Grad School, Residencies, Grants

I am 32. I have a stable life with many responsibilities. At this time in my life it would be impossible and irresponsible for me to go to grad school or attend a residency. I believe that it is important for me to start making work and putting it out into the world. Of these application process, I would be willing to try applying for grants. Unfortunately, not much information was given on where to find lists of grants, or the differences between applying for those versus grad school. We were made aware that of the things to apply for, these were the hardest to get. I will be submitting proposals for public works pieces in the spring semester and hope that although they are not on the list they fulfill the professional practice requirement of application submission.