They are not the same thing. A grant is money that is usually need based or money that does not have to be paid back. Whereas a loan is going to have to be paid back and have an interest rate associated with it.
Generally when it comes to applying for them you can go through FAFSA and they will give you a package that can be all loans or a combination of loans and grants.
Also with a little hard work and talking to the college that you are looking to attend or your child is looking to attend there might be scholarships that no one really ever applies for. In my years at college there were numerous years where scholarships just were wasted because no one applied for them.
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