Showing posts with label Pell Grants. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pell Grants. Show all posts

Friday, June 10, 2016

How To Apply For Federal Grants

The government has been providing a lot of money of financial assistance which can be taken advantage of through grants.  The federal government has 26 Federal agencies and about 1,000 grants available to different organizations every year.  

Grants are provided by the federal government so that different organizations would be able to continue the services they render to the public, whether it is an art, education or research institution.  Contrary to what people usually think, federal grants are not free money.  It is a financial obligation that the recipient should fulfil or else face legal issues. 

If you think that you and your organization is ready for a grant then you can start applying for one. Applying for a grant is completely different once your granted with it.  There are responsibilities that come with the grant.  So you have to be forward in your way of thinking, are you ready to handle the obligations if your application becomes successful?  

Once a federal grant is already awarded, you have to have an ability to monitor the funds allocation and expenditure.  The federal agency who rewarded the grant will be conducting auditing and monitoring on a regular basis.  Any changes on the program, may it be the phasing of the project requires you to inform the agency at once.  

Once you have identified that you are ready for the grant, then research and look for grants applicable in your field.  There are different resources you can check to look for grants.  There are public libraries which have listings of grants, these books are updated yearly.  Make sure to be prepared in copying the grants listing since these books cannot be taken out of the library.  

Aside from public library books, there are great online websites that you can check to look for federal grant lists.  But not all of the federal grants can be found in the internet, though some can be found in it.  Most of the grants that can be found in the internet, also have the application process included. 

When you already have the lists of grants that you find suitable for your organization, identify which one is the best match for your needs.  Rank it according to the most suitable to the least.  The idea here is that you would identify what would be best suited for your program and have higher possibility of grant approval.

When identifying grants you want to consider the following factors: 

• A grant is an obligation.  It is important to fulfil this obligation without sacrificing the goal of your institution or organization.

• Is the grant covering the program or project that need the financial assistance.

• Is your organization able to meet the requirements asked by the deferral agency.  

You also have to follow the application process.  When completing the paperwork, there would be guidelines on how to, you have to follow them exactly.  Be concise and exact when answering the application questions. You can provide additional information as attachments for reference.  

You can ask somebody to read the application process to be sure that it is understandable and all together informative.  They can also help in proofreading the application form and other answers which are out of place.  Writing a grant somehow is similar to writing a business plan. 

If you are having difficulties writing grant papers, there are books and articles which can help you in writing good application for grants.  There are some who would hire grant consultants, i.e., Chambers Consulting Group, LLC.  to make sure that their grant application would be written in a professional manner and follow the agency guidelines.

Check the application deadline, you do not want to spend too much effort on something which you cannot finish and submit on time.  If you have inquiries, usually there are numbers where you can call and ask questions. When you call, just make sure that you have the questions on hand. 

You do not want to waste your time and also other people’s time with small talk.
  
I always enjoy getting emails pertaining to my articles/blogs on my site. Your feedback is important to us....and we wish you the very best!

+KJC

PS. You can now download "
Taking You Beyond Where You Are Blogspot" on your Android Device; download the app today. 


K. JEVON CHAMBERS, Th.D.
CHAMBERS CONSULTING GROUP
"Taking You Beyond Where You Are"

Email: consultchambersgrp@ymail.com
Website: http://kjevonchambers.weebly.com/

Visit our Other Links

Friday, May 27, 2016

Federal Grants And Education

Education is something that we find worth not sacrificing.  Education trains our mind and prepares our body, mind and spirit in putting our skills in maximum use. A lot of people is sacrificing to be able to finish their education. But not everybody is capable of getting into a school and successfully graduate from college.  There are a lot of students facing financial difficulties but still want to pursue their education.  This where federal grants provided to different colleges come into the picture. 

Here are four grant programs that you can apply to:  

Federal Pell Grant 
The Federal Pell Grant provides financial aid to those students who have low-income so that they would be able to pay their tuition fees.  Unlike the a loan, students would not be paying the money given.  This grant is considered to be the foundation of federal financial aid.  

Who are qualified to apply for this grant?

Applicants should be United States citizens who are studying.  Applicants should have at least graduated from high school and are pursuing a undergraduate degree.  Male students should register first with the Selective Service.  

Pell Grants are only awarded to students once a year.  For the year 2008-2009, the highest amount given by the Pell Grant was $4,371.  While for the year 2009-2010, the grant’s maximum amount would reach to $5,350.  the amount that you would receive depends not only on your need, but also the cost of pursuing your studies, if you are a full-time or part-time student and plans to continue your education for the next year. 

To apply for the Pell Grant, the students can get the Free Application for Federal Student Aid  (FAFSA) from their school’s scholarship and financial aid office.  The students would be informed of the application results within two to four weeks. 

Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant
Another federal aid offered to students having financial difficulties would be the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG).  Students who are qualified for the Pell Grant are actually also qualified to get the FSEOG.  This kind of program is campus-based and the amount is limited between $100 and $4,000.  Since it is campus-based, its sources are limited.  

Students with low expected family contributions are the top priority and those who have already the Pell Grant.  Students should also complete the Free Application for Federal Aid (FAFSA), they would be later on informed by the amount of financial aid they would need.  

Academic Competitiveness Grant
This federal grant is just a new financial aid and became available for first-time students during annual year of 2006-2007.  Students would only receive the financial aid during the first and second years of the student’s college life.  

Usually, students would be getting $750 for the first year and $1,300 for the second year.  
This grant can also be awarded to students who already have the Pell Grant. Once getting the grant, they should also maintain 3.0 average of their grade on their second year of college.

SMART Grant 
The SMART grant is also known as the National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent Grant or the National Smart Grant.  This is made available for students who were already in their third and fourth years of undergraduate education.    There are courses that are qualified for the SMART grant, and also they should have 3.0 GPA for their major.    They should be US citizens and received the Pell grant during the academic year and should also be enrolled full time.  

The National SMART Grant could provide up to $4,000 for each year of the third and fourth years or $1,333 every term.

Federal grants are government budgets which are reviewed and approved by the House and Senate annually.  Since they come from the people’s money and taxes, they should also be able to provide service to the people.  Federal grants and financial aids exist to assist those who are unable to finance their education but are willing to make sacrifices for it. 

I always enjoy getting emails pertaining to my articles/blogs on my site. Your feedback is important to us....and we wish you the very best!

+KJC

PS. You can now download "Taking You Beyond Where You Are Blogspot" on your Android Device; download the app today. 


K. JEVON CHAMBERS, Th.D.
CHAMBERS CONSULTING GROUP
"Taking You Beyond Where You Are"

Email: consultchambersgrp@ymail.com
Website: http://kjevonchambers.weebly.com/

Visit our Other Links