Overview: Finding Top Grants for Moms
Being a single mother is one of the most difficult jobs there is. If you are a single mother, you likely know how true that statement is. Besides juggling childcare on your own, you have work and possibly even educational responsibilities as well.
Bills quickly pile up and can make your life very stressful and frustrating as you try to provide the best parenting possible to your children.
If it all starts to feel like too much and like there is no outlet or help for you as a single mom, take a deep breath.
There is help for single mothers out there in the form of assistance and grants for single moms. If you are a single mom seeking help by means of single mother grants, you likely have many questions flooding your mind, including:
- Can you get a grant being a single mother?
- Is there help for single mothers for healthcare?
- Where can you get college grants for single mothers?
- Can you apply for single mom grants online?
- What agencies offer assistance for single moms?
Do you know where to get grants for moms? Have you been wondering about assistance for single moms or getting college grants for single mothers? If so, you need to keep reading this article.
In this year’s guide to finding top grants for single moms, we delve into these topics. Being a single mother is not easy, but there is help out there. Agencies and the government offer assistance for single moms through several grants and other assistance programs.
If you are wondering whether there is help for single mothers or how to get grants for single moms, look no further than this article.
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What Do You Know about Grants for Single Mothers?
Grants are money given for a specific reason or purpose, and as long as they are used properly, they will never have to be paid back. More than 26 federal agencies in the government offer more than 1,000 different grant programs. These grants provide assistance for single moms, dads and low-income families throughout the country.
You may have been told that there are many options of grants for single mothers today. While it is true that there are grants for single moms, some information out there can be misleading.
There are technically no “grants for single mothers” specifically, but there are a variety of grants that single mothers can qualify for and receive.
These single mother grants are generally tied to those going back to school to finish or obtain a degree, of those that fall close to or under the poverty threshold.
However, there is a variety of grants for single moms that the government provides. Again, while they are not grants for single mothers only, single mothers may be eligible.
Single Mom Grants for Housing
Finding safe housing is important, especially for a single mom. The federal government provides help for single mothers in this regard through the following grants for single mothers:
- Section 8 Housing
- American Dream Down Payment Initiative (ADDI)
- Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
- Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP)
The federal government provides money to cover 70% of rent and utility payments for low-income individuals and families with Section 8. Approximately 1.3 million households live in apartments that are subsidized through the Section 8 program. While these are not specifically grants for single moms, as shown in the chart below, 75% of households under Section 8 are headed by a female. The housing program is subsidized through contracts with private property owners and the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
Source: NLIHC
The American Dream Down Payment Initiative is another program that offers grants for single mothers, among others. This program helps by paying your down payment, closing costs, or both. To be eligible for the single mothers grant, your income must not exceed 80% of the median income in your area. This program is also administered by the HUD, and you can find more information here.
For those who already have an apartment or home, the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) helps to cover utility bills.
Utility costs can soar during the heating and cooling seasons, so this program is designed to help defray some of those costs. To learn more about these grants for single moms, you can visit the website or speak with your local utility representatives.
Along similar lines, the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) provides grants to territories, states, and even some Native American tribes that allow them to help low-income families with weatherization. Weatherization can help decrease your energy costs, thereby lowering your monthly utility bills. States pass along the grants for single mothers and families to help curb their energy bills.
Single Mother Grants for Health-Related Issues
For single mothers, having to afford health care on top of numerous other bills can seem impossible. However, a few programs offer assistance for single moms when it comes to health care:
- Medicaid
- Children Health Insurance Program (CHIP)
- Title X Family Planning
Source: The Daily Beast
Medicaid works in conjunction with the Children Health Insurance Program (CHIP) to give free health care to more than 72.5 million low-income individuals.
Medicaid is determined on a state-by-state basis, but it is currently utilized by 64 million people. These single mother grants are offered especially to pregnant women and children. To be eligible for Medicaid, you must be below 133% of the federal poverty line and submit an application.
CHIP is offered to children from impoverished families who need dental care, mental health care, periodic screenings, and diagnostic and treatment services.
This program was designed to help low-income families and give assistance for single moms who cannot afford health care for their children. Children under the age of 19 are eligible, and you can apply to join the 8.4 million children enrolled in CHIP right on the Medicaid website.
Another option for health care assistance for single moms is the Title X Family Planning program. The program provides family planning and other related health services to single mothers and low-income families. Women who are eligible are given access to pelvic and breast exams, cancer screenings, Pap smears, pregnancy and HIV testing, birth control, and counseling.
Nutritional Food Grants for Single Mothers
Nutrition plays a big role in physical and mental development of children. Many single mothers struggle to put healthy food or any food at all on the table. That is why the federal government offers the following grants for single moms:
- Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)
- Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
- National School Lunch Program (NSLP)
The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) is a federal program that seeks to provide help for single mothers needing nutritional food for themselves and their children.
These single mother grants are available to women who are pregnant, breastfeeding, or have kids 5 years of age or younger that are at risk of suffering malnutrition. The mother’s income needs to be less than 185% of the poverty threshold to qualify for the grants. You can check if you qualify for these single mom grants on the WIC website.
There are other single mother grants, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), that help low-income families obtain access to healthy food. States dole out money from federal funds to low-income families based on the level of assistance that each applicant needs. These grants for single moms also come with access to community organizations, nutrition educators, and state agencies that can help you understand how important a proper diet is.
The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) also offers grants for single mothers and low-income families who cannot afford to provide healthy lunches for their children.
The NSLP offers aid that allows children to buy a nutritious lunch at school. USDA research has shown that students who eat a school lunch have healthier nutritional intakes than students who do not participate. Nutrition is important for a child’s growth and education, which is why these grants for single moms and other low-income families are beneficial to all.
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Getting College Grants for Single Mothers
There are several grants for single mothers available for women who are looking to go back to school. While these grants are not specifically single mother grants, single mothers are eligible for them. Help for single mothers who are looking to go back to or finish college come in the form of financial aid, grants, and scholarships including:
1. Financial Aid—FAFSA
If you are looking for grants for single moms, financial aid is the first place to start. By filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form, you are eligible for federal financial aid, loans, grants, and other assistance programs. This financial aid gives help for single mothers who desire to return to school to obtain a degree. To fill out the FAFSA form or check the filing deadlines in your state, you can visit their website.
2. Pell Grant
Federal Pell Grants are the largest source of federally funded grants for college. These offer help for single mothers and others who are looking to return to or enter college for the first time.
These grants for single mothers and other financially in-need individuals do not have to be repaid and are awarded based on financial need. For the 2016 to 2017 school year, the most you can receive through a Pell Grant is $5,815.
To be eligible for a Pell Grant, you need to be pursuing an undergraduate degree for the first time, be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen, and be financially in need. It is important to submit your FAFSA form to be awarded a Pell Grant. Being a single mother in college is not easy, but with the help of a Pell Grant, you may be able to make it work financially.
3. Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG)
To get a FSEOG, you will need to complete and submit a FAFSA form. This grant is eligible to undergraduate students who have financial need and who have not already earned a bachelor’s or graduate degree. Federal Pell Grant recipients receive priority, but even if you do not receive a Pell Grant, you may qualify for these grants for single moms.
Awards differ according to financial need, but range between $100 and $4,000 per year. It is important to submit your FAFSA form as soon as possible because schools only receive certain funds per year. These single mother grants are a great way to offset some of the costs of attending college if you qualify income-wise.
4. TEACH Grant
With the expanding population and the declining state of schools in urban areas, the United States is searching for teachers to fill the gaps.
The Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant is eligible for individuals who want to become teachers. This is not specifically in the category of single mom grants, but single mothers who are interested in becoming a teacher should certainly apply.
The grant offers full-time students up to $4,000 per year, up to a total of $16,000 for undergraduate studies, and $8,000 for graduate school. These grants for single mothers are strict though, and you must sign an Agreement to Serve that specifies you will teach in a high-need field for four years in a low-income area.
To be eligible for the TEACH grant, you must:
- Complete a FAFSA Form
- Enroll in a participating school
- Enroll is related coursework
- Meet specified academic standards
- Sign an Agreement to Serve
If this field interests you, and you are willing to follow the strict guidelines laid out in the Agreement to Serve, these college grants for single mothers and other interested individuals are helpful to defray college costs.
5. Scholarships That Give and Women
Scholarships that offer and women include:
- Selected Professionals Fellowships: This fellowship gives awards between $5,000 and $20,000 to women entering into graduate or post-grad degree programs in the science, technology, engineering, and math fields.
- Patsy Takemoto Mink Education Foundation: This foundation offers single mother grants to low-income mothers to assist with school and living expenses.
- The Association for Women in Mathematics: Provides a prize to some undergraduate women who are studying in the mathematics field.
There are other scholarships that provide help for single mothers looking to go back to school to finish an undergraduate or graduate degree. With more than 5 million scholarships doling out $24 billion in aid, you have a good chance to secure one. Register at Sallie Mae to find scholarships that match your talents, interests, and financial need.
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Conclusion: Finding the Best Single Mom Grants
During your hunt for single mother grants, you need to remember that no grants are specifically grants for single mothers.
However, even though there are not specific “single mother grants,” there are grants that single moms can apply for and obtain.
There are single mother grants for housing, health care, food, nutrition, and even college costs. If you are looking for other grants for single moms, you can visit www.grants.gov to search by keyword, funding instrument type, eligibility, category, and agency.
There are no “best” grants for moms, because raising a child on your own is a hard enough job, so every dollar counts.
While you might not qualify for all assistance for single moms, that should not stop you from applying for it. Many local and federal agencies and community organizations offer grants for single mothers and other low-income individuals and families that you should try to utilize.
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