How to use The Grant Map

Public feature | UI reviewed July 18, 2026

1. Find your city

Use the homepage city search or the full city list to open the research directory for your location.

Steps

1. Open the homepage and type a city name into the search field.
2. Choose the matching city and state from the real result links. If several places share a name, confirm the state before opening one.
3. If your city is not found, open Browse cities to check the full list before requesting future research.

Expected result: A public city page opens with program cards, research controls, source status, and local actions.

If you do not find your city

• Try the city without a neighborhood, county, or ZIP code.
• Use the request form on the homepage to help prioritize research. Coverage and a later notification are not guaranteed.

Related: National research and how to find home-improvement assistance.

Public feature | UI reviewed July 18, 2026

2. Filter a city directory

City filters help you narrow a research list by repair type and other public categories.

Steps

1. Open your city page and review the explanation above the results.
2. Select a project or household filter that describes what you want to research.
3. Read the remaining card summaries. Open a program detail page before acting on a result.
4. Clear or change filters when the result list is empty. Broadening a filter does not change the underlying records.

Expected result: The city page shows a narrower set of research records without calling them approved or guaranteed matches.

Limits and recovery

• An empty filtered list can mean no stored card has those tags. It is not proof that no assistance exists.
• Return to the unfiltered city list and contact the relevant administrator if the repair is urgent.

Related: How we verify data.

Public feature | UI reviewed July 18, 2026

3. Read a program record and verify its source

A program detail page organizes the stored description, review information, possible fit, paperwork notes, and cited source controls.

Steps

1. Open a program card and read the full detail page, including the benefit type and any repayment language.
2. Check the visible review status and date. Treat missing, partial, or older evidence as a reason to verify more carefully.
3. Open the official source and confirm service area, applicant rules, current funding, deadline, benefit terms, and how to apply.
4. Contact the administrator when the official page is unclear or conflicts with the directory record.

Expected result: You leave with a cited question list and an official next contact, not a promise of eligibility or money.

If the source is unavailable

• Do not rely on a cached amount or deadline as current.
• Use the correction link on the record or contact us with the public source you found.

Related: Research methodology and grants compared with loans.

Public feature | UI reviewed July 18, 2026

4. Screen possible matches with the qualifier

The qualifier uses ranges and categories such as location, household, project, occupancy, and income band. It does not ask for bank records or a raw income figure.

Before you begin

Know your city, whether you own or rent, the repair category, household size range, and the best truthful income band. Choose unknown when a fact is not known.

Steps

1. Open Find programs and answer only what you know.
2. Submit the screening profile and read why each record appears.
3. Open the program source and verify every rule with its administrator.
4. Change an answer and run the screen again if you entered the wrong category.

Expected result: A conservative list of possible or unknown records with explanations and verification steps.

If results look wrong

• Review city, occupancy, household, project, and range answers for accidental conflicts.
• A missing answer can keep a result unknown. Do not guess just to produce a stronger label.

Related: How income limits work.

Public device-local feature | UI reviewed July 18, 2026

5. Organize research in Journey

Journey is a device-local organizer for notes and progress. It is separate from the signed-in My workspace.

Steps

1. Open Journey on the device you plan to keep using.
2. Add or review the program research and move your own organizer items through their available states.
3. Use the official administrator channel to apply. Record that step in Journey only after you actually complete it.
4. Use the signed-in workspace when you need server-stored saves and eligible account records across sessions.

Expected result: A personal research checklist on this device, not an application status from the administrator.

Recovery and privacy

• Private browsing, clearing site data, or switching browsers or devices can remove or hide Journey state.
• Do not store Social Security numbers, bank information, or document images in notes.

Related: Signed-in workspace and privacy policy.

Public paperwork tools | Reviewed July 20, 2026

Prepare, review, and submit your own application

On a program detail page, the paperwork module may show a curated official form, filing steps, a document list, and a printable preparation checklist. What appears depends on the evidence stored for that exact program.

Steps

1. Confirm that the program name, administrator, service area, and benefit type match the help you intend to request.
2. Open the cited official source and ask the administrator to confirm current funding, deadlines, forms, documents, bid rules, and whether work must wait for written approval.
3. On the paperwork module, treat a curated program-specific list as researched guidance and a general checklist as planning examples. The administrator's current list controls.
4. Download a blank preparation checklist if useful. Keep Social Security numbers, bank details, medical records, income documents, signatures, and other sensitive material out of public site forms and notes.
5. Complete and submit the application through the administrator's official channel, then record your real progress in Journey or My Grant Map.

Expected result: An organized packet and a verified submission route. Eligibility, completeness, funding, and the decision still come from the administrator.

The narrow official-PDF helper

Only official PDFs in the small, reviewed safe-prefill registry can produce a draft. Each supported form has an explicit map of permitted fields; sensitive fields, signatures, dates, and every unmapped field remain blank. You review, finish, sign, and submit the form yourself; The Grant Map never auto-submits it.

Related: Application-preparation guide and application FAQ.

Public exact-city request | UI reviewed July 18, 2026

6. Request city program-change alerts

Alerts are tied to one city and report qualifying changes that scheduled checks detect. They are not a periodic digest.

Steps

1. Open the correct city page and find the city alerts section.
2. Enter the email address where you want alerts and submit the form.
3. Read the on-screen result and any confirmation email. Continue checking official administrators yourself.

Expected result: A saved request for that exact city. No email is sent when no qualifying change is detected.

Stop or recover alerts

• Use the unsubscribe link in any alert email to stop nonessential messages.
• If a valid address remains paused because of a bounce, complaint, or global suppression, contact support@thegrantmap.com.

Related: Frequently asked questions.

Public consent control | UI reviewed July 18, 2026

7. Request, or decline, a contractor introduction

The city project form separates program information from contractor routing. The sharing checkbox controls the request for this submission.

Before you submit

Read the full consent text. Uncheck the box if you want program information only.

Steps

1. Enter the project and privacy-minimal screening information requested by the city form.
2. Keep the contractor-sharing box checked only if you want the introduction request.
3. Submit the form. Compatible claimed active contractors may receive contact-free offers. A compatible unclaimed public-record business may receive one contact-free claim notice.
4. Your name, email, property address, and free-text description stay locked until a matched signed-in active contractor explicitly accepts an offer and has an accepted entitlement.

Expected result: Program information is prepared, and contractor routing is attempted only when the exact submission carries consent and passes routing checks.

Change your choice

• Uncheck before submitting to request program information without contractor routing.
• If you already submitted and want to withdraw the introduction request, contact support promptly. A contractor who already accepted an authorized offer may already have received the unlocked contact.

Related: Contractor-sharing privacy details and public contractor directory.

Public pricing and sample | UI reviewed July 18, 2026

8. Understand listings, offers, and lead pricing

The contractor page explains the live pay-per-accepted-lead model before you claim a listing or review any private account workflow.

Current terms

• Listing and claiming: $0, no card, and no monthly subscription.
• First accepted compatible lead: one free credit when available.
• Later shared offers: about $25 to $90. Later exclusive offers: about $60 to $225.
• The exact one-time price appears before acceptance. Ignoring an offer costs nothing.
• Duplicate, invalid-contact, or outside-area reports are eligible for review when submitted within 7 days.

Steps

1. Read For contractors, including the contact-free sample and current pricing table.
2. Search the contractor directory for your business. Claiming verifies possession only, not quality.
3. Set accurate trades and service areas in your account so routing can check fit.
4. Review each contact-free offer while signed in. Accept only when the fit and displayed exact price work for you.
5. For a paid offer, contact stays locked until the displayed charge finalizes and an entitlement is accepted.

Expected result: You can decide whether to list and whether to accept each offer without a subscription or hidden recurring charge.

Help and education

• Report an eligible problem through the lead workflow within 7 days.
• Read the field guide for serving homeowners researching assistance.

Related: Questions to ask any lead service.

Public offer | Commercial terms reviewed July 18, 2026

Apply for an approved city sponsorship

The implemented public offer is $149 per month for each approved city, month to month. The application is not a charge.

Steps

1. Open Advertise and review the moderation and prohibited-content rules.
2. Choose the city, business category, and current monthly plan, then submit the application.
3. The founder reviews local relevance, availability, destination, claims, and creative before any checkout is offered.
4. If approved, review the exact terms and secure checkout separately.

Expected result: A sponsorship application is submitted for review. Approval, response timing, traffic, leads, and sales are not guaranteed.

Important limits

• Approved sponsorships are labeled and moderated.
• Sponsors do not affect organic program ordering, screening results, or contractor selection.
• No annual tier, free creative service, reporting package, renewal promise, or refund workflow is promised on this guide.

Public partner entry points | UI reviewed July 18, 2026

9. Share a correction or explore partner tools

Use the public partner pages for program-data collaboration, the city-finder demo, data access, or a bounded partnership inquiry.

Before you begin

Have the official public source URL, administrator name, service area, current program title, and the exact field that needs correction.

Steps

1. Open Partnership programs and choose the tool that matches your purpose.
2. For a correction, send the exact public record, official source, and requested change through Contact or the partner inquiry.
3. For a city-finder embed, review the live demo and its installation notes.
4. Do not include resident records, applicant documents, private case notes, credentials, or customer personal information.

Expected result: You identify the correct public tool or send a reviewable, cited inquiry without exposing applicant data.

If information is urgent

• Keep the official administrator page updated first. The administrator remains the authority.
• Use a concise subject and include the public source. Submission does not promise publication or response timing.

Related: How we verify data and public dataset health.