He rose from homelessness to becoming the owner of his own company, a bestselling author and a compassionate philanthropist. On tomorrow’s show Jean talks with owner and CEO of Gardner Rich LLC, Chris Gardner about his newest book “Start Where You Are: Life Lessons in Getting From Where You Are to Where You Want to Be.” Listen in tomorrow at 12pm EDT on XM 156 or SIRIUS 195.
I was wondering if you know of any legitimate sites that you can apply for government grants for personal uses, such as weatherization, home repairs and high-energy appliances and such.
-Robin, Waterville Maine
We’re always hearing how the government has billions of dollars in grant money to just give away. It sounds too good to be true, right? Most of the time, it is. In fact, just recently, the FTC cracked down on the websites of several scammers falsely claiming to help consumers attain free government grant money.
For the most part, government grants for home improvements are distributed to low-income households or people whose homes have been affected by natural disasters. But before you rule it out, it can’t hurt to check with your city or county’s government offices. “I would suggest folks go to their city hall or their county agencies that do housing and community development. Ask if they have any home repair programs,” suggests HUD spokesman Brian Sullivan.
If you’re searching on the web for grants or information about grants, be careful. While there is legitimate information out there, there are also scams. Paying for access to a list of government grants is definitely a red flag. “There is never a charge to get a list of government grants or to apply for one,” warns MSNBC ConsumerMan columnist Herb Weisbaum. For free access to lists of government grants, Weisbaum suggests visiting Grants.gov or GovBenefits.gov. According to Weisbaum, another surefire sign of a scam is when any company “guarantees” you’ll receive grant money. “No one can do that,” says Weisbaum.
For most Americans, the biggest way to cash in is not through grants, but through tax credits and the Department of Energy’s Weatherization Assistance Program. According to the Department of Energy, More…
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