Grants
One of my top priorities in Congress is to ensure federal resources are accessible to San Antonio’s nonprofits, small businesses, and other eligible grant seekers to support services in the 20th Congressional District. The federal grant process is highly competitive and sometimes the process of researching and applying for assistance can get overwhelming.
Below, you will find general information about the federal grant process and the ways my office can support local grant applications. If you have any questions or need more information, please call my office at (210) 348-8216.
I also encourage you to sign up for my federal grant newsletter to receive weekly updates with the latest funding opportunities, agency announcements, and alerts. Click here to get started or email TX20.Grants@mail.house.gov.
What are federal grants?
A grant is one of the ways the federal government funds community-driven programs and services. Grants can support a wide range of projects – from innovative research at our colleges and universities to after-school programs for San Antonio kids.
Who is eligible for federal grants?
Determining whether your organization is eligible to apply for and receive a federal grant is crucial and will help you identify suitable funding opportunities.
There are many types of organizations generally eligible to apply for grants, including:
- Government Organizations
- Education Organizations
- Public Housing Organizations
- Nonprofit Organizations
- For-Profit Organizations
- Small Businesses
- Individuals
- Foreign Applicants
To find out if your entity falls within the parameters of one of these categories, visit www.grants.gov/web/grants/learn-grants/grant-eligibility.html.
If your organization serves the constituents of Texas’ 20th District, my office can help you find relevant federal grants and funding opportunities.
How to request a Letter of Acknowledgement from my office to support your grant application?
Grant seekers may request that my office write a letter to federal departments and agencies in support of their grant application. These letters are generally known as a Letter of Acknowledgement (LOA). Those interested in receiving an LOA from my office must fill out an LOA Request Form and return it to the San Antonio office at least one week before the grant submission deadline.
Download the LOA Request Form here.
Once you have completed the form, you can email it to TX20.Grants@mail.house.gov or drop it off in person at my San Antonio office (727 E. Cesar E. Chavez Blvd, San Antonio, TX 78206).
Need additional assistance?
Thank you for your interest in securing a federal grant to serve our community. Below you will find multiple national and local resources, making it easier and more efficient for you to research and apply for available funding opportunities.
As always, my office is here to help as you work to secure these awards and more. Please email us at TX20.Grants@mail.house.gov or call us at (210) 348-8216.
Grants.gov – This website is a hub for federal agencies to post discretionary funding opportunities and for grant seekers to find and apply for such grants. My office held a virtual training session with Grants.gov representatives to help San Antonio organizations navigate the portal and submit applications. To view the session, click here.
SBA.gov–The Small Business Administration (SBA) helps small business owners and entrepreneurs pursue the American dream by providing funding opportunities through grants, loans, disaster assistance, investment capital, and surety bonds. To contact SBA’s San Antonio office, call (210) 403-5900.
SAM.gov – The System for Award Management (SAM.gov) is an official website of the U.S. Government to help entities register to do business with the U.S. Government. Other services of this site include allowing you to update, renew or check the status of your registration, search for registration and exclusion records, search for assistance listings, wage determinations, contract opportunities, and contract data reports as well as view and submit contract reports and access publicly available award data.
USASpending.gov – The official source for spending data for the U.S. Government to show the American public what the federal government spends every year and how it spends money. To create more transparency around the grant process, this site can help grant seekers determine what federal agencies have historically supported initiatives similar to your organization’s mission.
City of San Antonio COVID-19/Construction Recovery Grants Program– This program offers targeted relief to small businesses impacted by both COVID-19 and prolonged construction-related loss of revenues tied to specific City-initiated projects. Qualifying businesses may receive up to $35,000 in grant funding to help offset demonstrated losses in 2022 compared to 2021. The City is currently working to finalize the grants program and has plans to begin accepting applications in mid-February.
San Antonio Area Foundation–To help San Antonio nonprofits, the San Antonio Area Foundation invests in organizations through funds established by philanthropic donors. Please note that these funding opportunities are at the discretion of the Area Foundation, and the online grant portal is not affiliated with Grants.gov or any other federal site.