• There are literally hundreds, if not thousands of different government programs that offer money to individual citizens for a variety of needs. This money is called a grant, and there are programs that deal with law enforcement, education, disaster relief and dozens of other categories. Additionally, these monies may come from the federal, state or even local level in some cases. Each grant comes with stipulation about how the money can be used, and many of these grants have rules that say they can be used to help defer the costs of living.
  
  

Education

• One major form of grant that students are often scrambling for is an education grant, often called a government scholarship. These grants help defer the costs of going to school and they can usually be used on actually paying the school itself, paying for text books or in many cases allowing the student to pay for their room and board. Of course, only citizens who are actively attending school may use these grants, and often the school has to verify that student's enrollment. These grants are ideal for those who need a little extra help paying rent while going to college.
  
  

Assisted Living

• There are also government grants that apply to those who have assisted living costs. Whether the individual is a senior citizen who needs at home care, or a family that's trying to take care of an aging relative. The purpose of these grants are to help people that are struggling to afford assisted living costs by giving them the money that they need to make their ends meet. These grants may have stipulations on the age of persons it will help, what conditions they have and where they live in the country, based on whether the grant is state, federal or locally funded.
  
  

Home-Related Costs

• There are also grants which apply directly to the costs that come with living in a house. For instance, homeowners can apply for grants that will give them money for home improvement costs such as roof repairs, basement sealing and a variety of other expenses. There are also government grants that are awarded to families for the express purpose of making sure that housing and living costs are met in the short term. Grant programs also exist for helping people become homeowners, assisting them in taking care of their shelter needs, one of the biggest living costs that people have to pay.