The truth still remains that education is the key to economic advancement and self-sufficiency among women, including married moms. But, no matter how true and encouraging this may sound, it doesn’t make the additional responsibility of returning to school as a mom less burdensome.
At this moment, you’re not just concerned about your education alone, you still have your family to carter for, perhaps a job to attend to, plus the fees that come with going to school. In fact, if you take a long thought over it, it might seem impossible, but is it?
The good news is that the number of moms returning to school after having children has increased more than ever. Also, there are several scholarships and grants for married moms returning to school, and they can come directly to your specific career pursuit.
For instance, there is financial aid for women that intend to further their careers in the aviation industry, and even awards for female agricultural students.
One of the best encouragements you should hold onto is that there are several organizations and schools that are ready to help you pursue your career as a mother, and we’re also here for you.
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Why We Should Support Married Moms Returning to School
- Firstly, you’ll have a greater possibility of a better career and more income.
- Secondly, it will positively affect your children. In fact, a recent finding from Harvard showed that adult daughters of working mothers earned 23% more than those whose mothers had not worked during their daughters’ childhoods, earning an annual average income
- Also, you’ll have a sense of satisfaction for what you’ve accomplished.
Grants for Married Moms Returning to School
Before we list these grants, we want to emphasize that grants are just like scholarships but the difference is that grants majorly focus on the financial needs of applicants before considering their academic performance. Grants are not loans, they are not to be repaid.
1. Federal Pell Grant
The lovely thing about the Federal Pell Grant is that it can be used in any educational program, but the unspoken word is that you should expect it to be competitive. This is one of the grants for married moms returning to school but you need to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to be eligible for it.
Since this is a grant, you don’t need to repay the funds, and the maximum amount each awardee can receive in this grant is $6,895. So the grant is for moms who display exceptional financial need and have not earned a bachelor’s, graduate, or professional degree.
2. Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG)
Just like every other grant for married moms returning to school, this one also requires students to have a financial need for the money that will be provided to them. They can show proof of this through their bank/financial statement.
Recipients can receive between $100 and $4,000 per year depending on the gravity of the person’s financial aid needs. It’s necessary that candidates are United States Citizens.
3. The Military Spouse Career Advancement Account (MyCAA)
This is one of the scholarships for married moms returning to school that provides up to $4,000 of tuition assistance to eligible military spouses. You’ll be able to use the funds from this scholarship to pursue licenses, certificates, certifications, or associate degrees necessary to gain employment in high-demand, high-growth portable career fields, and occupations.
4. The Federal TEACH Grant
The Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant is a federal financial aid program that can help both women and men pay for college if you’re considering a career as a teacher. Note that, you need to agree to teach a highly needed subject in a low-income area where there’s a shortage of specific subject teachers in an elementary or secondary school to be eligible.
And, the grant is worth up to $4,000, annually.
5. AAUW – Career Development Grants
Career Development Grants provide funding to married moms returning to school who hold a bachelor’s degree and are preparing to advance or change careers or re-enter the workforce in education. The grant is between $2,000–$20,000 and priority is given to women of color and women pursuing their first advanced degree or credentials in nontraditional fields.
Moreover, applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents.
6. Jeanette Rankin Foundation
The Jeannette Rankin Foundation is among the grants for married moms returning to school that empower women age 35 and older to complete their college degrees and transform the next chapter of their lives.
Jeanette Rankin Foundation provides 3 kinds of grants for married moms returning to school which include;
- National Scholar Grant
- Emerge Grant
- National Woman Scholar Grant
7. Executive Women International – Adult Students in Scholastic Transition
EWI is also one of the grants for married moms returning to school, it provides financial support to adult students in a variety of transitional situations. Their aim is to positively impact the personal life, employment, family, and community of the applicant.
EWI awards an average of over $80,000 in financial aid.
8. Post-9/11 GI Bill Program
This program helps you pay for school or job training. If you’ve served on active duty after September 10, 2001, you may qualify for the Post-9/11 GI Bill.
There are still other options even if you didn’t meet the above criteria like receiving a Purple Heart on or after September 11, 2001, and being honorably discharged after any amount of service, and others.
9. P.E.O. Program for Continuing Education
The aim of the Program for Continuing Education is to provide need-based grants to moms in the U.S. or Canada whose education has been interrupted and who find it necessary to return to school to support themselves and/or their families. The maximum grant is $3,000, and it can’t be used for living expenses or to repay educational loans or personal debt.
10. NLAPW Shirley Holden Helberg Grants
The National League of American Pen Women, Inc. awards three grants of $1,000 each in the classifications of art, letters, and music to women 35 years of age or older who are not now or ever have been a member of the National League of American Pen Women, Inc.
To add to the monetary funds, recipients will also receive a two-year honorary associate membership in NLAPW.
11. The Girlfriend Factor and the Go Girl Grant
Applicants of this grant need to be real women with real dreams and goals and stories to tell. Also, you need to be at least 25 years of age, show financial need, and be passionate about a specific educational path that will lead to a specific career.
12. Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance
This financial aid is for the child or spouse of a Veteran or service member who has died, is captured or missing, or has disabilities. The financial aid can be used to cover the cost of:
- College or graduate degree programs
- Career-training certificate courses
- Educational and career counseling
- Apprenticeships
- On-the-job training
13. Jewish Foundation for the Education of Women
JFEW is New York’s leading philanthropic organization dedicated specifically to helping women of all backgrounds attain a college degree and achieve economic mobility.
Conclusion
You can see there are several grants for married mothers returning to school, you just need to know the ones you are eligible for. In fact, with the help of FAFSA, it even makes the work easier, because most of them use the application to award their grants.
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