How Do You Measure the Success of the Funding You Receive?

The people and organizations that provide grants and funding don’t like throwing their money away any more than you do. They want to know that they’re getting their money’s worth and that they’ve chosen the most deserving recipients. So how can they tell how well their grants and funding are working? The measuring stick for how much value has been derived from the funding is the

What Do You Do If Someone Offers You a Government Grant that You Didn’t Ask For?

Jackpot! You received notice that you have already qualified for a grant, one that you didn’t even apply for. A company that you’re not familiar with is selflessly notifying people that the government wants to give them grants they didn’t even ask for. The reasons given that you qualify for this grant may vary from “because you’re a taxpayer” to “as a citizen, you’re entitled to….”

Healing for Nurses’ Economic Hurt

It’s been well publicized in recent years that there has been a shortage of nurses in the United States. The number of students entering the nursing field has increased as a result. The pay and the job prospects are good, and those are big incentives in a time when jobs for new graduates are scarce and wages in general are stagnant. Add in the factor of many students carrying a large education debt load, and it’s easy to see the attraction of entering an in-demand profession.

Why Everyone Wants to Give You a Community Grant

Just about everywhere you go, you’ll find community grants being offered. Community grants are offered to neighborhood groups, businesses, organizations, and sometimes to individuals for the purpose of improving a community. The community grants are seen as having a twofold purpose; they not only improve some aspect of a neighborhood, they also help bring together you and your neighbors, who might otherwise never really

The Human Element in Government Grant Funding

Grant funding can sometimes seem like an impersonal process. You find the grant funding you’re interested in, read the guidelines, submit your proposal, then receive notification of whether you’ve gotten the grant funding. After you get the grant funding, you will possibly submit periodic reports on how you’re using the money. It’s entirely possible to do this on an impersonal, faceless basis, but not necessarily desirable.

5 Signs You Have What It Takes to Be an Entrepreneur

Startups are always hard. But if you don’t pursue your dreams, you’ll never know if it stand the chance to be successful. Dreams are all we have. Take them seriously.

Military Grants for Veterans from US Paralympics

U.S. Paralympics, a division of the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC), has selected United States Sailing Association, Inc. (US Sailing) to receive grant funding in support of Paralympic sport and physical activity programs for disabled veterans and disabled members of the Armed Forces. More than $7.5M in funds from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has been awarded to 70 community organizations and National Governing Bodies around the country.

You Asked for It: More about Unexpected Government Grant Offers

In a previous article, I told you how some questionable companies may try to convince you that you have automatically been awarded a grant, even though you hadn’t applied for one. Some people were interested to find out more, including what to watch out for and who might be targeted. We’ll take a look at what some of the possible signs are that tell you to beware, and also see whether you may be vulnerable to being targeted.

African-American Win Prestigious Science Scholarship

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama — For the first time in its 67-year history, a black high school student has won top honors in the Gorgas Scholarship Competition.

The Gorgas Scholarship Committee announced this week that the winner of the first-place tuition grant of $4,000 was Arrix Ryce, a senior at Jefferson County International Baccalaureate School.

Michigan Students to Attend College for ‘Free’ Education fund

The latest, greatest idea for making a college education affordable sounds simple enough — students can attend school for free.

But there’s a catch.

In return for free tuition, students have to agree to pay a fixed percentage of their future income for a specified number of years to a special fund that would pay other students’ college bills.

A version of the pay-it-forward tuition plan was introduced recently in the Michigan Legislature and is awaiting action. More than 20 states are looking at some version of the plan, although most are simply looking at studying it, while the Michigan bill would set up a pilot program.

How Community Development Block Grants Can Improve Your Neighborhood

Do you know what happens to areas where there’s an economic decline? One bleak scenario is that without money, it starts to become dilapidated and possibly crime-ridden, so that just accelerates the pace of businesses and residents leaving the area. Revenues decline further because of the shrinking tax base, and the downward spiral continues. One way to prevent this is with an infusion of outside funding. One way a town or neighborhood can get a boost is with money from the federal government. One of the longest-running and most successful federal grant programs is the Community Development Block Grant. Here’s how it works. A sum of money in the form of a federal grant is provided

Would You Do Volunteer Work to Pay Off Your Student Loans?

Amid the great music, movies, and parties that will light up Austin, Texas during the upcoming South by Southwest festival, a small nonprofit called SponsorChange.org will receive a community service award for finding a way to help college graduates battle student loan debt by volunteering.

A Business Plan Can Be Your Best Friend

One thing that many entrepreneurs have in common is a dread and distaste for the thought of writing a business plan. I want to change your mind about that and tell you why a good business plan can be one of the best friends your current or future business could possibly have. One of the most important things that you can know about a business plan is that you most likely will not get any funding for your business without one,

Get a Government Grant for Your Rural Home

If you’re an American who lives in a rural county, you may be eligible to get a government grant to help your housing situation. The Rural Housing Stability Assistance Program (RHSP) is designed to provide assistance for rural counties to re-house or improve the housing situations of individuals and families who are homeless, at risk of homelessness, or in the worst housing situations, stabilize the housing of individuals and families who are at risk of becoming homeless, and improve the ability of the lowest-income residents to afford stable housing.

Mission Australia and Government Grant Funding Provide a Safety Net

Mission Australia is a non-denominational Christian community service organisation that has been transforming the lives of Australians in need for more than 150 years. Through their community and employment services they have assisted more than 300,000 Australians by providing a hand up, a way forward, and hope for the future.

Best United Kingdom & European Union Scholarships for 2014 (Part 2)

Priyanka Gupta of ScholarshipPositions.com compiled a list of the top scholarships for 2014 for the United Kingdom and elsewhere in the European Union, and we looked at the first of two parts last week. This list includes many renowned scholarships and fellowships available in the prominent countries of the world. Some of them are open for international students and some for developing countries. The list comprises of partial/fully funded scholarships endowed by governments and private foundations and universities.

Applications for all listed scholarships are open. Grasp the opportunity and don’t wait until the deadlines. You are strongly encouraged to apply as soon as possible. Explore the listing below to get the best scholarships for 2014:

Micro Finance Resource for South Africa Business Funds

If you need micro finance for your South African business, then you’ll want to check into the Khula SME Fund. (SME is short for “Small and Medium Enterprises”.)

Khula is a wholesale finance institution which operates across the public and private sectors, through a network of channels to supply much-needed funding to small business. It has been involved in the rapidly growing and economically vital, small and medium enterprise (SME) sector. Khula’s mission is to provide finance, mentorship services and small business premises to SMEs through a network of partnerships and to encourage the sustainable development of SMEs whilst ensuring that it remains financially viable.

Hidden Grants

Did you know that many local governments have grants that are not publicized? Some communities have funding set aside, but they don’t publicize it. Often, the only way to find out about available funding is to call or visit your government offices, find the resident grant expert, and inquire about available programs. The best example of this is someone from my own office who wanted a grant to help her with a down payment on a new house.

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.

Free or Cheap Legal Aid for Canadians

What do you do if you find yourself in need of legal help in Canada, but are unable to afford legal services? This may apply to criminal charges, but also to housing issues, employment law, disability issues, and other civil issues. Although we like to think that we’ll never encounter any legal issues, it can happen to any of us. The Canadian government wants to help ensure that all Canadians have access to legal representation, regardless of