Scholarships for Single Mothers

Funding higher education is difficult enough for anyone to do. For a single mother the challenge is twice as hard. A single mother must first play both parental roles to her children and survive many times, only on her income. When time, costs and materials are weighed in it becomes clear why many single mothers give up their goal of furthering their education. Today, fortunately there is help. In this article we will look at what is available in terms of a scholarship for single mothers.

Today there are several scholarship options available to single mothers and single parents in general. Before hunting down federally funded, national programs you might be better served looking at various state institutions programs. Many colleges and universities offer their own scholarship programs with much less bureaucratic paper work attached. You might be surprised how much money is out there at the local and state level.

A possible place to investigate getting a scholarship for single mothers is the Women’s opportunity awards program. These are based on financial need and certain residency requirements apply. However it is one possible way to fund a good portion of a higher education degree.

Another place to look is the Jeanette Rankin foundation. All applicants must be women aged 35 or older, on an accredited program and must be able to show financial need. They practice a non-discriminatory policy and all that meet their criterion are encouraged to apply. Funds vary in amounts but again it is a possible way to fund a portion if not all the costs of higher education.

The assistance league is another place worth looking to find a scholarship for single mothers. The assistance league provides a detailed list of state programs for a variety of purposes. It will require some time to scroll through all the possibilities but you might just find the perfect community based program for you.

The financial aid for women site is another good source to hunt down possible scholarship money. It serves as a data base for various financial aid programs geared specifically to women. Again the list is numerous so some time will be required but a good amount of scholarship money could be at stake.

Finally, this year President Barack Obama has pushed forward a possible $10,000 in scholarship money for single mothers to pursue and finish their higher education aspirations. This is part of his initiative to rebuild the American workforce. Single mothers have been dreadfully under funded in terms of grant money and this year President Obama has decided to make a change. Single fathers are also eligible.

Funding higher education is difficult for anybody. Two parent families with medium to high incomes save for years to send their children to school. When it comes to affording tuition, material and day care on one single income the task seems nearly insurmountable. Today with more scholarships for single mothers available, the task is definitely attainable.