Menu
For Business Write a review File a complaint
USA Grant Applications

USA Grant Applications review: Federal grant scam 72

B
Author of the review
10:18 am EST
Review updated:
Resolved
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
Featured review
This review was chosen algorithmically as the most valued customer feedback.

I need a grant and was scamed last night. I tried to get back on their internet site to cancel my order for $24. 95, but was unable to do so.
I contacted my credit card and was told the charge was on my credit card but it had not gone through yet. I filed a complaint against this company with my credit card, and was told to call back on the 6th of feb to see what has been done.
How can anyone do this to honest tax paying people, like myself, who are trying to better themselves by hopefully applying for and receiving a grant.
Thank you,
Bonnie harwell
[protected]@kaltelnetnet

Resolved

The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

72 comments
Add a comment
R
R
red_lyght
Philadelphia, US
Feb 14, 2009 8:21 pm EST

How did you make out with this company? Did you resolve the issue? Is it truely a scam?

H
H
harriet jordan
Mobile, US
Feb 16, 2009 7:35 pm EST

obama grants asisstance is a lot hot air, everything i try is all about you spending money for cds that are a lot of crap.

B
B
BJCastle
Newport News, US
Apr 13, 2009 8:18 pm EDT

this whole post is soooo unhelpful

L
L
Lynda
McAllen, US
May 14, 2009 2:20 pm EDT

Bonnie...why did u want to cancel? Did you give the site a try to get a grant? Please let me know as I ran across their site ..Im in need of a grant. Does anyone know..of a legitimate site that does get you grants?

D
D
David Kirk
Huntington, US
May 29, 2009 11:41 am EDT

I had just filled out their questionaire and was looking to make sure it wasn't a scam before I paid. Within 5 minutes of closing the window, a lady named Whitney called me asking if I were still interested in this website. If that isn't a scam I don't know what is.

J
J
JackieM
Quitman, US
Jul 17, 2009 12:22 pm EDT

OMG Whitney had just called me after filling out some questions on the same web site. I would like to know if this is a scam or not. If anyone knows let me know. She said if I took her offer for 11.95 this month then only charge 19.95 per month if I kept it or she would give me a customer service number if I was not satifsifed with the help. I ask if it took months to get the grant but she didn't ans that question. Just said that is why they give me the customer service number if I was not satisfied they would cancel my subscription.

A
A
AlexF.
Glenolden, US
Aug 26, 2009 7:15 pm EDT

Heh, I was on their website earlier today and filled out some info, but left when it asked for my credit card info. Just now I got a call from them (not this Whitney person, it was some guy, didn't catch his name) talking about how the minimum education grant is $50, 000. That was what first set off an alarm for me because I've received Federal PELL grants this and last year, neither of which was more than $2000. Then he said that the fee was a one time charge of $14.95. I asked him to give me his information so I could call back after doing some "background checking". After reading here how inconsistent their billing methods are, I am convinced that they are not on the up-and-up.

K
K
katherine James
Warrensville Heights, US
Sep 01, 2009 1:29 am EDT

I went to close out the window a lady popped up and asked me do I really want to cancel ? I did not catch her name, anyway she changed the price of the CD from $1.95 to $1.14. I then put in my credit card information then it kept telling me that my card were invalid. I know for a fact my card is not. A grant is suppose to be free money why so we have to pay to get it ?

S
S
Sam F
jhgjmhgjh, US
Sep 11, 2009 3:30 pm EDT

Nothing is a scam if you guys were to read it says a reacurring fee of 24.95! JUST READ! You are the one that is putting in your credit card not anyone else! Whitney was actually, knowledgeable and told me that the fee was 11.97 and a monthly fee of 19.97. And no one CAN GUARANTEE YOU A GRANT PEOPLE!

C
C
CEowner
US
Nov 07, 2018 8:02 pm EST
Replying to comment of Sam F

i HAVE A FEELING YOU ARE WHITNEY

K
K
Kaiti Kaiser
US
Feb 01, 2020 1:35 pm EST
Replying to comment of Sam F

They told me completely different rates. Initial 24.95 DISCOUNT to 21.99 (oh joy) then a recurring rate of 35.99 after the initial 30 days... That is just too suspicious to be real. It should be a consistent rate across the board for all customers if it were legit.

G
G
GMSheldon
wareville, US
Sep 18, 2009 6:59 am EDT

Anyone have a positive experience with this organization?

S
S
smartme609
45424, US
Sep 25, 2009 1:53 am EDT

I agree to most people on here. The government agency who give the grants should have their website and without any fee. We are applying for grantgs because we need money. So why do we have to pay for it. There should be a legitimate site where we can get the information to apply ffor free grants.

C
C
Cindy Jo
Vegas, US
Oct 18, 2009 10:55 pm EDT

I agree with Sam F. This company is a service. You don't have to use there service if you don't want to. All they do is provide you with alot of the grant applications out there. If you have ever looked for a grant, you will know, it's hard to find different applications.
They don't ever Guarantee that you will get a grant, NO SITE CAN GUARANTEE THAT! They just provided you with applications, so you don't have to waste alot of time looking for them. That's all.
I used them for almost a month and then canceled my service. I applied for alot of grants in that time and have received alot of useful information. They also refunded my 11.97 that I paid, when I provided them with the information that I got turned down for a grant.
You just have to read and know how to use the system.

R
R
Rev. Dr. Dumaine
Fort Lauderdale, US
Apr 30, 2010 11:53 am EDT

We vote for our representatives and senates, it shall be free for all US citizens to have free access to all grant applications, it seems that the bureaucrates included so- called Democrate, Republican, and Liberal etc... have kept the informations for their cronies to become richer and the poor becomes poorer. If Washington is so concerned about the middle class or main stream get all grant applications available to the public with clear definition what to do to apply for the grants like we line up to vote for them to get power. Evantually, we shall realize no one is defending the middle class except the power they need. We shall get it now. Grants money are only available to the fanatics and the rich not to genuine people and organizations. Don't blame those businesses who rely from online customers to pay for the services they offer. It time to open your eyes, it is not them, it those who control the system of our country and who decide for us. Send letter to your congress and senate tell them it is time to for all us to have equal share as it never an equal opportunity. It is equal word vs equal opportunity. Washington insiders don't give any attention to the people and the middle class because if we become like them then they don't have no power and their influences will have no more value.

Rev. Dr. Dumaine

H
H
HannahArlyne
Montrose, US
Nov 29, 2010 9:07 pm EST

Ii just had the same experience- I thought it was a useful resource because of the .org on the web address. I also looked at the Privacy and Terms of Use. I entered my personal information to submit-along with a 500 word essay on why I needed assistance into the text box. Then page 2 came asking for my CC#. and I backed out. My information still was saved and I received an immediate call. I felt misled from this website and did not expect to be asked for $- no grant or scholarship application will ever ask you for money. I was disappointed that even though I did not subscribe to the service, they still stored and are going to use my information From what I am reading of posts of people that paid for the service never said they ever got any money from any government institution. sounds like a lot of filling out of applications that are unlikely to assist a person in any way. Filling out these applications allows the company to give personal info to every "grant" application website- Seems like the "US grant" webpage is just a clever profit making webpage- using third party sales. I just wonder how a website can get a .org...

K
K
Katie0161
St George, US
Dec 12, 2010 12:05 am EST

Hi there, I used to work for this company. They are legitimate. The reason they contact you immediately is so they can make sure you understand wha the website is. It's a grant application SERVICE. They provide you with acces to all the available grant applications that are out there, including government and federal. The reason they charge a fee is because they have grant resaerchers who hunt down those applications and put them on the website so you don't have to. I'm sure you don't want to work for free and neither do they. You can cancel at anytime. They can't give you a set time frame on how long it takes to hear back from a grantor because each application has a different deadline. It's not a scam.. It's just a matter of if you have the motivation and drive to use the service like they meant it to be used.

G
G
gizmobueller
Chico, US
Feb 26, 2012 12:44 am EST

i came across the site and it looked appealing, if i have to pay it just isn't worth it to me, whether it's legit or not. the previous comments are from a very long ago, however i still wanted to make a comment for any others, there is a website called www.fastweb.com, it is 100% free, you create an account profile and it matches grants and scholarships for you to apply to that matches your profile. i have a hard time finding grants anywhere for what i want (animal rights advocate via humane society university). but fastweb.com is a good start.

T
T
Teresa Billingsley
Cartersville, US
Sep 07, 2013 3:27 pm EDT
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I myself tried to get my $24.95 back and the lady said the was not going to get my refund back she was very rude all I was trying to do was get a grant for home improvement for me and my two special need adult children I am a single mom I file for this grant back in May 2013 but never got my refund back I don't understand how people can live with themselves and still go on with theirs live like nothing never happen I Pray GOD HAVE MERCY ON THEIR SOUL Pray for these people

V
V
vincenteasley
US
Oct 05, 2015 1:58 pm EDT

I. ve filed the correct application to submit my usa grany and as of this day ! I hVE NOPT BEEN AMY INFO ABOUT MY GRANT OR MONY BEING RETURN TO ME.

V
V
vincenteasley
US
Oct 05, 2015 1:59 pm EDT

I've paided for the application to be submitted, and I've not recive any reply as of this day 10-05-15

G
G
gov001
US
Mar 05, 2016 3:16 am EST
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Only go to, gov websites to look for grants very few are for individuals. When you apply for college classes they should walk you through all the necessary steps to apply for student grants. These sites and books are a rip off .
Quick Facts about the Government Grant Process
Government grant applications and information about them are free.
The names of agencies and foundations that award grants are available for free at any public library or on the Internet.
The only official access point for all federal grant-making agencies is www.grants.gov.
There are no fees associated with applying for a government grant.
ALL government grants involve an application process to carry out projects with a public purpose and are not intended for personal use.
You will not be contacted by the government to make you pay for a grant.
If you think that someone has fraudulently represented Grants.gov or HHS, contact the HHS Fraud Hotline at [protected] and email support@grants.gov.

M
M
MeganO
US
Mar 10, 2016 4:00 pm EST

Here's my experience, literally today. I filled out the application information then bailed when they asked for a credit card. My initial reaction was the same as a lot of comments here: why pay if it's supposed to be free money? However, once a lady called me (full disclosure - that creeped me out), she was very professional and explained everything to me clearly. I've never had a company voluntarily make sure I knew their address. She explained to me that they were offering a phone-only discount of $21.95 (from $29.99 on the website). The "verbatim sentence" she read me clearly stated I have 3 business days to cancel this purchase. With this purchase I have 30-days access to their grant database and I should apply to as many as possible just to cover my bases. After the 30 days the "subscription" will renew for $34.95 per month. I can cancel at any time. Personally, I need the help finding scholarships and grant opportunities, so I figure it's worth the investment. Their confirmation email went to my spam folder which made me start looking up if it was a scam in the first place. I used their links in the email and even typed in the URL but in FIreFox I kept getting a server error. I switched over to Internet Explorer and was finally able to log in to the Members Only page. I've done a filter search and gotten a list of scholarships available (I'm looking for tuition help). Granted - their site is a bit glitchy, and will take some patience as a few things take a few tries to load - but I don't see how this is a scam. Complicated yes. I even checked my bank account and they've only taken out what I agreed to pay. So, I recommend listening to the "fine print, " don't forget to cancel after 30 days if you no longer want the service, and dedicate loads of time to look through what they've compiled. I hope this helps and that I'm not being too quick to write this. Best of luck, all.

C
C
Caitlinn Abbott
US
Mar 22, 2016 3:34 pm EDT

I got a call from a man named "Jeremy Cox" and he was saying how he noticed I set up an account, and stopped when it asked for a credit card. He offered a discounted price from $29.99 to $21.99. After I told him I'd have to think about it before I made a decision he kept telling me how "if you're really serious about school then this would be a great option for you" and so on. When I would say how I had to think about it, he would ask me why in a way as if he was speaking to a child. He made me feel like I had to explain myself for why I don't want to spend twenty bucks on something that might not even work. So while we were on the phone I googled them and I found a comment VERY similar to my own experience as I was on the phone. DO NOT GO THROUGH WITH THEM. I don't want any one else to fall for their scams or anything. Before you apply for scholarships, loans, grants, etc. always do research.

R
R
Ray Ray Turner
US
Apr 05, 2016 3:01 pm EDT

I believe it's a scam the women I spoke to told me she would email me after our phone call and I never received a email. Also she gave me her number and it went to voicemail. Luckily it was a post poned payment so I cancelled my debit card. Also when I called to cancel my subscription the lady was really rude.

E
E
E85
US
Apr 14, 2016 10:42 am EDT
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

This is a scam! I went on the website of grant approval network and pay $4.95 for one time fee of a small shipment which was a cd rom about grants. I was disappointed but this wasn't i was really upset about. This person named Whitney charged my account twice of $80 each which is a total of $160. I did not sign up to be a member nor I read anything that I have to cancel within 10 days prior of what she told me. I called back and demanded to get my money back and she refused so I asked to speak with the supervisor and no one wasn't there..It was too many signs of a scam when I was talking to her and the things she say, it was crazy. She denied my phone calls, she knew my last name when i didn't tell her.It was unbelievable! I called my bank to do further investigation to get my money back.Please, please, please do not get anything from there! This is the biggest scam ever!

M
M
Mark Jelen
US
Jul 25, 2016 7:48 pm EDT

If the bank is giving away millions of dollars in grants why do they need to charge a few. If it's a service they can get fee's on the back end...

R
R
Raven Nicholle Silva-Barton Danger
US
Oct 11, 2016 8:27 am EDT

I am not sure if it is literally a "scam" or not, but I would urge people to be very cautious and understand what they are signing up for and the billing details. If people had positive experiences and posted about them, we could better determine if the service can be worth it, and obtain an idea of how many months one pays before results come through, though of course this will differ based on the needs for the grants and how proactive someone is. AN idea would be nice, though most of the feedback is negative. Like many, I got as far as the credit card information and backed out, but was also called, though I did not agree to contact or commitment since I did not complete the process. On what I saw, I saw a one-time fee listed, and did not see it mentioned as monthly, as many people have complained about, so either it is not very transparent, or perhaps that information is relayed by those who enter a credit card. If they took Paypal (where it is more secure and easier to fight fraud), I may have proceeded. I did research on the company at this point. If you do sign up, makes sure not to use a debit card, because your protections are higher for a credit card for disputes. The company has an F rating with the BBB (http://www.bbb.org/delaware/business-reviews/government-grant-services/usa-grant-applications-in-ocean-view-de-32000574/), though they are not accredited, so this influenced my decision. The man who called to try to pressure me into the service is the reason I took the time to leave feedback though. I told him that I read a lot of negative feedback and was not comfortable with the reputation, and that I do to agree with initiating a monthly fee, but would consider it if I could just send a check or do non-recurring. He rudely said that If I was not willing to sign up and pay, "nobody could help me, " and hung up. Luckily I was amused more than pissed, since I knew the feedback, and my mom heard the call and was pretty unimpressed with the "professional" way of talking to potential clients.

H
H
Hatepplwhoscamyou
US
Oct 21, 2016 3:45 pm EDT

Be aware people are scamming you taking your money talking about they work for USAGrants they stole $250 from me They foreign people and very nice until they get your money and then talk all kind of BS BEWARE OF FOREIGNERS SCAMMING PPL

H
H
Hatepplwhoscamyou
US
Oct 21, 2016 3:53 pm EDT

They email you saying they from the USAGRANTS@SECRETARY.NET...PHONE NUMBERS FROM [protected] & [protected] BEWARE

A
A
A'O
US
Sep 17, 2021 11:57 pm EDT
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Does anyone have their email? The SEC needs it to accept a report them.

S
S
@subzerodarklp
US
Oct 28, 2016 6:10 pm EDT

i was going test them see if i was going get infomatioon on how get grant, or waste 30 dollars in process

H
H
harobed63
US
Nov 03, 2016 4:33 pm EDT

Yes called back yesterday paid the fee with credit card tried to go to site this evening and there is no webpage. tried to call 888 number no longer in service. It is a SCAM!

M
M
meljoz1990@yahoo.com
US
Aug 15, 2018 2:45 pm EDT

I received a call after because I didn't pay $29.95 fee to find grant the male that called said he would lower free and immediately needed my credit card he was very pushy about it my husband digging around to find out more information this a horrible scam!

J
J
Jessie212
US
Oct 06, 2021 4:19 pm EDT

Urgent...!

This is definitely a scam. The organization is based within Philadelphia.
These people are career criminals. They prey on the weak and pliable. Their effort of assitance are masked to gain your trust, credit card and banking information. Do not trust this company.
In no way should you ever pay to apply for a loan.

Developer contact information:
Vaughn & Damon Watson - [protected]
Office location - 5635 N. 19th Phila, PA 19141

C
C
colin darfour
US
Jan 24, 2023 3:34 pm EST

definitely a scam. Tried to pressure me for my credit card information over the phone. When I told them I'll just pay it on their website the guy tried to give me a "discount" to do it right then and there. When I told him no he tried to make me have some "fear of loss" by telling me that he would not "call me back" if I didn't do it now. I told him to [censored] off.

C
C
cliffard
Chesapeake, US
Nov 06, 2023 7:28 pm EST
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

nothing but the best offer i can find

I
I
Israel Baraka
Antioch, US
Dec 09, 2023 6:46 am EST

it is great thing to all american because it helps alot to push daily peoples life i needs when they need support like that. Myself i'm real proud of it.

C
C
Christine Greenwood 1
US
Dec 09, 2023 10:00 am EST
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Great info, really appreciate all the support and videos, makes my job easier to know more about what I am looking for and how to get it.

S
S
South Bend Firefighters Association
South Bend, US
Dec 18, 2023 10:00 am EST
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I have been here before, and you helped us tremendously in helping our causes for our kids and community before.

D
D
Debbie McFarland
US
Dec 19, 2023 4:57 pm EST
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

easy to use, very comprehensive service that hits any imaginable type of grant. Love the fact that it helps keep grants organized and tracks deadlines.

D
D
Debbie McFarland
US
Dec 25, 2023 7:25 pm EST
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

easy to use, very comprehensive service that hits any imaginable type of grant. Love the fact that it helps keep grants organized and tracks deadlines.

K
K
Karla Varona
New York, US
Jan 02, 2024 3:01 pm EST
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Very good site, I found too much information

  1. USA Grant Applications Contacts

  2. USA Grant Applications phone numbers
    +1 (888) 261-4837
    +1 (888) 261-4837
    Click up if you have successfully reached USA Grant Applications by calling +1 (888) 261-4837 phone number 0 0 users reported that they have successfully reached USA Grant Applications by calling +1 (888) 261-4837 phone number Click down if you have unsuccessfully reached USA Grant Applications by calling +1 (888) 261-4837 phone number 0 0 users reported that they have UNsuccessfully reached USA Grant Applications by calling +1 (888) 261-4837 phone number
  3. USA Grant Applications emails
  4. USA Grant Applications address
    29L Atlantic Ave #112 Ocean View, DE 19970, United States
  5. USA Grant Applications social media
  6. Janet
    Checked and verified by Janet This contact information is personally checked and verified by the ComplaintsBoard representative. Learn more
    Sep 30, 2024