Money in the news:
Q and A on the new unemployment extension, from the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
Ohio's Summer Energy Crisis program is available for low-income people who are elderly or have qualifying heath conditions. It gives funding of up to $175 to pay for air conditioning or a fan, and electrical power. For more information, find the local community action agency in your area. Applications start on July 1st.
Ohio has their new HEAP application for 2010-2011.
Five states--Michigan, Arizona, California, Nevada, and Florida--have received $1.5 billion to help homeowners threatened with foreclosure.
Microsoft's Elevate America, a program to give vouchers for online training and certification in computer technology, has come to Ohio. Ohioans are eligible for nearly 60,000 vouchers for the remote, online training program. Vouchers must be obtained and training started by August 26th, 2010.
Truth and nonsense:
1) Billions in grant dollars are just lying around, waiting for deserving individuals to apply.
Truth: Most federal grants are earmarked for state and local governments and nonprofits. There are few funds that go directly from the federal government to individuals. In turn, those nonprofits, local and state governments create aid programs that are often in the form of reduced rate loans, loan guarantees, and tax breaks and incentives, and they vary from one state or locality to another. There are very few outright grants.
2) Lots of new business owners are eligible for grants.
Truth: Most aid that comes to businesses comes in the form of loans, loan guarantees, and tax incentives. In most instances, businesses that get outright grants have received them because they have 1) invested a great deal of money in a location, and the state or local government at that location gave them a grant to “sweeten the pot” and attract big business 2) suffered a disaster and got a disaster grant 3) promised to create a certain amount of jobs in the jurisdiction giving the grant. Many other “grants” touted on “free money” books and websites are in fact contracts with the government to create goods or services.
3) Minorities and women get lots of grants set aside just for them.
Truth: Except for education, few grants are set asides just for women and minorities. In some jurisdictions, set aside percentages have been created at government purchasing agencies to buy a certain amount of goods and services from women or minority owned companies, but these are payments for services, not grants. Many grants are created to give government agencies and nonprofit organizations money to create programs that help minorities and women, often in the form of counseling and loans.
***NOW: find strange new sources of (non)free money and financial help at the blog: Free Money Ate My Brain.***
Follow me on Twitter at: Toledolinda.
Linda Koss is the Grantsmanship Specialist for the Toledo-Lucas County Public Library, a position she has held since 1995. | 
