David Vitter, United States Senator, Louisiana

Assisting Louisiana institutions, non-profit organizations, and municipalities locate and compete successfully for federal grant funding is a priority for me as your Senator. Constituents requesting assistance with grants may approach my office at varying stages throughout their search for federal funding.

• Potential applicants may have an idea for a project that they feel deserves the support of federal funding and are searching for the appropriate place to apply. My staff can help research the complicated web of federal grants to discover if a grant possibility exists that meets the specific need.
• Potential applicants may have already identified a federal grant for which they are planning to apply and are seeking the Senator's written support for their application. In this instance, applicants should submit a written request along with a draft support letter to the Senator's office.
• Potential applicants may have already applied for a federal grant, but are having difficulty checking on the status of their application. The Senator's staff can inquire with the relevant agency to answer any questions.

*Often I am contacted by small businesses across Louisiana seeking start-up or operational capitol. Unfortunately, the federal government is not able to provide assistance to these businesses in the form of a grant. Low interest loans may be available, however, from the Small Business Administration.

Grants.gov simplifies the grants management process and creates a centralized, online process to find and apply for over 900 grant programs from the 26 Federal grant-making agencies. Grants.gov streamlines the process of awarding over $360 billion annually to state and local governments, academia, not-for-profits and other organizations. This program is one of the 24 Federal cross-agency E-Government initiatives focused on improving access to services via the Internet. The vision for Grants.gov is to produce a simple, unified source to electronically find, apply, and manage grant opportunities. [Grants.GOV]

The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance provides a comprehensive listing of federal grants with program descriptions and contact information for convenient searching. This catalog can be accessed at local libraries or via the Internet [CDFA website]

Information on grant topics for which I commonly receive requests:

• Community and Economic Development [Go]
• Conservation and Recreation Programs [Go]
• Cultural and Arts Programs [Go]
• National Endowment for the Arts application information, forms, and deadlines. [Go]
• Disaster Assistance [Go]
• Historic Preservation [Go]