS. This section will be expanded in the coming months as federal agencies continue to post application information about additional grant opportunities.

The site has been developed with extensive input from organizations that apply for and receive federal grants to maximize its potential to simplify the process and meet the needs of the grant community.

Grants.gov is a collaborative effort involving HHS and the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Justice, Labor and Transportation, as well as the National Science Foundation.

More information about Grants.gov is available at http://www.grants.gov. More information about the President's E-Gov Initiative is available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/egov.

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The Center for Mental Health Services is a component of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, United States Department of Health and Human Services.