There are standard grant and scholarship opportunities that the U.S. government offers on a regular basis. A Pell grant is the most common form of non-loan money that the govenment gives out. The submission cycle for these opportunities generally correlates with the semester for which you are applying.
Having a family is as challenging as any full-time job. There are some good resources for scholarships and grants for women with families.The website Soroptimist.org offers
financial assistance to women who have families and who are "the primary income earner of the household." There are also opportunities for single mothers such as the ones posted at SingleMom.com.
There may come a point in a woman's career when she has decided she would like a change or would like to explore something new. A couple of institutions offer finacial assistance to women over the age of 40, such as the Jeanette Rankin Women's Scholarship Fund and AARP Foundation. These are opportunities provided by people who know that it is never too late to start again.