Authored by Jayant Row in Family, Financial Aid
Published on 04-26-2009
Being a single mother is in itself quite a strain for most adults when placed in that situation. It can be quite unnerving if you are financially strapped, because you have to bring up your child or children alone without the help of any other person. So what you need to do is seek a financial grant that can help to ease the situation.
There are more than 30 million people in the United States receiving some sort of government grant and you can elect to be one of them. Start on the internet and search for sites that can give grants for single mothers. There are sites exclusively for single mothers that will ask you to write about your experiences as a single mother, and if your contribution finds favor with the visitors to the site, you are automatically eligible to get a grant or financial assistance.
Government grants are available in abundance and you would do well to apply for these. For this, you need to be a citizen of the United States, and have a valid Social Security number. Such grants are not taxable and interest free. Every state has its own program for giving grants to single mothers and you would do well to find out about these programs also. You can get a grant to start a new business, to study or even simply as financial assistance because of your own situation.
If as a single mother you are intending to go back to college, ask for a grant from the financial aid office of the school or university from where you are intending to do your schooling at. As a single mother there will be special packages to assist you. The United States government also gives grants especially to single mothers for furthering or completing their education.
Every grant has specific requirements and a process for application. You would need to complete the required formalities and wait till your application is accepted. Some government grants may have specific conditions to the grant which you may have agree to. This could include social or community service in return for the grant. You would have to agree to this if you want the grant, and find ways of completing your part of the obligation once you accept the grant.
Federal student Aid or FAFSA is available if as a single mother you intend to go back to college. The lead time to get such aid is about three to four weeks, and besides your high school diploma you would need to be accepted in a particular institute before you can apply for the student aid. You would get a smaller grant if you are an income tax payer and may even be denied aid if it is known that your parents are well to do. The continuation of the grant is also dependent on your getting a certain minimum grade during your studies.
Websites that will prove useful are Uncle Sam’s money, Single Mom, and Dollar Grants. Many other websites would also be available once you search the web, and it is for you to finally decide the one that suits your particular requirement.
