FinanceAdvisor

A lot of people go gaga over the whole concept of free federal grants. The moot point is, is it really free? If you were to read Jay M. Shafritz’s book ‘American Government and Politics’, he defines what a grant is. A grant, he says, is a gift that has certain obligations for the grantee and expectations from the grantor. A grant is no one-way street as most people looking for grants would like to believe. A grant comes to you inbuilt with the word ‘obligations’. And rightly so, wouldn’t you say? Why on earth should someone give you a lot of money and then forget about it? A grant is not philanthropy pure and simple. It means you have a responsibility to fulfill certain obligations. continued…

Paying for university or college is one of the most valuable investments you can make in your life. As you know, however, it is also one of the biggest investments too. For this reason, good financial planning well in advance of attending the university of your choice is essential. You will want to create a budget and consider everything - not just tuition but also reasonable living costs. Unfortunately, sometimes budgeting simply isn’t enough - and that’s where federal grants come into play. continued…

The 2006 New Jersey State Government shutdown was the first shutdown in the history of the state of New Jersey. It occurred after the New Jersey Legislature and Governor Jon Corzine failed to agree on a state budget by the constitutional deadline. It began at midnight on July 1, 2006, continued…

The war savings stamp (WSS) was a patriotic program used by the United States Treasury to help fund participation in World War II, and was principally aimed at school-age children. Stamps were available in 10, 25 and 50 cent, and 1 and 5 dollar denominations and did not provide interest, although in some cases collections of stamps could be redeemed for war bonds. continued…

War bonds were a form of savings bond used by many combatant nations to help fund World War I and World War II. They were also a measure to manage inflation by removing money from the economy heated up by the war efforts. continued…

Valuture refers to a type of innovative public financing in which increases in private land e capvalues generated by a new public investment are all or in part “captured” through a land related tax to pay for that investment or other public projects. continued…

The United States public debt, commonly called the national debt, gross federal debt or U.S. government debt, is the amount of money owed by the United States federal government to creditors who hold US Debt Instruments. This does not include the money owed by states, continued…

Tax Increment Financing, or TIF, is a tool for redevelopment and community improvement projects throughout the United States for more than half a century. With federal and state sources for redevelopment generally less available, TIF has become an often-used financing mechanism for municipalities. Similar or related approaches are used elsewhere in the world. See for example, Value capture. continued…

In economics, a subsidy is generally a monetary grant given by a government to lower the price faced by producers or consumers of a good, generally because it is considered to be in the public interest. Subsidies are also referred to as corporate welfare by those who oppose their use. continued…

Historical Context

A Sinking Fund was a device used in the 18th century to reduce national debt. While used by Robert Walpole in 1716 and was used effectively in the 1720s and early 1730s, it originated in the commercial tax syndicates of the Italian peninsula of the 1300’s to retire redeemable public debt of those cities. continued…