How to Get Education Grants

Lots of educational grants are available from U.S. Department of Education.

While U.S. Department of Education gives out lots of money in education grants, there is a lot of confusion about what they are, who is eligible, and how to find them. The Department of Education website is so tricky - one visit there is probably enough for most people, to forget about applying for any grant to further their education.
Hopefully this article will help shed some light on how to go about getting educational grants from the government.

Difficulty:

Moderately Challenging

Instructions

1. ***Apply for Federal Student Aid***

   If you are attending college, you can apply for federal student aid at fafsa.ed.gov - there are grants, loans, and work-study programs available. You can contact financial aid office at your school if you need any clarification on how to go about that.

2. ***Look for discretionary education grants available to individuals***

   Discretionary educational grants (from the Department of Education) are what most people don't know much about. These grants are awarded competitively based on eligibility requirements. Vast majority of such grants are awarded to institutions, but there are some available to individuals as well. To find them search grants by eligibility and check "Individuals" option. The link pointing the right page at the ed.gov site is included under resources below. To narrow the results for the current year (they list old programs too), type in the current year in the "Search within Results" box.

3. ***If you missed the current year opportunities"

   Check the ED grants forecast (link available below) for the grants that may become available soon. And also keep checking the Federal Register (link provided under resources) for program announcements.

4. ***To apply for discretionary grants***

   Read the program instructions carefully - some of them are handled through the grants.gov website (read an article on applying for a grant for free to learn about applying through grants.gov - link below) while others have their own specific procedures.
   In any case, filling out the applications will involve quite a bit of effort, so be prepared to work hard.

5. ***Look for education grants available in your state***

   Visit the website of the department of education in your state to check if they have any grant opportunities listed. Look for a link to state contacts below. Also be sure to check with the financial aid office at your school - the financial aid counselors will have all the information about education grants from your state.

Tips & Warnings

• You can apply for all the grants for free - beware of scams that try to sell you application packages which are available free of charge.

• Start looking for education grants early because the deadlines are early.

Resources

• Find Educational Grants by Eligibility
• ED Grants Forecast
• Federal Register Announcements
• How to Apply for a Grant for Free
• State Education Contacts and Information
• How to Get Paid to Go to Graduate School