Grants For Single Mothers To Pay Bills – 7 Different Programs

April 27, 2012

Grants For Single Mothers To Pay Bills

Single mothers have so many bills to worry about paying each month, which can cause stress that may not be necessary as you may be able to qualify for programs that offer grants for single mothers to pay bills. This grant money is cash that you will never have to pay back, and can qualify due to your financial need instead of things like your credit score or level of education. Below are a few programs that can help you with various bills, as well as short and long term solutions that you can use that provide grants for single mothers to pay bills.

Grants For Single Mothers To Pay Bills Related To Utilities

The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program can help you immensely with paying bills related to utilities on your home. Single mothers have very good chances at being eligible for this program. Another method that you can get help with utilities bills is simply calling your utility provider and explaining to them your income situation and if they can offer your discounts, which this method has helped many single mothers cut down on utility bills.

Grants For Single Mothers To Pay Bills That Are Medical Related

As far as medical bills go, you can get grants for single mothers to pay bills related to medical expenses through a program called Insure Kids Now where you can get free or low cost insurance for your children. It should be known that this specific program can hold different names in different states but by searching for “Insure Kids Now” and your state in a Google search, your states program will come up for you. You can also talk to your employer and see if they offer any options for medical bill assistance for single mothers as many employers are part of the “Employee Plus Child” program where they cover around 75 percent of your dues.

Housing Grants For Single Mothers To Pay Bills

As far as housing grants for single mothers to help pay bills, one of the most used programs is called Housing and Urban Development (HUD), which is also known as Section 8 and can help qualifying individuals with finding safe housing and little or no cost to them. If you happen to have a home already and are looking to stay there but need assistance, a great program called CoAbode helps single moms find other single moms to become their roomates which will help both parties when it comes to affordable housing.

Grants For Single Mothers To Pay School Bills

Higher education is more often than not one of the main priorities of a single mother, as getting a better job will provide one with job security and more importantly financial security that will allow them to afford what they need to provide for their kids. There is an application call the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which there are grant programs called the Pell Grant and the Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant which are both referred to as Obama Grants for Single Mothers, which through the Pell Grant you can get up to $5660 per year to use towards education, and through the FSEOG you can get up to $4000 a year. Now most applicants qualify for some amount of money so this should be your first resource to use for grants for single mothers to pay bills related to your college tuition, but it should be known that you need to fill this out every year that you want to get grant money from the FAFSA.\

Grants For Single Mothers to Pay Bills For School Lunch

There isn’t a program specifically for this, but you can get either free or discounted lunches for your children through their school by simply inquiring through the front office at your childs school. There are certain income requirements that you must meet, which when met your the discount will take affect immediately.

Short Term and Long Term Assistance For Single Mothers

Short term grants for single mothers to pay bills a receive other types of assistance can come from simply dialing 211 which you will be connected with an individual who will let you in on assistance programs throughout the area in which you live in and help you learn about eligibility requirements that you need to fit.

Long term assistance can come from utilizing the federal website called grants.gov which the website is hme to close to 1000 different grant programs, all of which cater to different areas of ones life that can really help you in many different ways. In order to get grants for single mothers to pay bills through this resource, you must become a member of the site, which can be done on their home page.

Tips For Single Mothers Buying Your First Home

April 20, 2012

Single Mothers Buying Your First Home

When you are buying your first home, it can be a very stressful experience, one which you may not exactly be sure how to go about. If you are in this situation don’t fret as there are millions in the same shoes, as even the most experienced buyers can have jitters when it comes to the subject. Due to this fact we created a list of all of you single mothers out there or anyone else buying your first home, a list that will help you best prepare for making your purchase as well as make sure you have all that is needed to become a home owner right below.

Before we get into the list, the first thing that above all you want to have first is a full time real estate agent, which this won’t cost you a thing as real estate agents work on commission so you won’t have to pay them until the property closes. But you don’t want to go with just any real estate agent, you want to find one that does it as a business instead of just a hobby, as these individuals will be more aggressive in getting the home for you as well as getting you a lower price. So altimately you will want to get a real estate agent that specializes in representing buyers. Below are various aspects of the buying process that you can use to make the process as smooth and as successful as possible.

What To Do & Have When Buying Your First Home

What You Really Want – Also one of the most important steps in buying your first home is for you is to compile a list of the top things that you are looking to get out of it as well as the top things you are looking to get out of the neighborhood and surrounding area. You can consider things like; is it a good school district, are there children in the area the same age as the kids, are there nearby parks to play and hang out at, do you want to live in a court or through street, town home or actual home, one story or two story, carpet or wood flooring, one with a fire place, etc.

Scout out the area – Checking out a handful of homes is always advised when buying your first home, which after you do so you can really hone in on your 3 to 5 favorite houses. So once you narrow down your favorite, you will want to enision yourself living in each which will allow you to feel out whether you would love living in it before you buy it. Once you have narrowed down your selection then you can get your real estate agent to arrange trips to show you each. Once you have checked out them all, then you can narrow them down again to 2 then do a couple walk throughs on each to find your favorite one. If you do not have the financial means to buy your first home outright, then you will want to visit and lending institution and work on getting pre-approved for a loan, which you want to do this before you even get your real estate agent started with the process so you don’t waste their time if you end up not being able to get approved

Get A Disclosure – The buying your first home step is where you will want to ask the home owner for a disclosure sheet stating what all is wrong with the home, which it is a legal document where the owner must state anything that is wrong with the home to the best of their knowledge. The owner will either have to fix the things that are wrong paying for it out of their pocket, or sell the house to you at a lower price, which can allow you to get a better deal.

Hire A Professional Inspector – Once you have purchased the home, the next thing you will want to do is have a professional inspector come in and inspect the home as they can spot defects that you may not have seen during formal wakl throughs..

Financing Proof – This is the most important aspect of buying your first home as with out it you will not be able to do so if you cannot show a seller that you either have a large amount of funds that would be enough to pay for the home or have the financial resources that will allow you to obtain a mortage loan big enough to pay for the asking price. Once you can do this, you will look like a serious buyer which is a trait that sellers are eager to work with.

Putting Down Your Offer – Once you put down your offer, one of three things will happen which are; the seller will accept your offer, they will reject it or they will make a or make a counter offer.

Closing – This is the last seep in the process buying your first home, which is where you will have to sign the papers and read all the fine print, which you can do so the night before as you can get the documents the day before the meeting, which will allow you to understand everthing that is happening before you sign your name. This meeting is scheduled either by your agent or mortgage lender.

During the process of buying your first home, the bank will do an apraisal of the house and make sure you are paying the right price, the price that reflects how much the house is really worth.

Grants For Women To Start A Business

April 13, 2012

Grants For Women To Start A Business

More and more women are starting businesses, whether they be from their home or an actual location, women across the glob are using their entreprenuerial mindset to free themselves from the restraints that a job imposes on them. Being a women is categorized as being at a disadvantage so you are already out to a head start when looking for grants for women to start a business as disadantaged applicants are given priority when it comes to eligibility. You can be as young as 18 which the only other main requirement is that you be a tax paying US citizen or permanent non resident, which you can qualify for anyhere from a couple hundred dollars to up to $5000 or more and use the money to finance most all aspects of your start up, which can range from things like buying new equiptment, hiring workers, renting and office and more.

Getting Business Startup Grants For Women

The great things about these grants is that there are no credit score requirements, which means that you can still become eligible regardless of your credit score is. There are a wide variety of programs out there offering grants for women to start a business, both federal and private, that are looking to empower women of all ages to start their own sustainable business with the hope that they both suceed as well as will free up a job position for those who are unemployed, which this reason is one of the main reasons that start up grant programs are becoming more prevalent.

Small Business Association (SBA)

One of the first places to look for grants for women to start a business is the Small Business Association as they specialize in helping people get the funding needed to launch their business. You can meet with a local SBA counseler who can guide you in the right direction as well as visit the SB website for more valuable information.

Grants.gov

This federal website is another excellent resource to consider when looking for grants for women to start a business as well as other grants you need that apply to your life, as there are over 900 different grant programs that you can apply for once you become a member of this site.

Foundationcenter.org

This is another great website that you can use that can help you locate both federal as well as private programs offering business grants for women.

Peachic

There is also a program called Peachic that offers grants for single mothers to start a business, which if you are single mother this is a great organization to apply to which you can potentially get money for your startup as well as use their website daily which the website is always putting out helpful information about starting and handling your business as well as great techniques and tactics that will help you find peace as well as joy and overall balance in your life, which a lot of these posts are by other single mothers.

When searching for grants for women to start a business, don’t forget that you can look for other related grant programs for women like; business grants for black women, business grants for minority women, business grants for women with chidren and more, whatever situation applies to you, look for business grants for that. Also remember that when applying to programs offering grants for women to start a business, they aren’t going to give money to just anyone, the want to see dedication and commitment, which you can demonstrate by forming a very good business plan that you can present to them.

College Grants For Women – How You Can Get Them & 4 Great Programs

April 6, 2012

College Grants For Women

Being that you are a woman, you are considered to be in a situation that is a “disadvantage” which may sound harsh to some but it actually puts you in a good position to get grant money, as those who fall into a the disadvantaged category have first priority to grant money. It should be known that these grants are spefically for women which other personal aspects can help you get them as well like being a minority or a single mothers among others. Now when apply for college grants for women, there are multiple ways you can get these grants and use this money for college, which is money you will never have to pay back. Below are various tips that you can use that will help you attain college grants for women that will provide you with the money to be able to afford a degree that will make you a valuable resource in the job market and provide you with the credentials needed to earn the money you need to support your family.

How You Can Get College Grants For Women

Financial Aid Office

Now whether you are atteding college now or going to be doing so in the near future, the first place to start is your financial aid office which you will want to make an appointment with a financial advisor who can point you in the right direction and help you apply for college grants for women. Although this resource is a great place to start, it shouldn’t be your only stop as it is limited in the amount of value it can give you, so utilize the tips below to increase your opportunity of becoming eligible for school grants for women.

Applying Online

Now you can also apply for as many programs online as you can that are offering college grants for women which you can do so by searching for grants that are applicable to your personal situation. You can search for things like; grants for minorities, grants for women going back to school, grants for teenage women, grants for middle age women, grants for single mothers, scholarships for women, grants for women for nursing school, grants for black women, grants for hispanic women, grants for women with children and more. Whatever situation you are in, you can locate a grant program and apply for it, which you can do so without having to deal with anything like credit checks or needing a co-signer like you would have to do with grants, making it a pretty painless process.

Join A Society

Joining a society that offers grants for the study you want to get a degree in can also provide you with money on your seach for grants for women. Like for example if you are looking to become an engineer, there is a program called Society for Women Engineers that you can join which can provide you with the opportunity to get grants from that organization to use to pay for your degree.

FAFSA

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) isn’t offered specifically as a college grants for women program, but it is a great resource to use for federal grant money as by filling out a FAFSA, you will be applying for multiple grant programs all at one time, where you can get up to a few thousand dollars a year to use towards paying for your degree. The main eligibility requirement for these federal grants is you financial need which if you are going back to school you are most likely in a situation that is considered financially needy, giving you an excellent chance to recieve some amount of free money.

A few specific grant programs that you can apply to that offer school grants for women include:

Business and Professional Womens Association
Ford Foundations Predoctoral Fellowship for Minorities
Jeanette Rankin Foundation
Barry Goldwater Scholarship

Housing Help For Single Moms – Programs & Tip That Can Help You

March 30, 2012

Housing Help For Single Moms

For single mothers, shelter is their top priority for their families and just happens to be the most expensive aspect of what they have to fit into their budget. This is a fact, but there are programs out ther offering housing help for single moms that can provide you with financial assistance that can help ease the stress and help you pay some of most of your housing bills. Below are various programs that offering housing help in many forms, all of which can help you on the pursuit to getting the financial aid that you deserve.

Programs That Offer Housing Help For Single Moms

US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)

HUD is a government funded housing assistance program that you can apply for when searching for housing help for single moms, as this program offers assistance to low income families to gain accomidations in the form of low income housing. This program has certain eligiblity requirements that have to do with both your monthly income as well as asset based, and provides eligible candidates with housing vouchers which can be redeemed for housing help through landlords who accept them. HUD will also provide eligible candidates with finding safe housing as well, insuring that families are going to be safe in their new residence.

Utility Assistance

When it comes to getting help with utilities in your home, the first thing to do is go to the source directly meaning you can call your utility provider and talk to them about your situation and ask if they would consider lowering your bills, as oftem times they will provide assistance to those in a financial pinch. This is the fastest way to possible housing help for single mothers that you don’t have to apply for and wait to find out if you qualify. The Low Income Energy Assistance Program is another awesome program that provides housing help for single mothers and those in financial need helping eligible applicants with lowering their heating bill each month.

CoAbode

CoAbode is a very innovative program that offers housing help for single mothers in a form that differs from most all other financial assistance programs out there as they provide single mothers with the chance to have a roommate that is also a single mother to help pay the bills. There is a screening process where CoAbode makes sure that the single mother applicants are safe and will be a good match as well as be able to pay the bills.

Housing and Community Facilities Program (HCFP)

If you happen to live in more of a rural are, the HCFP can provide you with housing help for single moms if you fit certain eligibility requirements. This program offers assistance to both those who own their

2-1-1

For those needing immediate help, whether it be for housing, food, utilities, schooling grants and more, the best thing to do is to call 2-1-1 which will allow you to speak to an operator who will help you find local assistance. This method is by far the fastest and easiest method to getting housing help for single mothers both short term as well as long term, and can help you get something quick while you apply for other programs that offer you financial assistance.

Private Assistance

You may also be able to get housing help for single mothers through private organizations as well like the YMCA as well as local churches, and on a more national scale other private organizations that provide assistance to single mothers which you can seach for on the internet.