Congratulations, you just received your acceptance letter to your dream college. The next step is finding the money so that you can attend. Scholarships and grants are some of the best sources for funding a college education. This is because you do not have to pay the money back. The most difficult part is getting started by finding grants for which you are eligible. In this short article “How you can Find Grants For school”, we help you do just that. Read on for some tips on how to find college grants and strategies for actually receiving them.
Facts about Grants
Did you know that about $2.6 billion went unclaimed for the 2018-19 academic year? The moral of the story is that if you do not apply, you will not receive any money – so apply!
Grants are not just based off of merit or academics. In fact, grants are typically need-based free sources of money. Simply provide your financial information when prompted on the application. There are some catches to be aware of though. Some merit grants require you to keep a specific GPA. Financial based grants look at numerous factors when determining whether or not you are eligible: the cost of attendance, your parent’s contribution, and your financial need as determined by the government.
Grants cater to a diverse group of people. There are grants for women, minority groups, orphans, left-handed people, disabled people, college classes for vets, and more. The more time you set aside to apply to grants that are specific to you, the more grants you are likely to receive.
How to Find Grants for School
Grants are everywhere, you just have to know where to look. There are three main levels you can look at:
- Federal, as in FAFSA and the CSS profile
- State Grants
- Local Grants
Within these different levels, you can make a lot of money. FAFSA and the CSS profile will help you get grants from your college. FAFSA is free, but the CSS profile charges a $25 application fee and $16 fee for each college. Use this if there is especially one college that you want to attend.
Choosing to look at state grants is another additional option. Check out this website for a list of grants by state.
Finally, local grants and special grants are sometimes easier to come by. This is because you may already have the established connections in your community. Never underestimate the value of local support. All things add up when you Find Grants for School.
How to Write a Good Grant Application
The key to receiving grants is in writing a solid application. There will be several parts to the application, typically the following:
- Biographical and personal information, like name, addresses, and phone numbers
- Education information, like high school and any college experience
- Academic history, like grades and GPA
- Essays, to probably include a personal essay and an essay topic of their choosing
You may also be asked to provide references and a resume detailing extracurricular and volunteer experience, or experience related specifically to that grant. A tip for creating a good resume is to first have a master resume with everything you have done. Then, make resumes from that master resume that is specific to each grant you are applying to. Keep in mind that the more grant applications that you write, the easier it will become because you will have all the necessary information.
When it comes to writing successful essays, you want to know your audience. The people who read your essay will determine whether or not you qualify. You also want to make sure that your voice and personality come through in your writing. This is not like an academic paper, so be creative and brainstorm ideas. Before submitting it, you should review your essay for how well it flows, and for grammatical errors.
Applying for grants is well worth the time and effort. Though you might be exhausted from all those college applications, grants will help you significantly in the long term. It is better to invest the time now rather than have loans to pay off later.
