Every day I have single mothers asking me what sort of assistance programs are available to help them. It’s tough for the single parent to survive in this economy; jobs are scarce, inflation is going up, education funding is in the dumps. So let’s get to the point: yes, there are some legit programs for assistance out there. I want to be very clear here though. The only person who is really going to help you is YOU. These programs are there to help give you a starting step, but that’s all they are. I suggest if you are looking for an instant cure to all your financial problems, you go read another article that will tell you some made up fluff. The truth is that it’s tough and you are going to have to expend considerable energy to get yourself out of a hole.
What can you do to provide you and your children with LONG term financial stability? Your choices come down to the following:

• Marry
• Get a College Education or Technical Training to qualify for better paying jobs
• Get a higher paying job than you currently have, find work if you don’t have a job, or add some part time work to your existing job.

Now some financial assistance programs can help moms that simply are at the end of the road. These are usually temporary, however. Here are a FEW of the programs
Food Stamps

These are supplied by FNS (government org) with the intent that no American citizen should ever go hungry. There are multiple sub programs offered, such as free school meals for children, etc. I suggest you visit the Food Stamp government website for more information about these programs.

Online Web Sweepstake Scholarships
There are a variety of education assistance programs out there to look at, both in the private and federal sectors. I talk more about this later on in the article. One source of potential money might be one of the many website sweepstake giveaways.  For those wanting to go back to school, there are programs like the 10k Scholarship for Working Adults which is a $10,000 giveaway each month for moms and dads who wish to go back to school.

Housing Assistance

There are some housing assistance programs available. While these are not specifically targeting single mothers, single moms may qualify because of their low income status. The best place to find real advice for home help is to visit the government housing website.

Grants for Moms

I hesitate to use this term, but I will because that’s the topic of this website. In  short, there are no special government grants for single mothers that are offered by the federal government. If you don’t believe me, you can check out grants.gov and see their disclaimer. Most of the grants are offered to organizations that contribute to community service, technology or some other government backed initiative. There may be some grants that needy families can apply for, so it’s worth looking at least, but don’t get your hopes up.

But there’s another way to get government grants, even if you don’t see any on the grants.gov site. These are student grants. The government is very willing to provide educational grants of some sort. Now, I know for all the single moms out there NOT going to school this is bad news. But if you intend to go to school or are currently a single mom student, this is a boon from heaven. Let’s look at some of these educational grants.

The Pell Grant: This is a need-based grant that provides somewhere between 300 and $6,000 in aid. You must filled out the Free Application of Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and you will need to qualify for some of the other grants first.

Academic Competitive Grant (ACG): This is yet another merit based grant that can be applied for by both first and second year students. Think of this as sort of a scholarship since you must meet certain academic requirements.

Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG): This is a need-based grant, not a merit based one.  Students who have great financial need may qualify for this. The grant amount ranges from 400 dollars at the low end, to 4,000 dollars at the high end.

National SMART Grant: Yet another merit based grant that’s given to upper level students (3^rd and 4^th year) at a college. Max amount is 4,000 dollars.

State Grants for Mothers

Now I said it’s not possible to get federal grants for mothers, but you might qualify to find state grants. Here are just a couple examples of some of the stat grants:

1. New Mexico Student Incentive Grant  — You can qualify for up to 2500 dollars a year as a student
2. New York State Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) – Get up to $5000 dollars

It should be noted that you must be a resident of that state to apply. You can get more information on this government state grant website.

School Grants for Single Moms

There are quite a few single mothers attending colleges and universities – so much so there are actual school grants just for single mothers. Many schools offer their own special grants and scholarships for single mothers, so you will have to check to see what your own school offers. Keep in mind that federal, state, and even school grants are given out only if you fill out the FAFSA application, so do it as quickly as possible.

Private Grants and Scholarships for Single Moms

There are a good deal of private grant and scholarship offerings out there, both on the web and from companies. Some companies will even offer some sort of tuition reimbursement if an employee attends school while working. This is a company-specific offering, so make sure you check with you work. It’s typical at larger type companies like corporations. One online scholarship offering I recommend is the free 10k scholarship for working adults. Fill out the application (free) and you may win 10,000 dollars towards your education. This program is perfect for single moms or dads!

Loans for Moms

Loans are another option, but one I advise with extreme caution. Certainly you should not take out any sort of loan to bail yourself out of financial difficulty – you just dig yourself deeper into a hole. If you want to start up a new business, loans are an option. But for anything else, avoid them as a single mom.

Work At Home Jobs
There are a few legit ways to make some extra coin on the side. I’m talking about these programs because I keep getting single moms emailing me looking for work. Now there are a lot of scams out there, but these programs are real.

1. Writing Content/Become a Virtual Assistant

If you know how to use a computer, can write fluent English, and have some basic computer skills (how to use Microsoft Word, use email, etc), there is definetely some work for you. I suggest you visit RealWritingJobs.com which will hook you up with some real writing/blogging part time jobs for companies looking for some extra help. Best of all, you can do it in the comfort of your own home.

2. Paid Surveys
This is an another online job you can do from home. You basically fill out surveys for money and get paid for it. There are some scams out there in this field, but the program I recommended is legit. This is not instant wealth or anything — you get paid for working.

So there you have it, a list of some of the more popular financial assistance grants for single mothers.