Start with the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). By completing the FAFSA, you can apply for aid from the federal government and the college itself. The FAFSA will give you access to the Pell Grant, a needs-based grant given to low-income students, as well as the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, which awards up to $4,000 to students who receive the Pell Grant and still have a need.
While the federal application requests some state aid, submit a state-specific application to determine your eligibility for all state-sponsored aid. By applying on Delaware's education site, for example, working adults can apply for the Governor's Education Grant for Working Adults. The grant awards up to $2,000 to eligible students. Every state provides financial assistance for college education, and many encourage part-time academics as much as full-time academics.
Purdue University's "Span Plan" awards grants to adults older than traditional college age. Even colleges offering distance studies to working adults provide grants and scholarships, some specifically designed to help working parents. Ask what's available at your college. If your college only offers "Single Mom" grants and you are male, apply anyway; the grant focuses on helping struggling parents.
A limited education will keep working parents from advancing in their chosen careers. Research aid resources within your field of work or study. The Association for Lutherans and the American Baptist Church provide aid for students pursuing ecclesiastical studies in those denominations. The Carole Fielding Student Grant, sponsored by the University Film and Video Association, helps aspiring filmmakers, and The American Hotel and Lodging Educational Foundation grant can assist those studying hospitality management.
Working women who head single-parent households can take comfort in knowing that 37 percent of the college population consists of students 24 years or older. With women outnumbering men in most colleges, a large amount of grant and scholarship awards go to women and, quite often, older women. The Jeanette Rankin Foundation gives needs-based grants specifically to women over 35. The American Association of University Women offers a Career Development Grant to women pursuing an advanced degree, and Raise the Nation provides assistance to single moms.
Many grant resources exist. Don't think one source, such as your college financial aid adviser, will provide you with all the information needed to exhaust all your options. Fastweb alone lists at least 200 grants and scholarships for students with dependent children as well as aid specifically for adult education, parents and single parents seeking help with postsecondary education costs. Research your options thoroughly, and be creative about locating funding resources.