Many grants are available to women based entirely on financial need. Pell Grants are one such grant that can be re-applied for annually and give up to $1500 per year toward your college education. Go to your college financial aid office and ask them for a grant resource book or find one at your local bookstore. These will also help you find grants that are specific to woman who are also Hispanic, Native American or African American. There are also grants available to you if you are a single mother who needs childcare while in school or working part time. Veterans may also get additional education grants. Many children of firefighters and police officers may also qualify for additional grants. One specific grant is for women aged 35 or older going back to school offered by the Jeanette Rankin Foundation.
Many grants are available for specific careers to encourage more women to enter fields where they are needed. These include grants in amounts of $15,000 to $30,000 for those entering teaching or nursing, dental hygiene or speech therapy. You may also qualify for a grant if you are entering professional fields such as law, medicine or dentistry. If you are looking to such professional fields, chances are you have grades high enough to get into these graduate programs. As such, you may qualify for additional grants offered to high GPA students.
While there are grants that encourage women to study toward specific careers, there are also grants that look at more broad areas of study. You may qualify for grants to study child development or for residency training. You may also qualify for grants that encourage studies in health, science or mathematics. The American Association of University Women offers grants ranging from $5000 to $20,000 to women in specific areas of study.
One of the most frustrating parts about getting grants is finding the opportunities that you qualify for. There are many books and online resources available that can have you weeding through thousands of grant possibilities. The first place to start is with collegescholarships.org or grants.gov. These sources will give you real grant-awarding federal agencies and nationally recognized sources. From here, talk to your school financial aid counselor about what opportunities there may be for you as a woman. Let them know if you are a single mother who will need help with housing and child care costs. Ask about any minority grants available to you. If you are a dependent of a firefighter or police officer, check with your parent's human resources to determine what is available to you.
When you fill out the applications, make sure to fill everything out clearly and legibly. Also make sure you are stating why you are a perfect candidate to receive this grant in your opening statement of any essay you have.