In the 18th century, land grants were given for the purpose of establishing settlements, missions, and farms. During the 19th century, four out of the five transcontinental railroads in the United States were built using land grants, as was the Canadian Pacific Railway.

Regarding academia, the Morrill Acts of 1862 and 1890 have given nearly 100 United States colleges and universities large areas of public land, which in turn were sold by the institutions and the proceeds placed into endowment funds to provide them financial support in creating and sustaining agricultural and mechanical academic programs.