Grant vs. Allow — What's the Difference?
Edited by Tayyaba Rehman — By Maham Liaqat — Updated on April 23, 2024
A grant is usually a sum of money given by an organization for a particular purpose, often without expectation of repayment; allow means to give permission or make it possible for something to happen.
Difference Between Grant and Allow
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Key Differences
A grant typically refers to funds provided to support a specific project or initiative, often by a government or charitable foundation. Allow, on the other hand, implies giving permission or enabling someone to do something.
Grants are usually competitive and require an application process, where potential recipients must demonstrate how they will use the funds. Allow suggests a more straightforward act of giving permission or enabling circumstances without such formalities.
Receiving a grant can significantly impact a project's scope or a researcher's ability to conduct a study. Allowing someone to do something is more about providing opportunities or conditions rather than direct financial support.
Grants are often bound by strict rules on how the funds must be spent and require detailed reporting on the outcomes. Allowing, however, is typically less constrained, focusing more on granting freedom or capabilities within broader limits.
The term grant also carries a sense of benevolence and investment in public goods or individual betterment, whereas allow is more neutral, primarily concerned with granting permission or legal approval.
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Comparison Chart
Definition
Financial support given for a specific purpose.
To give permission or make possible.
Nature
Typically non-repayable and requires application.
More general and can be informal.
Usage context
Often used in educational, research, and non-profit sectors.
Used in a variety of contexts, from legal to everyday use.
Associated actions
Involves funding, supporting, empowering.
Involves permitting, enabling, authorizing.
Constraints
Comes with stipulations on usage and accountability.
Usually has fewer restrictions, depending on context.
Compare with Definitions
Grant
To agree or consent to fulfill a request.
The judge granted the motion for a new trial.
Allow
To give permission for someone to do something.
The law allows citizens to speak freely.
Grant
A sum of money given by an organization, especially a government, for a particular purpose.
The university received a grant to fund its renewable energy research.
Allow
To provide or allot a specific amount of something.
The budget allows each department $500 for expenses.
Grant
To bestow or confer, especially by a formal act.
The institution grants scholarships to exceptional students.
Allow
To make provision for a particular possibility.
The contract allows for early termination under specific conditions.
Grant
A legal term in the conveyance of property rights.
The deed was granted by the owner to the trust.
Allow
To acknowledge or admit something.
You must allow that the task is challenging.
Grant
To admit or acknowledge that something is true.
The company granted that the faults in service were their responsibility.
Allow
To enable or permit something to happen.
The new system allows for faster processing of data.
Grant
The act of granting; a bestowing or conferring; concession; allowance; permission.
Allow
To offer a possibility; admit
The poem allows of several interpretations.
Grant
To allow or consent to the fulfillment of (something requested)
Grant permission to speak frankly.
Grant a request.
Allow
To let do or happen; permit
We allow smoking only in restricted areas.
Grant
To give or confer officially or formally
Grant voting rights to citizens.
Grant diplomatic immunity.
Allow
To permit the presence of
No pets are allowed inside.
Grant
To transfer (property) by a deed.
Allow
To permit to have
Allow oneself a little treat.
Grant
To concede; acknowledge
I grant that your plan is ingenious, but you still will not find many backers.
Allow
To make provision for; assign
The schedule allows time for a coffee break.
Grant
The act of granting.
Allow
To plan for in case of need
Allow two inches in the fabric for shrinkage.
Grant
Something granted, especially a giving of funds for a specific purpose
Federal grants for medical research.
Allow
To grant as a discount or in exchange
Allowed me 20 dollars on my old typewriter.
Grant
The document or provision in a document by which a grant is made.
Allow
To admit; concede
I allowed he was right.
Grant
One of several tracts of land in New Hampshire, Maine, and Vermont originally granted to an individual or a group.
Allow
To think; suppose
"We allow he's straight" (American Speech).
Grant
(ditransitive) to give (permission or wish)
He was granted permission to attend the meeting.
The genie granted him three wishes
Allow
To assert; declare
Mother allowed that we'd better come in for dinner.
Grant
(ditransitive) To bestow or confer, with or without compensation, particularly in answer to prayer or request; to give.en
Allow
To take a possibility into account; make allowance
In calculating profit, retailers must allow for breakage and spoilage.
Grant
(transitive) To agree with (someone) on (something); to accept (something) for the sake of argument; to admit to (someone) that (something) is true.
Allow
(transitive) To grant, give, admit, accord, afford, or yield; to let one have.
To allow a servant his liberty;
To allow a free passage;
To allow one day for rest
Grant
(intransitive) To assent; to consent.
Allow
(transitive) To acknowledge; to accept as true; to concede; to accede to an opinion.
To allow a right;
To allow a claim;
To allow an appeal
To allow the truth of a proposition
Grant
The yielding or admission of something in dispute.
Allow
(transitive) To grant (something) as a deduction or an addition; especially to abate or deduct.
To allow a sum for leakage.
Grant
The thing or property granted; a gift; a boon.
I got a grant from the government to study archeology in Egypt.
Allow
(transitive) To grant license to; to permit; to consent to.
To allow a son to be absent.
Smoking allowed only in designated areas.
Grant
(law) A transfer of property by deed or writing; especially, an appropriation or conveyance made by the government.
A grant of land or of money
Allow
To not bar or obstruct.
Although I don't consent to their holding such meetings, I will allow them for the time being.
Grant
The deed or writing by which such a transfer is made.
Allow
(transitive) To take into account by making an allowance.
When calculating a budget for a construction project, always allow for contingencies.
Grant
(informal) An application for a grant monetary boon to aid research or the like.
Allow
(transitive) To render physically possible.
Grant
To give over; to make conveyance of; to give the possession or title of; to convey; - usually in answer to petition.
Grant me the place of this threshing floor.
Allow
To praise; to approve of; hence, to sanction.
Grant
To bestow or confer, with or without compensation, particularly in answer to prayer or request; to give.
Wherefore did God grant me my request.
Allow
(obsolete) To sanction; to invest; to entrust.
Grant
To admit as true what is not yet satisfactorily proved; to yield belief to; to allow; to yield; to concede.
Grant that the Fates have firmed by their decree.
Allow
To like; to be suited or pleased with.
Grant
To assent; to consent.
Allow
To decide (a request) in favour of the party who raised it; to grant victory to a party regarding (a request).
To allow an objection, to find in favour of the objection and forbid the conduct objected to; to allow an appeal, to decide the appeal in favour of the appellant (contrast grant leave to appeal, to permit an appeal to be heard).
Grant
The act of granting; a bestowing or conferring; concession; allowance; permission.
Allow
To praise; to approve of; hence, to sanction.
Ye allow the deeds of your fathers.
We commend his pains, condemn his pride, allow his life, approve his learning.
Grant
The yielding or admission of something in dispute.
Allow
To like; to be suited or pleased with.
How allow you the model of these clothes?
Grant
The thing or property granted; a gift; a boon.
Allow
To sanction; to invest; to intrust.
Thou shalt be . . . allowed with absolute power.
Grant
A transfer of property by deed or writing; especially, an appropriation or conveyance made by the government; as, a grant of land or of money; also, the deed or writing by which the transfer is made.
Allow
To grant, give, admit, accord, afford, or yield; to let one have; as, to allow a servant his liberty; to allow a free passage; to allow one day for rest.
He was allowed about three hundred pounds a year.
Grant
Any monetary aid
Allow
To own or acknowledge; to accept as true; to concede; to accede to an opinion; as, to allow a right; to allow a claim; to allow the truth of a proposition.
I allow, with Mrs. Grundy and most moralists, that Miss Newcome's conduct . . . was highly reprehensible.
Grant
The act of providing a subsidy
Allow
To grant (something) as a deduction or an addition; esp. to abate or deduct; as, to allow a sum for leakage.
Grant
(law) a transfer of property by deed of conveyance
Allow
To grant license to; to permit; to consent to; as, to allow a son to be absent.
Grant
Scottish painter; cousin of Lytton Strachey and member of the Bloomsbury Group (1885-1978)
Allow
To admit; to concede; to make allowance or abatement.
Allowing still for the different ways of making it.
Grant
United States actor (born in England) who was the elegant leading man in many films (1904-1986)
Allow
Make it possible through a specific action or lack of action for something to happen;
This permits the water to rush in
This sealed door won't allow the water come into the basement
This will permit the rain to run off
Grant
18th President of the United States; commander of the Union armies in the American Civil War (1822-1885)
Allow
Consent to, give permission;
She permitted her son to visit her estranged husband
I won't let the police search her basement
I cannot allow you to see your exam
Grant
A contract granting the right to operate a subsidiary business;
He got the beer concession at the ball park
Allow
Let have;
Grant permission
Mandela was allowed few visitors in prison
Grant
A right or privilege that has been granted
Allow
Give or assign a share of money or time to a particular person or cause;
I will earmark this money for your research
Grant
Let have;
Grant permission
Mandela was allowed few visitors in prison
Allow
Make a possibility or provide opportunity for; permit to be attainable or cause to remain;
This leaves no room for improvement
The evidence allows only one conclusion
Allow for mistakes
Leave lots of time for the trip
This procedure provides for lots of leeway
Grant
Give on the basis of merit;
Funds are granted to qualified researchers
Allow
Allow or plan for a certain possibility; concede the truth or validity of something;
I allow for this possibility
The seamstress planned for 5% shrinkage after the first wash
Grant
Be willing to concede;
I grant you this much
Allow
Afford possibility;
This problem admits of no solution
This short story allows of several different interpretations
Grant
Allow to have;
Grant a privilege
Allow
Allow the other (baseball) team to score;
Give up a run
Grant
Bestow, especially officially;
Grant a degree
Give a divorce
This bill grants us new rights
Allow
Grant as a discount or in exchange;
The camera store owner allowed me $50 on my old camera
Grant
Give over; surrender or relinquish to the physical control of another
Allow
Allow the presence of or allow (an activity) without opposing or prohibiting;
We don't allow dogs here
Children are not permitted beyond this point
We cannot tolerate smoking in the hospital
Grant
Transfer by deed;
Grant land
Common Curiosities
What does it mean to allow in legal terms?
In legal terms, to allow means to give permission or sanction through legal or official means.
Are grants repayable?
Typically, grants are not repayable. They are provided to fund certain projects or initiatives without the expectation of repayment.
What are typical conditions that may be allowed?
Conditions allowed can include operational practices, legal exceptions, or behaviors in various contexts, like rules or agreements.
Can anyone apply for a grant?
Generally, grants are available to entities such as organizations, institutions, and sometimes individuals, depending on the grantor's criteria.
What is the difference between a grant and allowing something?
A grant is usually financial support given for a specific purpose, while allowing is giving permission or making something possible.
Can allowing something be considered legally binding?
Yes, if permission is given in a legal context, such as contractual agreements or by regulatory approval, it can be legally binding. For instance, a permit allows construction to proceed under specified conditions, which are legally enforceable.
What happens if the conditions of a grant are not met by the recipients?
If grant conditions are not met, the granting body can demand the return of the funds, withhold future funding, and in some cases, take legal action against the recipient. Compliance with grant terms is crucial to maintain trust and accountability.
How do organizations determine who receives a grant?
Organizations typically use an application process where applicants must demonstrate how the grant will be used, its necessity, and expected outcomes. This process often includes a review by a committee to ensure the funds are allocated to proposals that best meet the grant's objectives.
Is it possible to use a grant for purposes other than those specified by the grantor?
Generally, no. Grants are usually restricted to specific purposes outlined by the grantor, and using the funds for other purposes can result in penalties, including the requirement to repay the grant.
In what ways can 'allow' be used in everyday language that does not imply permission?
"Allow" can be used to mean making something possible or providing the capacity for something, without an explicit permission aspect. For example, saying "The flexible hours allow for better work-life balance" refers to enabling or facilitating conditions rather than permitting them.
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Written by
Maham Liaqat
Edited by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
