Determine which category of grants you need. Education? Healthcare? Housing? Once you know which type of federal grant you want, you can apply accordingly. Apply for as many federal grants as you can, and call various offices to ask questions if you are unsure when answering grant forms.
Apply for the grant you need. For education, start by filling out the FAFSA, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. For healthcare, contact your state's health insurance program. For housing, your state's housing development office is a good start, or contact Habitat for Humanity, a nonprofit that can help with grants.
Contact your local social services office. Ask for an appointment to come in and evaluate which federal assistance and grant programs for which you qualify. You may be surprised by the number of programs you can use, and grants that might be available to you.
Consider military programs. If you or your former or deceased spouse served in the armed forces you may be eligible for federal grant money for college, for example. Contact your local base for more details. You may need military paperwork or records to provide eligibility, and this may require returning to a home base from the past.