Twenty-six U.S. federal agencies make grants, but the dollars are heavily concentrated in a handful of large departments. This page maps grants to the agencies that fund them so you can go straight to the right source rather than digging through unrelated programs.
For a generic search, Grants.gov lists every federal grant opportunity. Once you know which agency funds your area, the agency's own funding page typically has more detail and earlier forecasts.
The big four grant-makers
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
HHS is by far the largest federal grant-maker. Sub-agencies include:
- CMS — Medicaid, CHIP, Medicare formula grants to states.
- NIH — research grants (R01, R21, F-series, SBIR/STTR for biomedical small businesses).
- HRSA — Community Health Centers, Ryan White HIV/AIDS, rural health, maternal & child health.
- CDC — public-health preparedness, immunization, chronic disease prevention.
- SAMHSA — mental health and substance-use block grants.
- ACF — TANF, Head Start, child care development, child welfare, refugee resettlement.
- AoA / ACL — aging services and disability programs.
Start at the HHS Grants Forecast.
U.S. Department of Education (ED)
- Federal Student Aid — Pell, FSEOG, TEACH, federal student loans (see studentaid.gov).
- Office of Elementary and Secondary Education — Title I, Title III, ESSER successor programs.
- Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services — IDEA Part B/C, vocational rehabilitation.
- Office of Postsecondary Education — TRIO, GEAR UP, MSI/HBCU programs.
- Institute of Education Sciences — education research.
ED's funding portal: ed.gov/about/ed-grants.
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
- Food and Nutrition Service — SNAP, WIC, school meals (administered by states).
- Rural Development — rural housing (Section 502, 504), rural business, rural utilities.
- NIFA — agricultural research and extension grants.
- NRCS — conservation cost-share programs.
USDA: usda.gov/topics/funding-opportunities.
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
- CDBG — Community Development Block Grants to states and cities.
- HOME — housing rehab and affordable housing.
- ESG — Emergency Solutions Grants for homelessness.
- Continuum of Care — homeless assistance.
- Section 8 funding — to public housing agencies for vouchers and project-based assistance.
HUD: hud.gov/grants.
Other major grant-making agencies
U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT)
Formula and discretionary highway, transit, airport, and rail grants. Programs include RAISE, INFRA, MEGA, CMAQ, and FTA formula transit grants. See transportation.gov/grants.
U.S. Department of Labor (DOL)
Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) funding to states, apprenticeship grants, YouthBuild, Reentry Employment Opportunities. See dol.gov/agencies/eta/grants.
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
Research, weatherization assistance (WAP), state energy programs, EV infrastructure, hydrogen hubs. See energy.gov/eere/funding-opportunities.
Department of Justice (DOJ)
Office of Justice Programs (OJP) funds Byrne JAG, VOCA victim assistance, Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) programs, and juvenile justice grants. See ojp.gov/funding.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) / FEMA
- FEMA — Disaster grants to states and localities, Individual Assistance to households, BRIC pre-disaster mitigation.
- CISA — cybersecurity grants to states.
See fema.gov/grants.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Clean Water State Revolving Fund, Drinking Water SRF, Brownfields, Superfund, climate pollution reduction. See epa.gov/grants.
National Science Foundation (NSF)
Basic research across science, math, engineering, education. See nsf.gov/funding.
National Endowments — NEA and NEH
Arts grants (arts.gov) and humanities grants (neh.gov/grants) to organizations and individual fellowships.
U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)
Mostly facilitates loans, not grants, but does fund the SBIR/STTR program, the State Trade Expansion Program (STEP), and PRIME microenterprise grants to non-profits. See sba.gov/funding-programs/grants.
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
SAH and SHA housing grants to disabled veterans, Veteran Readiness & Employment program funds, state cemetery grants. See va.gov/housing-assistance.
Department of Defense (DoD)
Research grants through DARPA, ONR, AFOSR, ARO; SBIR/STTR; Defense Community Infrastructure Program. See grants.gov filtered to DoD.
Department of Commerce
- EDA — economic-development grants for distressed communities.
- NIST — Manufacturing Extension Partnership, research grants.
- MBDA — minority business development centers.
- NOAA — coastal, fisheries, and climate grants.
See commerce.gov/funding-opportunities.
Department of the Interior (DOI)
Land and Water Conservation Fund, tribal grants through BIA, historic preservation. See doi.gov.
Department of State and USAID
Foreign assistance grants, exchange programs, public diplomacy. Most go to U.S. and foreign NGOs.
Independent agencies
- Corporation for National and Community Service (AmeriCorps) — service grants.
- Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) — museum and library grants.
- U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) — broadcasting grants.
- Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), Denali Commission, Delta Regional Authority — regional development.
How to apply
- Identify the agency whose mission matches your project (use this page or the Grants by Category view).
- Check the agency's funding forecast to see what is open or upcoming.
- Verify your eligibility — most agencies fund organizations rather than individuals. See Grants by Eligibility.
- Register on SAM.gov for a UEI (7–10 business days; free).
- Register on Grants.gov and link your UEI.
- Prepare your application in Grants.gov Workspace using the agency's NOFO instructions.
- Submit at least 48 hours early to avoid technical-issue rejections.
There is no application fee for any federal grant. Anyone charging you to apply, expedite, or unlock funds is committing fraud. Report scams to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov.
Common questions
Which agency makes the most grants? HHS, by far — driven largely by Medicaid formula funding to states. By number of awards, ED and HHS lead.
Can I apply to multiple agencies for the same project? You can apply to multiple programs, but most NOFOs require disclosure of other pending federal funding for the same scope of work to prevent duplicate funding.
Do agencies share applicant data? Agencies use common databases (SAM.gov, FAPIIS) to verify eligibility, past performance, and any debarments. Award decisions remain agency-specific.
Where do I see who agencies have actually funded? USAspending.gov shows every award by agency, recipient, and geography.