How and Where to Apply For Grants For Women

Single mothers in financial need have a number ofApart from Brookhaven National Laboratory and
free grants available to them. Some areGoogle, there are quite a number of other
sponsored by the federal government, some byorganizations giving money to get more women
state governments, some by non-profit charities,to study science and science related subjects.
and some are sponsored by commercialThe Computing Research Association has a special
businesses and organizations. Depending on whogrant for women and minority undergraduates
the sponsor is, there are different ways to applyengaged in research projects. The L'Oreal USA
for grants for women. That said, not all grantsFellowships for Women in Science program gives
are personal. That is to say, some grants areup to $60,000 to newly graduated women
made to organizations (both commercial andscientists for their post-doctoral research.
otherwise) to provide free or subsidized servicesNot all educational aid programs are for science.
to women and mothers.The Education Foundation For Women In
Many grants are directly related to education, i.e.Accounting offers scholarships at all levels to
scholarships for new high school graduates towomen. The Selected Professions Fellowships
attend college. All federal scholarships of this typegives money to women and minorities studying
can be applied through the FAFSA website. Thefor postgraduate degrees in fields normally
amount of money given depends on the wealthdominated by white men. This includes
of the applicant's family. This is of greatest benefitarchitecture on top of maths, engineering and
to single mothers with college age children. Therecomputer science.
are also private scholarships for women only likeThere are also school grants for children from
the Google Anita Borg Scholarship for femalesingle mother households. Some take the form of
undergraduates in computer science.scholarships, but many come in the form of free
Besides this, there are also scholarships for adultsor subsidized text books and reduced or waived
going to college for the first time. One example isschool fees. Of course, not all such grants involve
the Pell grant which normally gives around $4000education. There are also subsidized or low cost
to each successful applicant. This, too, is based onchildcare. Some of these would be provided by
the applicant's financial need. So a single workingthe government, some by employers, and some
mother with two young children would generallyby private non-profit organizations like the YWCA.
receive more money than a single young manOn top of that, it is also possible to find subsidized
with no dependents. The Pell grant ishousing. Some of these would be dormitories and
government-sponsored and can be found onlow-rent apartments, some would be low or
FAFSA's site.zero-interest loans and mortgages, some might
You can also find pseudo-government scholarshipseven be actual subsidies.
as well as private scholarships only for women. AnMany single mother households live in poverty.
example of the former is the grant sponsored byThey have trouble putting food on the table, they
the Brookhaven National Laboratory for womenhave trouble paying for a roof over their heads
returning to college to study science, mathematicsand they have trouble sending their kids to school.
or engineering. It gives $2000 to the successfulSuch families should apply for grants for women
applicant. An example of the latter is theto help them cope.
non-profit PEO's Program for Continuing Education.