Grants are a pretty searched for topic on the internet. And it comes as no surprise; grants have a reputation for being free money that you don’t have to pay back. While this is certainly true in some cases, there are some misconceptions out there that should be cleared up.
For one, nothing ever comes for free. If you want to get some sort of grant, you generally need to be doing something that there exists a grant for. Most grants for individuals are given out to those going to school. This article will focus on school grants and scholarships.
As a single mother, life will be extremely difficult; no doubt as a single mother you will have many things on your mind and money will be at the very top of your list.
Money. It seems there is little else on your mind as a single mom when you have non of it. I can related to this as I once was a single mom (happily remarried now). There’s always a lot of financial pressure during life as a single mother. You worry about important things such as education and health but there are a number of little things that all tie together and make life difficult for you. Children need to be nurtured and entertained at a very young age. You need to be able to provide the most basic of life needs for your child at a very early age because science has proven that this stage of their development is the most important.
As stated, this article will take a brief look at one or two of the grant money programs that are currently on offer. There are a high number of agencies that have grant funds to release so do not be put off by the scale of the project in front of you. Grant money is set aside as a means to help you, do not fall into the trap of thinking that there are easy funds for you to go and spend on yourself and other areas of your life.
This article is by no means the definitive list of grants. There are more grants and scholarships than I can possibly cover in one small article, but I will attempt to list a couple of the more accessible grants and scholarships that single moms can apply for.
Now scholarships are both offered by schools and by nonprofit organizations to students with high academic standings. Some companies even offer scholarship type programs too. Most scholarships offered by schools and non-profit organizations will require you to fill out the FAFSA application and have qualified for some of the grant programs already, however.
One scholarship program that you should definitely consider is the new 10k Scholarship for Working Adults. Like the name implies, this is a scholarship that’s give out each month to moms and dads. It’s not based on merit but rather it’s a giveaway: one mother (or father) each month is given $10,000 dollars to help fun their education. The money can be used for a variety of different things. Considering that it’s free to sign up and only takes a couple minutes, it’s worth looking at. There is also a similar $10k scholarship for dads that works the same way. Keep an eye out for similar programs online as it’s possible to enter yourself into quite a few of these programs and possibly win money to help you through school.
For the more formal scholarships based on grades, obtain a full list from your local college’s financial aid office or visit the website (if you don’t have a school, find your nearest community college and call the financial aid department — they will have one).
Besides scholarships, grants are another source of important funding for students that are financially needy. Grants and scholarships are pretty similar with the usual difference being that grants are need based and scholarships are usually merit based. Both are non-repayable, unlike student loans.
By far, the most popular government grant is the Pell grant. This grant is very popular and actually quite easy to qualify. You need to be considered financially needy to qualify for this grant. You actually don’t have to fill out any specific grant application to qualify for it — you simply fill out the ubiquitous FAFSA application and you will be automatically considered for multiple grants based on your current year of studies and your financial need level.
The main benefit of a Pell grant is that it can allow you to go back into education and further your qualifications. Employers will be looking for qualified people in a more intense way than ever before. More money is obviously better than less money and it will mean that many things you worried about before will simply disappear.
Finance will always be a huge concern for single mothers. It is unavoidable. However, the government grants, scholarships, and a host of private aid programs can make going to college very possible, even if you are a single mom raising kids.
