Grants for Single Mothers

If you are concerned about your child's welfare and upbringing, its time you can stop worrying about it. Government grants are available to assist mothers who face the challenge of single parenting as well as their education.

Eligibility Criteria for Grants
If you are divorced or your child's father is deceased or seriously injured, disabled or handicapped, you may face the challenge of materially and financially supporting yourself and your children. To be eligible for government grants, single mothers need to be residents of the state they reside in. In case you are a foreign national, you should have been residing in the US for three years prior to the application for seeking a grant.

Another case for the eligibility of a grant is when the father abandons his child for about or more than a year. During this span of time, if it is legally confirmed that the father has abandoned his child, a single mother can avail grant. In cases where a child is born out of wedlock or the father is in prison and is serving his sentence, the single mother can avail financial aid from the government or economic aid covered by any specific welfare program. The mother is also entitled to financial assistance if the identity of the father is not known.

Non-eligibility for Grants
You also need to know the situations in which you are not eligible to receive a grant. If the child is under the custody of step parents or even if the child is being taken care of by a day care center, then the single mother will not be eligible for the grant. Also the mother of a child who is being raised and supported by her current or domestic partner will not be eligible for the grant. A single mother who has provisions to receive public pension benefits is not eligible for a grant. If the single mother is disabled and gets additional disability pension funds, she does not fall under this provision. Apart from these set criteria, if you are a teenage mother from a prosperous family there are possibilities of denial of your application from the federal government.

You would also need to decide on the two types of grants that are available. As single mothers face the challenge of attaining funds, there are grants available for them in getting back to school. Various grants are available to assist single mothers in pursuing their education, which includes direct funds available from your college, federal and state-subsidized grants, work-study grants, corporate-sponsored scholarships, etc. Grants are also available to try and eliminate the financial hardships faced by her. In case you do not qualify for the financial aid covered by any specific welfare program, you can avail grants provided by the US government. To achieve the grant you may have to perform a service or a task expected by the grant terms and conditions. A few of the grant categories are agriculture, art, education, housing, health, humanities, natural resources, energy, business and commerce, food and nutrition, information and statistics, etc. If you want to know about grants that are obtainable, you can begin by getting in touch with the specific State Assistance Program.

Checklist for Submission of Application
To apply for a grant you would need to follow the set guidelines and instructions of the grant program you have chosen. You should be careful in reviewing important information about the different types of monetary assistance provided, their eligibility criteria and the focus of the program, before you apply. The monetary aid provided by the government depends on the income tax that you pay. If you are a high tax payer, you will be funded less. Once your application has been accepted by the program you will need to maintain a low income source which in turn will levy low income taxes on you, in order to continue with the aid.

After having applied for the grant you would need to wait patiently for its acceptance. It may take weeks or months to hear from the welfare programs or the US government, on the outcome of your application. In case of delay you can get in touch with the funding program for additional details.