grants

Definition

Free money from governments, foundations, or institutions that you don't have to pay back, making them the unicorn of funding options. The catch is you have to write a novel-length application, jump through bureaucratic hoops, and then use the money exactly as specified or risk audits and shame. It's basically a scholarship for organizations, except with ten times the paperwork and the constant anxiety that you're somehow violating section 3.14(b) of the compliance requirements.

Example Usage

After six months of writing grant applications and three rounds of revisions, the nonprofit finally secured funding, only to discover they'd have to hire someone full-time just to manage the reporting requirements.

Source: Financial terminology via Free Dictionary API

Related Terms

Intermediate

basis point

One hundredth of one percent (0.01%), because apparently regular percentages weren't confusing enough for finance professionals. When your mortgage rate increases by 25 basis points, congratulations—you're paying 0.25% more.

💰 Finance / Accounting

Beginner

Leverage

To use something that already exists rather than building something new, which sounds strategic but usually means "we have no budget." The Swiss Army knife of corporate verbs -- it can mean literally anything.

💼 Corporate / Business💰 Finance / Accounting

Intermediate

fiduciary duty

The legal obligation to act in someone else's best financial interest, putting their needs above your own. It's the difference between a financial advisor who works for you and one who's basically a commissioned salesperson.

💰 Finance / Accounting

Intermediate

Enterprise Value

A company's total value including debt and excluding cash, representing what you'd pay to own it outright and settle all obligations. It's market cap's more sophisticated cousin that actually understands capital structure.

💰 Finance / Accounting

Advanced

cookie jar reserves

Reserves that companies stash away during good times to smooth out earnings during bad quarters, like a financial rainy day fund that violates accounting principles. It's earnings management dressed up in respectable terminology.

💰 Finance / Accounting

Intermediate

materiality threshold

The dollar amount below which errors or omissions don't matter enough to disclose in financial statements—essentially the accounting version of 'close enough for government work.' It's how auditors decide which issues are worth losing sleep over.

💰 Finance / Accounting

Translate This Term

See “grants” in Corporate Speak, Gen-Z Slang, Pirate Speak, and more.

Try the Translator

Share This Term

Post on X Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn

Discover a Term

Intermediate

turnover ratio

A measure of how quickly a company converts various assets (inventory, receivables, etc.) into sales or cash. High turno...