Programs for Government Grants for Home Health Care Business

Although government grants are not available to families or individuals needing home health care services, the federal government provides grants to businesses offering these services. The grants are administered through a variety of agencies and are easily located through a few government websites. Additional programs can also be located for capital financing that can be the equivalent of a grant so long as the program's requirements are met for a specified period of time.

Since 2002, the federal government has made information for thousands of grant programs available at its website Grants.gov. The site provides grant information from 26 agencies that make about $500 billion in grant awards available every year. Use its search function to find grants by category, such as home health care. You can submit applications for grants through the site.

The Department of Health & Human Services administers the majority of grants available for home health care businesses. In addition to finding HHS grants through Grants.gov, the HHS announces when grants are available and also solicits grant proposals. The HHS places its announcements for grants on the Federal Register website which, like Grants.gov, has a search tool that you can use to find home health care grants.

You can find government grants for specific aspects of a home health care business, such as providing transportation for homebound individuals for doctor appointments, shopping and other necessary travels. The Federal Transit Administration annually issues grants for this purpose to state and local agencies, which in turn are responsible for dispensing the grant funds as part of their local projects. A home health care business providing transportation services can apply to the local agencies for these grants.

Individuals and families in need of home health care services often struggle with affordable housing issues. The Department of Housing and Urban Development provides capital funding programs for developers who provide elderly persons with low-income housing. This program also includes funding for home health care services for elderly who would otherwise need to be institutionalized. The program offers funding interest free, with the funds completely forgiven after 40 years of meeting the affordability requirements of the program.

Another source of grants for a home health care business is the Small Business Administration. So long as the size standards are met, any business may apply for grants. In addition to grants, the SBA has special financing programs available to qualified businesses.