Another Place to Look for Scholarships--Financial Institutions

Yet another possibility exists for young people looking for small scholarships--especially not those dependent strictly on financial need.  That is, banks and credit unions.  U.S. Bank, for instance, will soon be accepting scholarship applications from American citizens who are high school seniors and undergraduates.    Fifth Third Bank is offering a $10,000 scholarship sweepstakes.  Citizens Bank offers TruFit Scholarships to young people in their operating areas that work for the betterment of the community. BBCN Bank has a scholarship program for incoming freshmen with financial need and at least a 3.0 GPA in their service areas.

Credit unions, too, often offer scholarships.  In the Toledo area, the Toledo Metro Federal Credit Union offers scholarships to its members who are enrolled in an accredited two or four year institution -- NOT the children of members -- and the entrance is a short essay on an assigned topic.

It's worth checking out the banks and credit unions in your area to see if you may be eligible.  Some, like the TMFCU restrict eligibility to their own members or their families, but many restrict to those in their service areas.  Some are truly sweepstakes and the winners chosen at random; some require financial need or a competitive essay.  Look for financial institutions that operate in your area, since they are the ones in which you have the best chance of qualifying, and try looking in December or January of the year, since most of them seem to crank up the first of the year.  Look at the website of your financial institution, the ones in your area, and be on the lookout for credit unions in your area, too.

Scholarships for Do-Gooding, Volunteering Young People

Scholarships are often available to the very book smart, but also to those who strive to do good in their communities.  Kohl's Corporation (of Kohl's Stores) recognizes volunteer efforts by young people between 6 and 18 who have not graduated from high school by giving $50 gift cards for winners nominated at individual stores across the country, and regional winners can get $1000 scholarships.  The Kohl's Cares Scholarship Program national winners can get $10,000 in scholarship money, with an additional $1000 given to a nonprofit of the winner's choice.

Do Something, Inc., gives both program money and scholarships to young people involved in making their communities better.  There are startup project grants, but also scholarships for a variety of causes, from anti-bullying to financial education, to recyling to teaching seniors about new technology.  See their page for all the potential scholarship activities for people under 25 years of age.

The Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes offers scholarships--by nomination--for young people from 8 to 18 for $5000 that can be used for higher education or towards the young person's favorite cause. Nomination deadline is April 15th, and the form can be found here.

Prudential Insurance offers a Spirit of Community Award for middle and high school students (grades 5 through 12)  in honor for their volunteer community work.  State winners get $1000 scholarship apiece and a trip to Washington, where national winners get larger scholarships.  While this year's deadline is past, try the website next year for information on 2014.

Money to Study Flying and Aeronautics

For young people with the hope of learning flying or studying aeronautics, there are some scholarship programs to help you out.  The Experimental Aviation Association has several scholarship programs for young people who want to fly.  Some, like the David Alan Quick Scholarship and the Bud Milligan Scholarship, are for the study of aerospace or aeronautical engineering.  Some are scholarships for the organization's summer air academy.  The Karen Johnson Solo Scholarship is a scholarship for young women to finance them through flight school to their first solo.  The Clay Lacey Professional Pilot Internship finances pilot internships.  Check them all out.

The International Council of Air Shows supports training and education in air show and acrobatic flight.  The Jan Jones Memorial Scholarship is a fund to support young women who wish to learn acrobatic flight.  The French Connection Memorial Scholarship provides funds for a male and female flight instructor to learn acrobatic flight.  See their website for a full list of scholarships in acrobatic and air show flight.

More Scholarships by Labor Unions

Just in time for Labor Day--and a couple of days before I march in downtown Toledo with my brothers and sisters in the Association of Public Library Employees--is a few more scholarships offered by unions and their foundations.  Awhile back, I wrote about the Union Plus scholarships, available for the members and dependents of unions in the AFL-CIO fold.  But there's more.

The actor's union, SAG-AFTRA, has a foundation that offers small scholarships for their members and dependents (up to $2500).  The George Heller Memorial Scholarships may be given for any field of study, or for study in the performing arts. 

For members, children, or grandchildren of the Teamsters union, the James R. Hoffa Memorial Scholarships are available.  While the deadline for this year's scholarship are over, there is also an essay contest for the children and grandkids with a deadline of September 30th, 2013.  The details are here.  It's a 500 word essay.

Besides the scholarships offered through Union Plus, AFSCME also offers family scholarships for the children just finishing high school whose parent, guardian or supporting grandparent is an AFSCME member.  Ten scholarships of $2000 are offered per year.  See this site for more information.

Finding Religious Scholarships for a Dozen Different Faiths

In our last posting, we discussed funding for the ministry for the Lutheran faith.  But when scratching around for other stuff, I ran against the Fund for Theological Education, a funder of several scholarships and fellowships for mainline Protestant denominations.  As often happens, a good little nugget showed up on their website.  The Fund Finder at the FTE site has a search engine that students can use to find funding for religious and theological education, on the graduate and undergraduate levels, for 12 different denominations.  You can also search for financial aid for women and minorities.  Try it and see what you can find.

Money to Study for the Lutheran Ministry

In searching for funding for theological studies, the first place to look is at the institution itself. Schools are a treasure trove of little scholarships set up for the benefit of their own students.  And if you are studying religion, the institutions in your own denomination are a good place to start, too.  For example, the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod has a page of scholarships for specialized pastoral ministries.  But also check out your local and regional church organization. They  may offer small scholarships, either for general studies or the ministry.  Here's the Missouri Lutheran Synod and its regional offices.  If you're not sure of the hierarchy of your church, ask your minister. 

Look at organizations that are associated with the church.  The Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is an organization that provides several scholarships for Lutheran women: one for women church administrators, another for women in the ordained ministry, for laywomen, and for women faculty at Lutheran colleges and seminaries.  Finally, private foundations may give scholarships, too, like the Salem Lutheran Foundation, which gives money to men studying pastoral ministry at the Martin Lutheran College and the Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in Wisconsin.  For more information, call them at (614) 898-7200. 

Finally, check these possibilities for various faith funding for individuals from the Michigan State Univeristy website on grants for individuals.

Money and Financial Aid for Math Teachers

"Math is hard" as that great fount of wisdom, Barbie once said.  However, some organizations are trying to make it easier to at least teach math with aid for math teachers.

The Honeywell Corporate Giving Program has various programs for math teachers, including scholarships for middle school math and science teachers to attend an intensive training program on space science at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama. 

The National Council for Mathematics Teachers has several scholarship programs for those teaching math anywhere from the pre-K through 5 level, middle school teaching, and high school. 

If you are studying to be a math teacher, and are willing to work in a low-income area for four years, you may consider a TEACH (Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education) grant from the federal government. Mathematics is one of the "high needs" fields, which include reading, science, special education, languages, and more.

And, for STEM teachers in the areas covered by First Energy Corp(here's a map of their coverage in Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and western Maryland), there are small grants for STEM classroom projects for grades K-12.  See more details on First Energy Corp classroom grants here.  

Financial Help for Kidney Patients

The costs of care for kidney disease--long running and chronic--can be financially debilitating.  There are some sources of help.

One is the American Kidney Fund, which has a patient assistance program that helps with the expense of insurance premiums, medicine and treatment-related expenses.

Another is the Kidney and Urology Foundation of America, which runs several programs.  One is for small emergency grants (no more than $100 per year) for unexpected emergency expenses. The patient's social worker should contact the foundation at 212.629.9770 or 800.633.6628.  There are also scholarship and career development-related funds.  

You can also see if your state has a kidney assistance program at this site, which list state government programs for kidney patients.

The National Kidney Foundation lists some other resources.  Also, check the right-hand side of the page to find your local or state kidney organization, which may have local resources.

If there are other costs for drugs for which you have no insurance, remember that the Partnership for Prescription Assistance can inform you about prescription drugs that the uninsured may be eligible to receive.  See their site or call 1-888-477-2669 to find out if you are eligible. 

Sources of Scholarships for the Disabled and Discounts on MRI/CAT Scans, Courtesy of Needymeds

As a freebie hawk, I have long had a link from No Free Money to Needymeds, a site loaded with information on prescription assistance programs for the uninsured.  I always made sure the link was still alive, but didn't look at it too closely recently.  And what I was missing!

For one thing, they now have a link to scholarships for people diagnosed with various conditions  illnesses.  I was taken aback when they listed "acne," (no, there AREN'T scholarships for acne sufferers), but it does list over 200 scholarships for people with other conditions, like burn sufferers and those with mobility disabilities.  There are listings that end up with zilch hits, but altogether, it's a worthwhile place to look if you have a disability or diagnosis.  They also have a listing of financial aid for people with various diagnosis and conditions.  Both are worth looking into.

If you are in need of a CAT Scan or MRI, they also offer deep discounts for uninsured and underinsured people, or those with a high deductable --with savings of between 50% and 75%, with over 2,500 providers around the country.  For these great aids and more, see the left-hand side of the Needymeds page, and see what both of us have been missing.

 

Another Source of Scholarships in Agriculture

For high school and college students seeking scholarship money to study agriculture, a possible source are the state and county farm bureaus across the United States.  Farm bureaus are nonprofit groups that provide lobbying, public education efforts for the agriculture and ranching industries, as well as benefits for their members, like insurance and banking products and discounts on goods and services. 

If you look at the range of state bureaus (a directory of state programs is available at the American Farm Bureau Federation), you will see a variety of programs, including scholarships.  Some restrict scholarships to the children of members or young people who are active in farm bureau programs, but some do not.  For instance, Ohio's farm bureau has several scholarships, some for the children of members, but others open to all young people studying agriculture.  The North Dakota Farm Bureau has several scholarships for those entering college up through graduate study. 

Besides state bureaus, many county farm bureaus offer small scholarships, too.  These are more likely to be for the children of members, but some are open to all.  You can google the name of your county, or check the state bureau to find a local one near you.

Assistance for Foster Children Aging Out of the System

Foster care is supposed to be a program that will provide care for children until they can get back with their family of origin, or be adopted before the age of 18.  However, some young people don't get back with their families, and some "age out" of the system.  What's available for them?

The John Chafee Foster Care Program is a federal program to help kids transition from 18 till 21.  The money does not go to individuals, but to states through block grant programs, and the states take the money and create programs to support their young people.  This means that housing, medical and other transitional help can take different forms in different places.  There may be statewide initiatives, or local programs set up to help transitional young people.  Where do you look?

One place is the Camellia Network's searchable database of programs. Another national listing--although not complete--is one by the Child Welfare League.  Perhaps the most comprehensive is the wikispace Foster Care to Adulthood, which has links to wiki entries on foster care and aging out to each of the 50 states and some Indian tribes.  Also check the scholarship opportunities through the Orphan Foundation of America.  If you are googling for information in your state, try using the terms chaffee funds and the name of your state.


 If you live in Michigan, Julie's List provides a listing of several resources for foster kids and those aging out, and Save Our Children has a whole list of aging out resources. 

In Ohio, the wikispace Life After Foster Care outlines some useful resources.  Here's a link on Medicaid for aging out fostered young people in Ohio. 

 

Scholarships for Italian-American Students

Like many other ethnic groups in America, Italian-Americans have created groups to support their members and further the education of young people.  Here are a few scholarships for people of Italian descent. 

The Order of the Sons of Italy gives out 10 to 12 annual scholarships to both graduates and undergraduates.  The deadline for this year's scholarships is February 28, 2013, and is open to students with at least one Italian or Italian-American grandparent.  Scholarships range from $5000 to $25,000.  They also sponsor opportunities to study Italian culture, language and history in Italy. 

The National Italian American Foundation  has scholarships for Italian-American students, and also for students of all ethnic backgrounds who are studying Italian language and culture.  They also have scholarships for students from several Italian regions.

In the Cleveland, Ohio area, the Italian American Cultural Foundation holds an essay contest for Italian-American students from nine area high schools and students from John Carroll University, Ursuline College and Lake Erie College on the topic of Italian culture and literature.  Prizes range from $200 to $1000.  For more information, call 800-592-5373.

For more scholarships for Italian-American students, check your local Italian clubs and organizations that may give them to students in your area. 
 

Three Scholarships for Nontraditional Students

So many scholarships are aimed at young people coming to college straight out of high school that it can get discouraging for older students.  There are a few scholarships for nontraditional students, however.  Here are three.

The American Legion Auxilary offers a scholarship for members of the Auxilary, the American Legion, or the Sons of the Legion (a paid member for at least two years).  One scholarship is offered for each of their geographical regions, five in all for $2,000 apiece.  The deadline each year is March 1st.

Onlinecolleges.org offers a $10,000 scholarship for single parents who are attending online or are attending a campus-based school with "a strong online component."  See their website for more information.

Executive Women International funds an Adult Student in Scholastic Transition (ASIST) scholarship. There are 12 total scholarships of $2500 apiece.

For more scholarships for nontraditional students--especially those in Michigan--see the Michigan State University website for individual grants.

 

Scholarships for Hispanics, and for Ohio Sci-Tech Students

In pursuit of other stuff, I found a couple of interesting scholarship pieces.  One is of interest to Ohio college and community college students pursuing studies in science and technology.  It's the Choose Ohio First program that aims to give scholarships to STEM students in an effort to keep all those brains in Ohio.  Scholarships and other supportive programs are offered at participating colleges all over the state.  See if there are programs near you, covering your sci-tech specialty.

For Hispanic American students all over the country, there is the Hispanic Scholarship Fund that provides scholarship money for Hispanics of all ages--not just high school seniors, but current college students and "non traditional students" beyond the 18-22 year old territory. According to the FAQ, this includes " ...your family (parents, grandparents) must be descended from at least one of the following countries: Spain, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Uruguay, Paraguay, Cuba, Puerto Rico, or the Dominican Republic. Students from Brazil are eligible to apply."  Applications are now being taken for next year through December 15, and there is a Spanish-language version of the online site.

But, as the announcer says, wait!  There's more!  HSF also runs some on-campus tutoring services and other support services for Hispanic students.  They also sponsor events around the country that counsel young Hispanics on successful strategies for getting into--and staying in--college.  See their calendar of events for one near you.

Money for Dancers to Start Their Career...And to Recareer

We know that there are some financial supports out there for performing artists like dancers, to further their careers.  I'll run by a couple here, as well as a grant to re-career to something else.

The Yard, Inc. has residences of four weeks for dance artists.  Two are offered: one for dance companies who have been working together for at least three years, and the Bessie Schonberg Individual Choreographers Residency allows as many as four independent choreographers and eight dancers in a residency in Martha's Vineyard to work on their craft.  The residencies offer housing, space, mentoring, stipends, and a chance to perform.  They also offer internships with housing, a small stipend, free tickets, and some other benefits for those who want mentoring and experience with arts management. 

The Princess Grace Foundation offers scholarships for dancers at non-profit schools, or fellowships for dancers at non-profit companies.  The also offer financial help for students of other performing arts and playwriting, choreography and film.  The 2012 deadlines have passed, but there will be announcements for next year.

For Native American dancers, the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation has fellowships in visual arts, filmmaking, music, dance, literature, and traditional arts and crafts for Native Americans, Native Alaskans or Native Hawaiians.  The 2013 applications are now closed, but keep an eye open for next year.

And for those on their way out Career Transition for Dancers has scholarships for current and former dancers to finance re-careering education or business endeavors.  One scholarship provides scholarships for graduate level education in fields outside dancing; the other gives small scholarships and seed money for post-dance career launching.  They also provide post-career and career transition counseling. 


 

Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students in Health and Behavioral Research

When we think of federal scholarships, we think of the Department of Education.  And while a lot are there, some nuggets remain in other parts of the fed.  The Department of Health and Human Services is one of these.  A whole list of their goodies, including education loan forgiveness, loan programs and service repayment programs are here. 

But don't we all want scholarships, the kind you just get and don't have to repay?  Here's a couple; the first is a program for students in health, allied health, and veterinary programs, and it's for disadvantaged students.  What does that mean? According to HHS, it means:

"one who comes from an environment that has inhibited the individual from obtaining the knowledge, skill, and abilities required to enroll in and graduate from a health professions school, or from a program providing education or training in an allied health profession; or comes from a family with an annual income below a level based on low income thresholds according to family size published by the U.S. Bureau of Census, adjusted annually for changes in the Consumer Price Index, and adjusted by the Secretary, HHS, for use in health professions and nursing programs.”  In other words, poor people. 

The trick in finding this scholarship is that while the money comes from the federal government, you don't apply there.  Grants are given to accredited schools, and you apply for the money there.  So the trick is to find out if a school that you are attending, or want to attend, has this grant.  See the financial aid page of the school you are attending to see if they offer this. 

The second is a grant for undergrad students in biomedical,behavioral, and social science health-related research from disadvantagedbackgrounds, and you apply directly from the National Institute of Health.  It's a biggie (up to $20,000 a year in student expenses), but highly competitive (only 15 are given a year), and it's aimed at people who have a strong desire to do research.  The FAQ, including the definition of disadvantaged, is here.  And the form to certify your financial need is here. 

Search Engine to Find Scholarships and Financial Help for Veterans and Their Families

On my way to finding out about the new regulations on schools that recruit student veterans, I found a new aid in finding scholarships for veterans and families from the Military Officers Association of America.  It's their scholarship search engine, and it works for veterans and their family members searching for scholarships. 

While it is billed as a scholarship finder, it can also find other forms of financial aid for veterans, too.  Just choose the categories into which you fall--veteran, family member--and the type of aid you are looking for, and what state you live in.  They list scholarships, fellowships, loans, etc., but also grants-in-aid/personal assistance.  That last one will lead you to things like emergency aid and help with living expenses.  It also has search options for race and types of disabilities, and so could be helpful in finding aid for disability assistance. 

For instance, I did a search for someone who was a veteran, living in Ohio, with an orthopedic disability looking for grant-in-aid, and it lead me to the military injury relief grants for the state, the Ohio income tax reduction for military retirement income, (although it only leads you to the tax office.  You have to dig around for the military exemptions), and the medical assistance program from the Fraternal Order of Eagles for the children of FOE members who died in action.  When I changed the hypothetical veteran's location to California, I found the California property tax exemption for veterans,

New Regulations Coming on Recruitment of Veterans to For Profit Schools. Also, Some Student Veteran Scholarships

The president signed an executive order on April 27th aimed at dealing with the high-pressure recruitment of veterans to for-profit colleges.  In the order, colleges will be required to create a transparent document, (something like this one), showing how much you will owe if you sign up for the college, and compare it to the cost of going to another public or private school. Rules would be created barring some schools from doing their high-pressure recruiting right on or near military bases.  And rules will be created to keep private schools from creating government-looking websites that fake out potential students into thinking that they are official sites of the U.S. government or the military.

The stakes are huge: federal law bars private schools eligible for Title IV federal aid from getting more than 90% of their revenue from federal student loans. BUT...the big loophole is that military aid does not count as federal aid, so some colleges have worked hard to get GI benefits.  As shown in this PBS documentary, some of them don't do it in nice, fair ways.

How can veterans protect themselves right now?  They can see that the schools they are considering is accredited.  Here's also a sheet of information from the VA Office on choosing a school. 

And, in related news about bad actors, the Student Veterans of America just ran down a list of its chapters that had their charter revoked.  The SVA is an organization by and about student veterans, but the chapters that got kicked out for having leadership not by the students, but by school officials. 

In better news for scholar veterans, there are some SVA scholarships available, such as the STEM scholarship for those in science and technology, the Google scholarship for those in computer science, and the Yellow Ribbon scholarship for outstanding students in private or out-of-state schools facing financial hardships. 

K-12 Scholarships for Private Schooling in Ohio for Disabled Kids, and Vouchers and School Choice for Children Around the Country

The state of Ohio, besides having school choice programs for children within the boundaries of failing publicschools, has two programs for alternative education for special needs kids.  One is the Jon Peterson SpecialNeeds Scholarship program.  Children from kindergarten through 12^th grade who have an IEP (individual education plan) that is current and finalized are eligible for scholarships of up to $20,000 for education and supportive services from a private provider.  There aren’t enough scholarships for all disabled children—by law, no more than 5% of children identified as disabled in a district are eligible.  If there are more entries, scholarships will be distributed by a lottery.  If you have a child who’s eligible, you have to move fast, since the deadline for applying for a 2012-2013 scholarship is April 15^th.

Likewise, there is a separate Ohio program providing for state aid for the private education of young people with autism between the ages of 3 and 21.   It provides up to $20,000 a year for educational services outside of the school district.  Application for aid for the 2012-2013 school year begins in May of 2012.  Parents who want to be on the Ohio Education Department’s mailing list for more information about state programs for autistic children can sign up for it here.

For state, regional and nationwide programs for state-subsidized alternatives to public education, see this website by the Alliance for Choice.  It shows state “choice” and voucher programs, and has a separate state-by-state rundown on availableK-12 scholarships.  Here's another list of possibilities.

Scholarships for Polish and Polish-American Students

In honor of Polish-American Heritage Month (October), we have a little roundup of scholarships aimed at Polish-Americans (why yes, I am one--how  did you guess?)--and some Poles as well.  The Jan Gorecki Scholarship Foundation offers scholarships to students of Polish descent in England, Poland or the United States.  Students must "demonstrate high academic achievement."  For more information, write Peter Paley, Treasurer, at 19306 S. Anza Blvd. Torrance, Ca 90503-1405.

The Barbara Piasecka Johnson Foundation gives scholarships to graduate, doctoral or postgraduate students who are Polish or of Polish descent.  Their U.S. phone number in Princeton, N.J. is 609-688-1030, or, if you are Polish-speaking, try their website for more information.

The big daddy of Polish cultural scholarship support, however, is the Kosciuszko Foundation with offices in New York City and Warsaw.  They fund student exchange programs between the United States and Poland, a summer study in Poland program to gain proficiency in the Polish language,  scholarships for either students of Polish descent OR students who are not of Polish descent and wish to study in Poland or study Polish language or culture.   

Don't wait too long to start picking around for scholarships.  You should start hunting and applying for scholarships now if you intend to start college next fall.  And, powodzenia (good luck) everybody.