Firsthand Tips from Students for Avoiding Scholarship Scams

This article is about avoiding scholarship scams, but what makes it special is that it was researched and compiled by high school students, who are themselves in the target demographic for scholarship scamsters. It originally appeared in The Mash, a weekly publication distributed to Chicagoland high schools.

Are Grants Gifts?

Often, you’ll hear it said that a grant is a gift. I’ve phrased it that way myself. It’s a convenient, shorthand way to differentiate them from loans, to put the emphasis on the fact that they do not have to be repaid.
But in other, important ways, grants are different from gifts, as we like to think of the term.

Federal Grants Pave the Way from the Battlefield to the Classroom

Thanks to a federal grant, you can get up to $10,000 if you agree to make the transition from battle plans to lesson plans. As part of the Troops to Teachers program, special incentives are being offered to assist eligible members of the armed forces to obtain certification or licensing to become elementary school teachers, secondary school teachers, or vocational/technical instructors. You may also get placement in high-need local education agencies or charter schools. The idea behind this federal grant is to help solve several problems at once. First, during periods of high unemployment, returning soldiers can have some difficulty finding work to help the

55 or Older? Looking for Work? You’re in Luck!

In the United States, there are laws against job discrimination based on age. Cases of discrimination can be difficult to prove, but there’s some anecdotal indication that older workers are finding themselves frozen out of an already tough job market. Career advisors are now even giving pointers on tweaking résumés to

Why Low-interest and No-interest Loans Are Worth a Look

You need money to fulfill your business, education, or real estate goals. The best option for each of these is a government grant. But sometimes you may either be waiting for grant money or find that you need to supplement the free government grant. What do you do? One of the next best choices is a low-interest or no-interest loan. Here’s why these are great deals for you.

Government Grants to Help Canadian Firms Export Technology

As the population ages in Canada and elsewhere, the need for advanced medical technology grows worldwide. Canada has made some important strides in this field and, thanks that government grants, private companies in Ontario will now have an easier time sharing their technologies and products with the rest of the world.

Job-Training Grants to Help Homeless Veterans

U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez announced grants totaling $36,710,368 awarded to 156 organizations nationwide to provide more than 12,000 veterans with training to help them succeed in civilian careers. The grants are being awarded under the department’s Homeless Veterans’ Reintegration Program, administered by the Veterans’ Employment and Training Service.

It Pays Not to Be Trashy

In the United States, ever since the 1970s, there has been an effort to increase environmental awareness. Back then, it was called “the ecology movement.” Today, you’ll more often hear reminders to “reduce, reuse, and recycle.” Over the years, it has become more and more mainstream. Thanks to federal government grants, local and state governments and various organizations and foundations have programs and campaigns in place to advocate recycling and make it easier to do.

State Government Grants for Australian Small Business

When most businesses think of government grants, they tend to opt for the big end of town – but that’s a mistake.

State governments are an untouched treasure trove of free money for small business. With grants providing money for innovation and commercialisation in industries from manufacturing to biotechnology, there is plenty of money to go around.

Student Debt Repayment Help for Americans

Student loan debt is an increasing problem in the United States. The total amount owed has exceeded $1 trillion, and you may be on the hook for your own little chunk of this huge amount. These are two of the options you have for your government grants for education. You can either make a plan to get your student loans paid off, or you can explore one of the methods that will get some or all of your loans discharged.

Government Grants Department Perseveres To Shutdown

Here’s John Kelly of The Washington Post, in his own words, relating his experience with being offered $9,200 out of the blue, “for being a good citizen.”

Isn’t it nice that even though dozens of federal agencies were shut down, the U.S. Government Grants Department was able to stay open?

That’s who called me last week with the welcome news that I was going to be paid $9,200 — tax-free — simply for being a good citizen.

Grants to help young Vermonters find jobs

More than 200 at-risk young Vermonters will find summer employment thanks to a federal grant program, with the focus on those who are no longer in school.

The Vermont Department of Labor has awarded grants totaling $100,000 to eight organizations from Burlington to Bennington. They will use the money to offer education and on-the-job training to Vermonters ages 16 to 24, with training in a broad array of fields ranging from early childhood development to forestry. One official said, “We’re trying to create independent citizens who have the skills needed to get a job and have a career and be a success at it.”

Should Scholarships Play a Role in Your Choice of Schools?

A few times, I’ve received this question from students of mine who were in the enviable position of having a lot of scholarship offers and government money for university. They asked whether the scholarships and government money should be the main factor to decide which school to attend.
In one case, my student’s daughter had her heart set on one university, but had more money offered for a different school.

Grant Proposal Tip: The Needs Assessment Section Can Be a Balancing Act

The Needs Assessment is a crucial part of your grant proposal because that’s where you make the case that there’s a legitimate reason that you’re asking for grant money. As I often point out, grant money exists to bridge the gap between a need and a solution (or at least to lessen the need that exists). The job of the person writing the grant proposal is to explain that a need really does exist and provide evidence of it.

Government Money to Help You Buy a New Car

Driving can be an expensive proposition, with fuel prices being so high. You may have thought about switching over to a more fuel-efficient vehicle, maybe even a hybrid or an electric car. The big question, though, is whether your gas savings will offset the cost of your new vehicle. Your decision may be made a little easier when there is a government grant that will help subsidize your new car.

14 Students in Georgia Learn They All Won a Scholarship

Students from a high school in Decatur, Ga. got the surprise of a lifetime last week. Southwest DeKalb High School gathered 14 scholarship applicants on April 18 to learn which one of them had been chosen as the recipient of the scholarship — they all believed there would be only one winner. See what happens next.

How Canada-Proof Is Your House?

Canada dishes out some of the most extreme climate conditions on the planet, so we certainly have an incentive to get the whole housing and energy efficiency thing right. Energy efficiency grants are often available to help.

$5,000 Government Grant for Electric Car Buyers in BC

People who buy a clean energy vehicle — including some electric vehicles and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles in British Columbia will be eligible for a rebate of up to $6,000, the B.C. government announced.

The incentive program will provide B.C. residents with up to $5,000 off the pre-tax sticker price for new battery electric, fuel-cell electric, and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and up to $6,000 for a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle

Now is a good time to take stock of your small-business finances and grants to plan for the upcoming year

Now is a good time to take stock of your small-business finances and plan for the upcoming year. Making time to review your business’s financial health and update business plans will help you be better prepared for success in the coming year. Here are six tips to help you get started.

New Business Grants in the United States

Many American entrepreneurs are interested in receiving help with funding to supplement the costs of launching a new business. Starting a new venture can be exciting, but one aspect of it is that when you’re just on the verge of opening or have just started, it can seem like everyone has their hand out to be paid, whether it’s for an operating license, utility hookup, purchasing equipment, buying signage, whew, the list goes on….