Single mothers are not all the products of unplanned or teenage pregnancies. Some are in the situation because of deaths or divorces. It really doesn’t matter how you got there, this is about how to get out of the rut and get a life that you and your kids can be proud of.  one of the first recourse that comes to mind would be online education. Choosing to pursue a degree online would eliminate the need to be away from home for hours on end. It also takes away the need for high priced childcare.

The one thing about attending a day or nighttime college program, as a single parent is that you will miss a lot of class time caring for your children if they get ill. Online courses are there at the click of a mouse and you never have to miss a lecture or other assignment because they are downloadable. Online education is flexible and is easily molded into your already tight schedule. Today some community colleges offer their programs online.

There are several financial resources available to assist you with your decision to further your education. You can apply for grants, loans and scholarships. As a single parent it would be advisable to steer clear of student loans if at all possible. And if you find that it is not possible you should only take out a loan after you have exhausted all other means of financial assistance. If the grants you are awarded do not cover the entirety of the cost. This will make the payback amount much less.

The first step is to decide where you want to study and what. Online or at a local college. As a single parent you will probably forgo living on campus but your living cost will be taken into consideration in deciding the amount of your grant just the same. Call or go online to check what if any type of grants or scholarships can be applied for through the school. A lot of colleges and major universities are recognizing the need to assist single mothers in their heroic effort and have started scholarship and grant programs to that end.

Bear in mind that the competition for some grants and scholarships are going to be tough there are just so many awards and thousands of applicants. Knowing this it is best that you begin applying as early as possible and attempting to get all the credentials you need before hand. Most scholarship applications require that you submit an essay. There are great resources online to assist you with this process. The better the essay the greater the chance of your application being accepted.

Web-Giveaways

There are a number of online sweepstake scholarship giveaways that moms might apply for. One such is the  10k Scholarship for Working Adults. There are other such programs online that you can sign up for. They are not a scholarship in a traditional sense, but more of a giveaway program. You sign up and get the  chance to win $10,000. A draw is taken every month for the prize. Of course these type of scholarships are different than the merit-based ones you might apply for, but worth the couple minutes it takes to apply.

Federal Grants

Try to remember that rejection is a prelude to success and take each one in stride, learning what was wrong and fixing it in the next one. the easiest grant to get is the Pell Grant. You can apply for by filling out the Federal Application for Student Aid (FAFSA) at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/, the application is free and is the gateway to all the other government grants that are available.

The Pell grant was designed to help people with low incomes go to school in order to better their lot in life. As a single parent you will more than qualify if you are currently earning minimum wage and living at the national poverty level. Being accepted for a Pell grant usually assures your acceptance for other grants.  The Pell grant provides you with your Student Aid Report. This is the report that all the schools and other grant giving bodies use to determine your eligibility.

Grants for the Mature Woman

A lot of women opt to put their education on hold to raise a family and support their husbands in their careers the husband then leaves or dies leaving them with the responsibility for child rearing. There are grants specifically set apart for the older matured woman who wishes to return to the hallowed halls of academia. The following is a list of various grants and scholarships that you can apply for.

Newcombe Scholarships for Mature Women

Although this fund does not give scholarships directly to the student the fund supplies funds to different colleges and universities that are earmarked to help these women get back into school and get a better start.  The scholarship is applied for directly at the college or university by visiting http://www.newcombefoundation.org/scholarship_mws.html, you can find out if one is in your area. The women have to be over the age of 25 to qualify for this scholarship.

Jeanette Rankin Women’s Scholarship

Another of the scholarship that is available to women over the age of 35 and meet the low-income guideline is the one founded by Jeanette Rankin. This can be only obtained through enrollment in an accredited post secondary education facility. For more information please go to http://rankinfoundation.org/, this will answer all your questions and show you how to apply.

There are more out there just take your time and remember Google is your friend. Some of these financial resources may be career specific, school specific or even sponsored by business or civic organization. The best thing to do is to begin to turn over some “rocks” and see what you find. It would be nice if there was a single website that listed all of this information but that isn’t possible. There are however many articles like this one that can point you in a good direction.

Determine What Your Goal Is

Goal setting is an important step in the process of seeking to further your education. Start with what you aspire to do as far as employment is concerned and work your way back to what the level of education you will need to obtain this position. If you want to teach at the high school level in say Science, you can start by finding out the educational requirements from the local School Board. Knowing what you would like to do also helps you in your search for funding there are scholarships geared specifically for teachers. And there are ones especially for women who want to study science. By following this link you can learn more about what it takes to be a recipient of this particular scholarship http://www.studentaid.ed.gov/PORTALSWebApp/students/english/TEACH.jsp if all else fails go to this site and enter in your states name to see what is available for you http://unclaimedscholarships.us/?p=535

There is more To It

A lot of single mothers are actually working for companies that offer grants and scholarships and are totally unaware of this fact.  KFC, McDonalds, Churches Chicken, Popeye’s, Walmart and Kmart all offer a scholarship of sorts to employees looking to further their education. At one point KFC was offering a 20,000.00 scholarship for the best tweet. No, kidding not 3000-word essay just 140 words and someone walked away with $20,000.00 in educational funds. http://www.kfcscholars.org/. Lowes offers scholarships as well you can apply at http://careers.lowes.com/college_recruiting_scholarship.aspx#1, if you click on the following URL it will redirect you to a site that has Pdf files for several fast food chains about their scholarship programs http://www.allstudies.org/Kmart+Scholarships.htm, like Wendy’s.

If it is your desire to attend a business school you should look into singlemotherassistance.net’s single mother education help. They have a listing of various scholarships for potential business students. There are scholarships awarded not only for business degrees but for degrees in nursing, physical therapy, Engineering and others. What ever you have chosen as a career path you can probably find a scholarship for it. Grants and scholarships are not widely advertised by business and corporations you have to look for them. Again be aware that the search engine is your friend. You can look up any company and find out what if any grants and scholarships are being offered by them.

CONCLUSION

Finding the money for advanced education is a matter of taking the time to beat the bushes. If you look long and hard enough you are sure to find some funds to help you in your quest. The hard part is over, you have made an intellectual decision based on available facts. Fact one: you need a better Job. Fact Two: you need a better education to get the better job. Fact three: you need funds to get the education. All that is left for you to do is to get cracking on those applications and essays that will get you the funding you desire. It will take dedication to your cause in order to hang in there until the your ship clears the horizon but do no get discouraged. You might want to check out singlemom.net’s  how to go to college as a mother article for more information about the education assistance programs for moms.. You will get rejected but keep applying eventually someone will respond in kind. You will experience a sense of satisfaction like never before when you receive that first positive award letter.  The ball is in your court go and make your mark on the world and gets the education you need to improve your family’s future. It is a feeling that cannot be explained so go get yours today.

OTHER SINGLE MOM RESOURCES

There are a number of good websites that cater to parenting and mom topics:

• SingleMom.com — good resources, though layout is sloppy and hard to navigate
• SingleParents.About.Com — good topics for single parents
• SingleMom.Net — a general single mom site
• SingleMoms.org’s (an online magazine) Single Mother Assistance section
• NetMums.com — good parenting topics
• singleparentsnetwork.com

This article will help set the record straight for you single moms out there and shed light on some of the legit single mother grants and single mom scholarships that are available.

Web Scholarships…

For the impatient: If you are looking for a scholarship for school, I suggest applying for the S$10,000 Scholarship for Working Adults. You fill out the free form and get put in the running for a $10,000 scholarship giveaway every month to be used for education purposes. This is great for single moms who would like to go back to school. There is even a similar $10k scholarship for dads as well that dads can apply for. Note, these are not in any way grants nor to be associated with government grants — they are sweepstakes!

Now for moms not in a rush and who want extensive information about other LEGIT single mother assistance programs, keep reading (and grab a large cup of coffee since it’s a long read!).

A Word about Grants…

Let’s get the main question you are no doubt asking: “are there any real grants for single mothers available?” The answer is yes, but the majority of grants for individuals are in fact given only to students and not to regular individuals. You may have heard a lot about federal grants for single mothers. As I’m aware, there are no such things as federal grants for single moms. NO, the government has not made available specific money (as of 2010) just for single moms in the form of grants. Now, that is not to say that there is no grant money that a single mom can qualify from, but there are no “single mom grants” given out by the federal government. Instead, the federal government provides assistance either indirectly through community sponsored organizations (which in turn distribute funding in the form of training, single mother assistance, pregnancy help, etc). Having said this, there are a whole wack of federal benefit programs that low-income individuals may apply for. Some of these programs provide, education, food, and in some cases, money, for needy people; as a single mother in need of financial help, you stand a very good chance of qualifying for some of these programs should you apply.

Keep in mind there are a host of private programs that you can seek help from too, specifically from websites. You can use a grant-finding-website to help your search.

Some suggestions to get “free stuff”

These are basically websites that offer people free stuff to sign up. The sign ups are usually free and are basically so that the website/organization can build up a network of readers. One targeted programs for mothers is the FamilyPlanning program. If you sign up for the free FamilyPlanning.com membership (yes, it really is free…), you get access to free baby samples, weekly grocery coupons, baby coupons, parenting articles, and a number of other things (even a chance of winning 1 year of free diapers). It’s worth signing up for.

Another more known means of getting some quick aid is to visit your local foodbank or charity.

Pretty much all of these programs that will offer you free stuff won’t give you money. If it’s money you are after, then you’ll need to pursue some sort of scholarship/grant/government aid program. So let’s go over the different types of grant/scholarship funding for single mothers and how to get that funding, if it is possible.

Here are a few more web-based sweepstakes geared for moms and families:

• There is another web giveaway contest where you fill out a survey and then get entered into a $50k scholarship draw for school
• Another survey giveaway where you  get a chance to win a $1500 gas card
• Win a $3500 dollar nursery makeover for you baby by filling out a survey
• And here’s one where you fill out survey and get a ton of grocery coupons for online savings
• Win a $3500 dollar nursery makeover for you baby by filling out a survey
• Get a Free $250 Gift Card to your Favorite Baby Store
• Get ready for school with $1,500 shopping spree — short survey
• Do You Have a CuteKid? Submit photo for a chance to win 25k if you’re kid is the cutest!

A Note About Going to School

If you are going back to college as a single mom, you’ve got a battle on your hand to secure funding. You will probably have to pay for your education with a combination of student loans, federal student aid, scholarships (if you qualify), and a part time (or full time!) job.

One way we recommend you save money is by pursuing a legit degree online. There are accredited online universities that will allow you to work from home (all you need is the internet), during your own hours. You still have to put in the time (you are looking at a couple years at least), but you can save a significant amount of money. Going to a regular college is great, but if you can’t afford it or you simply don’t have the time to attend regular hour classes, then an online college degree is the next best thing. We recommend Classes and Careers as a good place to search for a suitable online school. They also offer financial aid assistance.

College Grants for Single Mothers

The one are that the federal government is not shy about giving money is to students. Though the federal government usually does not provide federal assistance for individuals (visit the grant.gov website if you don’t believe me), they do provide direct financial assistance for students.

If you are a mother who is thinking about going back to college or seeking to get some certified training, you stand a good chance of getting some money.

Now I don’t claim that federal grants for students will pay for all your schooling. They will not. But combining federal grants for students with school scholarships and other college financial aid programs a college (or training center) may offer to financially needy students, it’s possible to take a pretty good chunk out of your education fees with grants. First off, how do you pay for school as a single mom?

Here’s a list of some possible means of getting some extra money for school:

• Federal Grants/Private Grants for School
• Federal/Private Student Loans
• On-Campus Work Programs/Federal Work Study/Part Time Job
• State Scholarships/College Scholarships/Private Scholarships

Private grants and scholarships do exist and are perhaps the best way of getting money as a single mother to pay for school expenses. You might find private grants offered by fellowships, businesses, schools, or even websites!

What is the difference between grants and scholarships? Well grants are basically need-based funding – you qualify on the basis of financial need and not something like grades. Scholarships, on the other hand, are merit-based awards – you are given money based on something you have achieved – high marks during high school, first year of college, overall GPA while at college, exceptional volunteer work, etc. If you can, apply for both scholarship and grants. Scholarships and grants may be given out by colleges themselves or by non-profit organizations.

One scholarship I highly recommend for single moms (and dads) is the $10,000 Scholarship for Working Adults. This is a web scholarship sweepstake giveaway. You sign up for the scholarship (free!) and are given one chance each month to win 10k towards your education expenses.

Some Actual Grant Programs You Might Look At…

Federal Grants for School

The government offers grants for school. Some of the major grants are:

• Federal Pell Grant
• Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants ($100-$4000)
• Academic Competitiveness Grant ($2000 total)
• National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent Grant ($4000 per year)
• Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education Grant ($4000 per year)

Private Grants for School

Federal funding, while providing a good chunk of grant income, should you qualify, is not the only source of grant money for school. There are plenty of private grants you can apply for. In fact, there are far more private grants available than federal grants. You will have to seek private grants through your school financial aid office or online though grant and scholarship finding websites.

College Grants for Mature Women

There are also special class of grants for older women. Many mature woman are looking to go back to school and there are various private grants available for them. First off, as a mature woman, you should first apply for federal student aid with the FAFSA application. Then apply for the free 10k scholarship for moms (if you are a mom). The next step is to look at the following grants for mature women.

• Newcombe Scholarships for Mature Women Students

This is a grant offered by participating universities across the USA. It’s given to woman of a certain age with the sum usually in the 2000 dollar range.

• Jeanette Rankin Women’s Scholarship Fund

This is a special fund given to low income, mature women above the age of 34 who are in desperate financial need. The scholarship was created to give mature woman a chance to pursue an associate degree or a bachelors degree in an area that interests them.

• NLAPW Virginia Liebeler Biennial Grants for Mature Women

Another grant given to women 35 and older. Women of this age group may qualify for a $1000 scholarship The scholarship given out is $1000dollars; the scholarship is awarded to women interested in writing as an art. If you enjoy writing, reading, or English literature, consider applying for this scholarship.

For other private grants and scholarships, the best place to look is a college financial aid website (your college if you are going to one). Pretty much every college has a financial aid department and that department will have a master list of scholarships and grants that you can apply for.

If you work for a corporation (McDonalds, etc), there may be a good chance the corporation has a scholarship fund for employees going back to school – it’s worth looking into this as you can land some free money for school in some cases.

Student Loans

Chances are that if you don’t work full time or have a large sum of money saved up to pay for school, you are going to have to apply for a student loan. There are basically two categories of student loans: federal student loans and private student loans.

Federal Student Loans

• Perkins Student Loan
• Chase Student Loan
  

The federal Perkins student loan and Stafford student loan are government-backed student loans that’s made available for all American citizens. Both are no cosigner, no credit check student loan which means pretty much anyone can qualify for these federal loans for school.

To apply for federal student loans, you are going to need to fill out the FAFSA application. This will put you into consideration for both federal student loans and federal student grants.

Private Student Loans

Many students are finding out that federal student loan aid does not provide enough to cover the full cost of an education. Of course, your ability to pay for schooling will depend on many factors such as your living expenses, type of school, and your budgeting; however, in some cases, federal aid won’t provide enough money. There are private student loans you can apply for. The three major private student loans are the:

• Chase Student Loan
• Signature Student loan
• Sallie Mae Smart Option Student Loan

These loans usually require a credit check, however. Should your credit be bad, you will need a cosigner to cosign for the student loan. To find out about your credit history, there are two ways. The easy way is to use a website to check your credit score or send the credit agencies a written letter requesting your credit documents (takes a month or so). The later is completely free once a year, but it takes a long time.

For more information about federal student loans, visit the the federal aid website.

Part Time Job

Although this is an article about grants, I thought it salient to also point out that part time work can be a good way to help pay your way through school. It’s tough to go to school as a single mother AND work AND take care of kids. As much as I’d like to promise you an alternative, it may be that you’ll have to juggle all of these to pursue an education. The good news is that if you can’t find local work, many college campuses have “work on campus jobs” that are offered to those who are financially needy. This is a good way to supplement your income to pay for school.

The federal government does offer something called the Federal Work-Study which is a program that provides jobs to undergrad and graduate students to help pay for part of their education expenses as well.

If you tell yourself you need more skills to get a real job that actually pays well, then you might think about getting an online degree or pursue some online job training. There are a number of websites out there that will help you find the right degree. You can look at Excel: Networking for Women which is a program that will match women up with online education programs. Getting schooling is a big step, but it’s one of the BEST ways to get yourself out of a financial slump and take your career into your own hands.

Work At Home Jobs

Another option you may want to consider is looking at doing some kind of work at home job. For single moms/single parents, these jobs are perfect because you can work from the comfort of your home or even work after you come back from a job. The downside to these sort of jobs is that they tend to be much harder to achieve than you may initially think. There are also a lot of scams that target people looking to find work at home jobs. I’ve sorted through quite a few of them to find  a handfull of legit methods of making some coin at home. Keep in mind, these are NOT get rich quick schemes (if you find one of those, avoid them!). You have to put real work into these programs to make money.

Make Money Filling Out Surveys – The one program I do recommend as legit is the paid survey program. You basically fill out survey’s for money; the more surveys you fill out, the more money you get. It’s legit, though you’ll have to work filling out survey’s to get money.

Make Money Writing Articles – Another option might be to work as a web content writer; you can line up writing jobs on craigslist, elance.com, RealWritingJobs.com and places like textbroker.com.

Make Money via Internet Marketing–It is possible to make money by marketing products and services online. Most of the programs I’ve look at are complete scams, but there are a couple that actually do what they say: teach you how to make money online for real. The one program I can recommend is The Keyword Academy.

Government Grants for Single Mothers

As stated, there are no direct “federal grants for single mothers” available (that are not scams anyways), but there are federal assistance programs that moms can apply for. Here are some of the more well known and popular ones:

WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) Program – A Single Mom Food Program

This government-backed initiative is one of the more popular and effective federal programs out there. The way this program works is that coupons are given out each month for certain items; the items are usually geared around children and young mothers’ needs. The coupons given out change from month to month. The money given to WIC by the federal government is well established and much higher than some of the other programs for single mothers which means you stand a good chance of acceptance should you apply for this program. To apply, you must contact the WIC in your area trough a toll free number. You can find out more about the WIC here.

CHIP (Children’s Health Insurance Program) – A Single Mom Health Insurance Option

This is a federally-sponsored program that’s every American state has. The program is geared towards those who are unable to afford any sort of medical insurance. Medical, dental, and even vision insurance are given out to those who lack the finances to purchase such. The terms for getting CHIP vary, but you can expect either no payments or very small payments.

Food Stamps (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) – Food for Needy Families

If you are worried about being able to provide proper nutrition for your children, you may want to consider the Food Stamp program. This is by far the most recognized federal aid program in America. The program was established first in 1964 and has reduced malnutrition by a great deal since its inception. To join the program, you are going to have to look for the local state Food Stamp program (do a Google search to find your state’s food stamp website).

Families First/ Temporary Assistance for Needy Families – Money for Single Mothers

If you need a small infusion of money as a single mother, you might look at this program. The program offers financially-needy families small money amounts to assist with living expenses. People who may qualify are those who are unemployed or employed and still unable to purchase the basic necessities of life. There are some conditions you must meet, however.

1. Your children must attend school
2. Your children must be vaccinated (i.e. be properly cared for healthwise)
3. Children must have legal guardianship (i.e. paternity and parent custody in cases of divorce must be firmly established).

To apply for this program, you are going to have to find your state family assistance website and apply for there.

National School Lunch Program – School Lunches for Kids for Free

Another program that I’ve seen mentioned online and which is legit is the Free or Reduced Meal program. This is essentially a subsidized school lunch program for needy families. This means that if you qualify, your children may be able to eat for free (or reduced prices) at school. You can find out more about the program and apply for it here.

Housing Assistance for Single Mothers

If you find yourself in need of housing as a single mother and you are in financial need, there are some housing assistance programs you may consider.

• Privately owned subsidized housing — basically offers financially needy government subsidized housing. This is a very good program if you can’t afford standard rent prices on an apartment/home.
• Public Housing Agency – these are affordable housing units offered by the government for low-income families.
• Housing Choice Voucher Program – government vouchers which can be used to pay for part of your rent on government-approved housing options.

To seek more information about these programs, you should visit the HUD.gov website.

Financial Assistance for Single Mothers

There are many ways to get financial help for single mothers. We’ve already discussed grants and scholarships in great deal above, but it’s good to look at other means of financial aid.

Women Shelters

There are women shelters in nearly every city that are set up for abused or needy mothers. These shelters offer housing assistance for single mothers, free food, and even potential job training. Many women shelters operate from government grants and are designed for women in serious financial need. In an emergency, look for a women shelter.

Churches

If you need financial help or have been kicked out of your home by your boyfriend or partner, consider looking to see what church programs are available. Most church organizations offer assistance programs for the needy. This may include training, food, and even emergency housing shelter for single mothers. You can look through the yellowpages or do a search online for a local church to contact. You may be shy to ask for help, by many religious organizations have dedicated programs for those in need.

Government Aid Programs

We’ve already discussed the various government help for single mother programs – consult this section again for information on state assistance for single mothers. The list given on this website is by no means complete. You can look at benefits.gov for more government aid programs.

You can find more information about specific grants for single mothers programs at the given link (it’s the best source I’ve found on the web).

Loans for Single Mothers

In a pinch, you may consider taking out some kind of loan. I strongly advise you to think carefully before considering a loan. But for some emergencies, it may be necessary. Your credit history is also important when taking out a line of credit or personal bank loan, so it’s a good idea to know your credit score first before looking at these type of loans. For payday loans and credit card cash advances, you don’t need a credit check, though you’ll pay in higher interest fees for this.

Payday Loans

This is a common type of loan these days. Also called a “cash advance loan” or “paycheck loan” this type of loan is basically a high interest loan you take out for a short period. You usually pay a fee for the loan on the spot and are given two weeks to a month to repay it. For dental or car repair emergencies, you might consider such a loan, but BE ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN you can repay this loan. Failure to repay a payday loan can land you in serious financial trouble as the interest rates on payday loans are some of the highest in the loan industry. Miss a few loan payments and the interest rate may surpass the original amount you owe! If you are looking for a reputable online payday loan lender, I’ve heard 60 Minute Payday is a good company, though heed my above warnings!

Line of Credit

If you have good credit, you might consider asking your bank for a personal loan or line of credit. This is actually a better solution than a payday loan if you need some quick emergency cash as the interest rates are lower. Like any loan, make sure you repay them.

Personal Loans

Another option for you to consider if you need some cash. The interest rates are usually lower on personal loans than on payday loans or credit card loans. However, you’ve got to be able to make the payments. So I don’t recommend Personal Loans as a financial assistance option. If you want a personal loan, you can apply for one online.

Credit Card Cash Advance

If you have a credit card, you can take money out from a bank machine. However, we don’t recommend this because you start paying interest the moment you withdraw money and you are often charged a fee. Consider a line of credit or payday loan instead.

Last Word

It may seem like there are no legit grants for single moms out there, but there are in fact many financial assistance programs that moms can take advantage of in the form of government grants, government assistance programs such as the Stafford student loan, the Pell Grant, and web sweepstake programs like the free-to-apply 10k scholarship. The key to get the help you need is to be persistent in your hunt for financial help. The help you need won’t come to you; you are going to have to seek it out and that takes work! But help is there for single mothers who need it!

Now, there are other types of funding out there other than Pell Grants, which is the title of this article. Many grants and scholarships are in fact offered by private organizations and even business.

Web Sweepstake Scholarships

If you are looking for scholarships for school. one of the more popular sweepstake draws is the $10k Scholarship for Working Adults. This is basically a scholarship program that’s a monthly draw: each month, one mom is given $10,000 dollars to use towards an education. Simply fill out the free application. Another program that’s similar, one that’s geared for dads instead of moms, is the $10,000 scholarship for dads which works the same way as the mom scholarship. Note, these programs are not to be confused with grants! These are sweepstakes — you fill them out with a chance of winning a draw for the money.

Where to Find Scholarship/Grant/Financial Aid Funding?

These are simply two private scholarship/grant programs out of many that you can find. So if you look to the private sector for financial aid, you can find extra non-government assistance. How do you find these programs? The best way I always recommend is to visit a local community college financial aid office (or your own college if you are currently attending). These departments will always have a list of scholarship and grant programs you can apply for, both offered by the school, federal government, and private organizations. You can always use a scholarship-finding website like scholarships.com to help find other, harder to find programs, though you need to watch for scams!

If you have thought that you won’t be able to pay for school, well the educational system is always open and ready to take you back in. It is becoming an increasingly desirable thing to go back to college and university and study as a mature student. Institutions will always encourage you and there are many courses that are designed to work around your specific life as a single mother.

This article will take a specific look at pell grants that are available to single mothers and how to apply for one. We will also talk a bit about private grants and why you should look at non-government funding as well. If you want to get a pell grant as a single mother, you MUST be going to college or some sort of school. These are grants given out to students — part of the federal government’s student financial aid program.

First a note about grants: grants are need-based awards. That is grants do not have to be paid back and will often cover the costs of education fees and resources. A scholarship is like a grant, but is usually given out on the basis of merit. Some people use grants and scholarships interchangeably, but generally grants are based on your financial need. Another source of funding for education are student loans. Unlike grants and scholarships, loans must be repaid.

So what is the National Pell Grant? The National Pell Grant is a grant to cover the cost of tuition. Institutions are legally entitled to charge certain amounts of money for you to study on a variety of courses. The levels of teaching are often very high and with competition for places fiercer than it has ever been, it is a mainstream way for a university or college to make money.

A lot of single mothers are put off by the cost of going back into education. You may be thinking that the money you would have to spend would be better off raising your child but the point is that if you apply successfully then you will not have to pay a penny of the tuition fees yourself. Pell grants will commonly release fees of around $400 to $4,300 upon a successful application and this may well be a sum of money that you yourself cannot readily get your hands on.

How to Get a Pell Grant?

The first step in applying for a Pell grant will be to fill out a FAFSA form. In fact, if you have any financial need at all, filling out this form is the first thing you should do. This is a standard form that is used in the distribution of Federal Aid which includes an assortment of student loans (Perkins Loan for example) and grants as part of the package. Some schools require you to fill out the FAFSA even to even qualify for school based financial aid (which is separate from government financial aid).  Be advised that you will have to be very precise with this form and even the smallest of errors could cause in a hold up for the application. The form is designed to help you and the only reason it is so vigorous is to prevent fraud. Admissions officers will review the form with you and will offer advice on alternative courses of action.

Pell grants for single mothers are there to increase your standard of education and eventually your standard of living. Do not be put off at any point and if you are confused then remember that people are being paid to help you. Keep in mind that Pell grants are only ONE form of student financial aid. You can also look at getting scholarships, student loans, and other aid programs to help pay for school.

This video gives a a short intro on what a Pell Grant is and how to get one.

One of the main challenges single mothers encounter is the lack of a male role model in their child’s life, and a difficulty in being the sole parent enforcing discipline. Bringing a close friend or family member into your child’s life is a good idea; not only as it will give you some support and allow for an outsiders perspective in some situations, but it will also mean your child has a greater experience of male presence in their life. Introducing a supporting figure will also allow for more self-time.

Routine and organization can remove a lot of stress from your life. Planning ahead will allow you to prepare and organize yourself. This is true for a variety of scenarios, such as expensive events you need to save for, or appointments you have to schedule yourself around. Organizing yourself is important. Prioritize areas of your life and then list the activities you must do, or can do later, for each one. Make your goals realistic. Don’t be afraid to set smaller goals as well as the large ones; each little change in your life will contribute to the greater picture, and it’s important to have little tasks along the way, which can make a difference. If you track the details of these targets then it’s easier to see your progress, and gives you motivation to continue.

Always allow time for yourself, even if it’s only a few hours here and there. It can often be easy to overlook self-time but it’s so important, if not only just to recharge your batteries and rest. Ask friends or family members to look after your child; or even consider a co-operative parenting scheme with other parents, so that in exchange for babysitting their child you get some time off each week. The time you give yourself is precious.

Having time to relax also helps ensure you won’t get drained out. Make sure you always pay attention to your physical health, because as a single mother falling ill can make it especially difficult arranging your childcare and continuing with your daily life. What may seem like just a sore throat or a headache could easily develop into something more serious. Make sure you get adequate rest, and try and have a healthy diet whenever possible.

It’s important to remember that there is not right and wrong when it comes to raising a child. Everyone makes mistakes; and often it is better to just accept when something hasn’t gone to plan and move on and learn from it. Hopefully these tips for single mothers will have given a few useful words of advice to help with the day-to-day demands of parenting.

Teaching is one of the best careers a single mothers can be employed in, as you will have the same hours as your children. It will allow you to drop your children off and pick them up as well as getting the same Christmas, Easter and summer breaks. Not only will this save you money on hiring a nanny, you will be able to spend quality time with your children after school, and the added benefit of relating to them on the school environment. You can also teach from home. The hours on-line are more flexible as you can teach students from across the country during the evening and weekends.

Sales jobs are driven by results and if you are up for the challenge, you can earn a great deal of money through commission alone.  Telephone interviewing or cold calling has a bad reputation but they are a great solution for the right person. Telephone interviewing is a slightly easier task than selling as more people will be inclined to talk to you if you are not going to try and sell them anything. Although it may not pay as much as telephone sales, most call centre companies pay decently and are very flexible with work time. You may even be able to choose your own days and hours in advance every week or fortnightly.

If you don’t mind going back to school to train for a couple of years then healthcare is also a great career for a single mom. The work is round the clock so there are many shifts available each day and because of this, is a flexible career. The pay is good and the job can be hard but is rewarding. Physical therapy is another great option in the healthcare field for single mothers. You can set your hours according to patient need, and many offices allow you to work part time. The average  salary for a therapy physician is $53,508.

If you want to work from home then you can freelance in a lot of fields, including secretarial, accounting and writing. You can also trade from home. There are market sites like EBay which allow people to buy and sell. If you find a niche that is in demand then you could very well set up a small business. It is hard work but many people have made a regular income through buying and selling from home. Medical transcription s a job that can be done from anywhere. Medical transcriptors listen to dictated recordings and turn them into medical reports.

Working Mothers magazine publishes an annual list of the best 100 companies for working mothers, so pick up the magazine to get a better idea of the best careers for single mothers and the best companies to work for.

There are several ways you can get free government grants for single parents. First, you must analyze your existing situation, and make amendments in certain areas to maximize your finances as much as possible – this will help out in the long run, and can help with your application to a grant. Do not overlook the value of a budget as it can help you shave off certain expenses that you didn’t realize were costing you so much every month. With a little ingenuity you will be surprised at how much you can cut costs every month. Even using coupons to save on groceries will help you tremendously.

Grants are seen as an award, issued by the U.S Government. Grants vary in value, and the value is determined by your situation. You have to meet certain criteria to be able to be awarded a grant, most require you to have a low income, for example for many you need to have a 185% deficit in your income than the national minimum, which is set by the government themselves.

Not all grants are specifically government grants. There are some private grant programs out there too (actually quite a few of them). You may even find grant programs that specifically target single moms. One such program is the 10k Scholarship for Mothers which is basically a monthly giveaway of $10,000 dollars to a mom to help with educational expenses.

Making an application can be difficult and time consuming, but it’s important you make the effort, because it will be worth it in the long run, and will help you considerably in the future. First of all, you need to understand the different types of grants there is, and what ones suit you – to find out about he types of grants there are, speak to your local social services officer, or visit http://www.grants.gov for a list of over 900 available grants. Note: most of these grants are for organizations.

Many free government grants for single parents can be applied for online – and most will require your details, so before heading over and making an application, it’s best that you have important documents at the ready, including your social security number, tax information and any other documentation that the grant giver requires. Make sure when making your application that you follow the instructions carefully, and be sure to check each detail is correct before submitting.

Each free government grants for single parents will have their own criteria that need to be met – in order to make an application for any type of grant that’s available, you’ll need to be a U.S Citizen, or have been residing in the U.S for at least 3 years.

Free government grants for single parents are available in all states across the U.S. For more information about local grants and other different types of financial aid, simply speak to your financial aid officer or social services officer. You can also head over to http://www.grants.gov for more information. Remember that persistence is key, so even if you get rejected from one program try to determine the reasons for your rejection and apply to another. It may take three or four tries for you to be approved but it will happen in the end.

Now for those of you who are looking for SPECIFIC government help programs for single moms or single parent families, here are some tangible programs that you can look into.

Families First/Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
This is a program that’s been set up to distribute small cash amounts to moms and families that need money. The grant is really meant for families with children that cannot purchase the basic necessities like food. However, it doesn’t come free. All parents who participate much work or train for a job for at least 30 hours a week. Kids must be kept in school and their basic medication needs (vaccinations, etc) must be established. Sometimes the TANF will include food stamps for extra support. This is a good program that aims to help needy families.

CHIP Program
Stands for Children’s Heath Insurance Program. this is an insurance plan that’s government funded. It’s also available in every US state. This program is aimed at people who simply can’t afford insurance. It covers medical, dental, and vision. If you are struggling to pay those bills and you are worried about your children’s health, this program is an absolute godsend.

WIC
Stands for Women, Infants, and Children. The WIC program is a very successful government program that aims to help those moms who don’t have money to meet their needs. Basically, every months, coupons for free items are distributed. All these items are basic items that pregnant mothers or children under the age of 5 require. The WIC has a pretty good budget, so it’s much easier to gain acceptance into the program than the alternatives.

Free or Reduced Meal Program
Unfortunately, it’s only at school meals that many children in the United States actually get the proper nutrition they need to grow. Because of this, the government makes available free or price-reduced school lunches around the USA. If your family happens to meet the income criteria for this program, your children can get some reduced prices

Food Stamps
Don’t have any food in your home to feed your family? You might want to seriously consider looking into the food stamp program. This program was first established in 1964 to eliminate malnutrition. Each year, millions of dollars worth of food stamps is given out.

All these programs sound great, but how do you really apply for them? You will need to head over to your local Department of Human Services to see if you or your family qualifies for the program. If you are a single mom struggling financially, you probably will.

Food Stamps – For those who have empty cupboards, the food stamp program can come to the rescue. Established in 1964, the food stamp program has stamped out malnutrition in this country, but hunger continues. The program gives millions of dollars each month to keeping families fed and healthy.

How do you apply for these programs? Visit your local Department of Human Services office to see if you qualify — if you are needy single parent family, you do stand a good chance of qualifying.

Here is a bit of a motivational video for single mothers:

Obama grants are a simple scam, so don’t fall prey to it. Are there some legitimate grants and help programs out there for you? Yes there are. Here are some REAL Grant programs that you can pursue.

You can visit the government grant website to see a list of the available grants that you may or may not qualify for. You probably won’t end up qualifying for any of the specific grants because those grants are mostly grants for organizations, not individuals. You should look at your state department website to see if there are any grants that target needy families. Sometimes, there are low income grants given out. There are also food stamp programs available in the United States.

Don’t only look to see if there are government grants given out, however. The private sector offers quite a bit of help in terms of free shelter, food, clothing, medical care for children. You can check online to see what private resources are available, or better yet, call a local woman’s help agency and ask what programs are available for needy women.

Stay tuned for the next posts, I will list some TANGIBLE, REAL grant/help programs available to single moms from the government.

As a divorcee, you will be worrying about a lot of things. There is knowing how you are going to pay the next round of bills, how to pay for food all week, how to put clothes on your child’s back and also medical insurance an education costs. These are just the financial angles you have to worry about! It is very easy to see how the problems can mount up in the wake of a divorce because many things you may have taken for granted before will no longer be in place.

This article will take a look at the most common problems for divorced single mothers, how to start dealing with these problems and what is in place to help you if you start feeling the pressure a little too much. Never forget that your child is the most important thing in your life but you will need to make some time and space for yourself to work around many problems you may have.

Your biggest headache will always be money. I don’t promise you some magic pill to fix your financial problems. But there is always a way. As a single mother and ex divorcee, I know what it’s like to experience a divorce and the trauma afterwords. If you are divorced, you will need to handle a lot of extra things that will always require extra funds. My recommendation here is to write every thing down onto a piece of paper and then work out a budget. This will help you to make sure that you are not spending any extra money in areas that it could be saved. Talk to professional budgeting organizations for tips that can help you manage your money better.

Maker sure you are covered in terms of medical insurance. This is because the second thing you will probably worry about the most is your child’s safety and well being. If they need to go into hospital at very short notice and you do not have the insurance to cover the cost of a large operation then it could be the defining matter between life and death. You may not think insurance is necessary but it will take a near disaster to jump you into action, which could be easily avoided. There are some medical programs in the USA like medicaid that do help out lower income persons (health insurance is usually unaffordable by single moms). You could also look at some local non-profit health agencies for free medical checkups and whatnot for your child.

And finally, make sure that you are getting money from the other parent. Yes, there are deadbeat dads around, but you may need to involve the courts to extract money out of your ex if they are not contributing financially for their child. You are entitled to this and it should have been part of the divorce settlement. If it is not then take the civil route and contact the other parent of the child. If they reject you out of hand then you have a good case to take to either your lawyer or your local Child Support Agency. Both will act on your behalf to get you the financial assistance that you may have come to rely upon in the period before your divorce.

Divorced single moms do not have to have particularly bad lives. You can over power many problems just by using some basic logic and sense to help you through some rough patches as well as knowing your rights.

Here’s a bit of a motivational video for single moms experiencing or dealing with a divorce:

Today more than ever losing your home is more of a reality than ever before. If you find yourself in this position take a deep breath and remember that there are many programs available that can provide an answer to your problem. The Lord knows that the thought of losing the one thing that keeps a family grounded can be overwhelming, so try to remain calm.

We all know how stressful the possibility of losing your home can be, so let us focus on some tips that can help you deal with this nightmare or prevent it from ever happing. We are going to touch on some helpful tips on finding and securing single mother housing grants.

There are four government agencies that provide programs, that when obtained will provide the financial assistance necessary to allow a single mother the ability to live and work stress free in the family home. There is nothing more important than being certain of the shelter over your head and even though dealing with the application process can be a headache, the result is well worth it. All these programs feature dedicated websites where you can get massive amounts of information to help you through the application process. However, if a website asks for a fee for information, it is most likely a scam as this information is available for free and no one has access to programs that charge. Their goal is to help you, not make money from you.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development provides financial assistance, professional advice and grants for homeowners or potential homeowners everywhere. The programs available have helped countless people, but try not to delay getting started on the application process. Many will apply and the competition is fierce. Just don’t get frustrated.

The local State Housing Finance Agency is probably the easiest place for most single mothers to start reaching out for information. Designed to provide aid to low income earners, the Housing Finance Agency will place you with someone to provide you with one on one advice on all types of assistance that is available to you.

The Nehemiah Foundation is the one option single mothers should really focus on. The reason for this is because if your situation fits their model, they will pay up to six percent of the cost of the house. Bear in mind, if you make a mistake it could cost you eligibility in this program or mean you have to start the process from the beginning again.

Single mothers need to know that help is available to them through various single mother housing grants. Government officials will be there to offer advice and counselling, which should reduce the stress you may be experiencing. However, please do not forget to review the various programs carefully and make an informed choice when choosing single mother housing grants.

There can be nothing worse than being thrust into a situation as a single parent and not having any idea on where to turn to release the stress. You need to have a detailed knowledge of the help that is around you because when you start to buckle, you will need to know where to turn.

As a single, you will be intent on your independence and probably proving that you can act alone and become stronger for it. Financial worry is just a single area that can be addressed but there are other avenues of help you should consider trying if things start to get a bit too much. There are a lot of people being employed to help people like you so take full advantage of these individuals who can make your life easier.

The government runs many website pages on the governmental website that encourages you to speak with your nearest and dearest. Never be afraid of having to admit defeat and ask for help. Your family and friends love you and will do anything they can to make your life easier. These will be the people who know you best and have watched you most closely in your role as a single parent, they will be able to tell you precisely what they think you may be doing wrong. Friends are the people that will love and care for you outside of your family, what harm will asking them for help do?

Stay happy around your child the best you can because children have the ability to realize particular feelings at a very young age and cling onto them. If the only thing they know is worry and stress, which you display, then they will associate the home and you with this. It is very happy to create a solid and happy environment for your child as soon as you can.

Children thrive on attention because it keeps them constantly entertained. The internet has a million ideas that can keep your child engaged for long periods of time while you do the more important jobs around the house. Shower your child or children with help from a variety of websites and they will stay entertained for hours on end.

Stability is everything in a single parent home. The first thing you should do if there are any signs of crisis is make sure all of the important things are stable. You can help yourself today by making sure your home has solid foundations and is a no nonsense sort of area. Make sure your home is a safe and solid environment and your child will realize that it is a very healthy and happy place to be.

Government help for single moms can be everywhere you choose to look. Whether it is financial help from the government or personal help from family, it is there designed to help you.