Grant Fraud Notice:

Grants.gov makes all grant opportunities available to anyone without any charge whatsoever, receives and processes grant applications without charge, and does not make or announce grant awards of any kind. The grants opportunities and applications we process are typically competitive grants for state and local governments and private-sector organizations, and are not entitlements or other financial assistance to individuals.

Criminal elements are actively defrauding individuals across the country by pretending to represent the U.S. government and offering either to provide individuals with information about grant opportunities for a fee, or claiming that grant money is available to the victim just by submitting an application along with a fee. These criminals use an official-sounding organization name, the Grants.gov mailing address, and a bogus area code 202 telephone number to gain credibility in perpetrating their frauds.

Grants.gov posts warnings about fraudulent activity on its web site. We have also worked with the Department’s Office of the Inspector General, the FBI and the Federal Trade Commission regarding this difficult problem.

To avoid future scams of this nature you may visit the Grants.gov Web site’s Frequently Asked Questions “Fraud Issues” page for a list of Better Business Bureau tips and suggestions to help you recognize and avoid future grant scams/fraud. This page can be reached at the following Web site address: http://www.grants.gov/help/general_faqs.jsp. You may also contact HHS' Fraud Hotline at 1-800-447-8477 to report grant-related fraudulent activity.

On July 20, 2011 at 1 PM, Grants.gov will broadcast its Quarterly Stakeholder Webcast. The focus of discussion will be on Grant Fraud Prevention. Representatives from offices of inspectors general for the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Justice and the National Science Foundation will discuss various aspects of grant fraud and specific measures that grantees can take to aid them in the prevention or early detection of grant fraud issues. Please join us for this lively session that is guaranteed to help grantees improve their operations and raise awareness of common fraud issues. Information regarding how to access the Webcast will be posted on the Grants.gov homepage.