Scholarships For Single Mothers: Providing Options To Improve Lives
A guide to scholarships for single mothers. Is there a way for a single mother, already burdened by so many responsibilities, to get an education and improve her status?
With so many organizations championing the cause of women empowerment, some have instituted scholarships for single mothers to address this very concern.
Education is the foundation of empowerment. Single moms have it in them to rear their children, hold down a job and even grow as an individual provided there is adequate support. With at least 38% of single mothers living below poverty, raising awareness about financial aid scholarships available for them to have a better life is already a big help.
Grants And Scholarships
If you are a mother raising your child or family single-handedly and realize that going back to school is a way to better provide for their needs and future, you can look around for ways to finance your higher education. Many institutions are willing to offer financial aid for single mothers.
Aside from college scholarships, there are college grants available which you can apply for and receive provided you meet certain qualifications set by the organization that gives them out.
Grants are free money made available for certain purposes but there is usually a cap as to the amount that is awarded. Still, there is no reason not to look into the possibility that you can be eligible for the many grants handed out by various entities.
The Pell Grant is the need-based college grant awarded by the federal government to low-income students. The minimum amount of a grant is $400, and the maximum for school year 2010-2011 was $5,550.
Scholarships For Specific Sector
With finances usually very limited for this group of women, scholarships for single mothers have been created to pay for higher education should they decide to take this route.
The most popular of these scholarships is the Jeanette Rankin Foundation Scholarship Program, established in honor of the women's rights advocate and first woman to be elected into the US Congress. While it is not specifically just for single mothers, (single women 35 and older is the general criteria) it has awarded mothers scholarships, recognizing the need for opportunities, especially in education, even when faced with extraordinary circumstances.
The Patsy Takemoto Mink Education Foundation does not award scholarships to low-income women, but instead offers education support awards amounting to $2,000 each for the five women it chooses annually. Winners have the option to use it to fund their schooling, but mostly, it is a financial aid that helps them achieve their educational goals.
Most scholarships for single mothers are given at the local levels. And competition can be quite stiff given the still limited resources for this purpose. You do not need to be pursuing a degree program to qualify, because most scholarships also consider technical or vocational training programs.
If you are intent on going back to school to improve your life and that of your children, you must take time, or ask help from those in the know, on how you can support this goal. Getting as much information about various forms of education assistance will help you make a better decision.
Things To Remember
1. You must apply for a scholarship program. While they are not loans (because a student is not required to pay back the cost of their schooling) these, including scholarships for single mothers, are still given out based on merit – whether it be due to your circumstances or your abilities. Legitimate scholarships cannot be “won”, so be careful when searching for them.
2. Grants are similar to scholarships in that they do not have to be repaid and are provided by both public and private organizations. However, scholarships give weight to academic merit and usually require maintaining a certain grade point average. On the other hand, grants do not have this requirement but may ask for compliance about certain standards before you are awarded the grant.
3. Scholarships are mostly available every year. Grants -- because they are money set aside for specific purposes -- may run out and no longer be available. It is usually easier to be awarded scholarships than grants.
Just because you are raising a child or a family alone does not mean you cannot dream of finding better opportunities. Scholarships for single mothers are just tools to help empower you and anyone with the resolve can qualify for them.
|

American Fork, West Haverstraw, Colorado Springs, Manhattan, Pleasantville, Lebanon, Healdsburg, California, Riverside, Whitehall, Lumberton, Cleveland, Grosse Pointe Park, Nicholasville, Sedalia, Central Falls, Brawley, Clearfield, Fulton, Garland, Kannapolis, Gastonia, Blue Springs, Norfolk, Florence, Albert Lea, Cabot, Palm Bay, O'Fallon, Sandusky, Chino, Rochester, Alpena, Willmar, Fort Pierce, Watertown, Burlington, Guam, Centralia, Cedarburg, Wausau, Scottsboro, Spokane Valley, Mineola, Red Bluff, North Lauderdale, Neenah, Glen Cove, Canyon Lake, Sevierville, Bainbridge, New Hampshire, Norco, West Palm Beach, Red Wing, Maine, White Bear Lake, New Jersey, Darien, Boulder City, Oregon, Del City, Greenwood, Louisiana, Georgia, Little Ferry, Wood Dale, Nevada, Mississippi, Albany, Belton, DeKalb, Selma, Webster Groves, Auburn, Athens, Lebanon, Mount Vernon, Benicia, North Canton, Winchester, Oil City
Grant Benefits For Single MothersBy Jared Vargas Available Government Grants For Single MothersBy Paul Westen Scholarships For Women Over 50 Years Old - Free College Scholarships For Women Over 50!By Meridith Slate College Scholarships For Single Mothers Can Help You Pay Your Tuition For SchoolBy Meridith Slate Single Moms Are Entitled to Federal Grant Funding Via the Obama AdministrationBy Kelly Thompsan |













