1.Block grants are federal grants given more or less automatically to states or communities to support broad programs in areas such as community development and social services. 2. Categorical grants are federal grants that can be used only for specific purposes, or "categories," of state and local spending; they come with strings attached. 3. The conditions of aid are federal rules attached to the grants that states receive. States must agree to abide by these rules in order to receive the grants. 4. The commerce clause is the clause in the Constitution (Article 1, Section 8, Clause 1) that gives Congress the p...