Being a single mom these days can be so tedious, generally statistics say that single moms are one of the most disadvantaged parties in the United States.

Believe it or not, single female parents:

* are rarely awarded spousal support, in it only occurs in 15% of divorce cases.

* who are actually awarded spousal support doesn’t get the support anyway. Statistics say that only 36% of the 15% of total women awarded with spousal support actually get this support.

* who are given spousal support rarely getting the whole amount; it’s usually less than half actually.

* suffer from a fall in their standard of living, after divorce, while a male’s standard of living actually increases by 15%.

And because of the recurring social stature of women, most single female parents are those that used to be homemakers, meaning they are jobless and have no experience as a worker whatsoever. This is a problem because they are dependent on their husbands for income, and once that income goes away, they are left with nothing.

There is one way to recover from such a blow, some women already have a start on tertiary education, and only need the money to finish it. Fortunately, the government offers various grants that target single moms who want to finish their education.

What is a grant?

A grant is usually a form of financial support that the federal government offers to certain eligible people. The government offers over 900 grants and out of these nine hundred there are a few grants targeted towards single mothers. The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) has a complete list of all the grants that may be applied for and this can be found at their website at www.cfda.gov.

If you’re one of the mothers who want to pursue higher education, it is best however to go to the financial aid office of your respective college or university. Usually, grants, especially scholarship funds have faculty representatives for each school who can assist students who are applying for grants.

Who is eligible for a grant?

Usually grants awarded by the US government are only for U.S. citizens. Aside from those criteria, each grant has its own set of eligibility rules. Some only cater to undergraduates, some only to juniors or sophomores, some only for Native Americans some only for Alaskans, and yet another some that target the course rather than the origin of the applicant. For example, there are a lot of grants that offer scholarships for outstanding students who are studying the sciences or tribal politics of Native Americans.

Why apply for a grant?

As a single female parent, furthering your education is one of the sure fire ways to find a living where you can earn more than minimum wage, sure minimum wage is ok if you’re single but if you have a child or children, it’ll be a lot harder to find time both for work and for childcare.

How to prepare for a grant application

1. Get the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance from the financial aid office of your college or university. You can also get the list from www.cfda.gov.

2. Study the grants that are applicable to you, not just the eligibility but also the application process and the purpose of the grant as well as the Government department giving it.

3. Ask yourself where are you going to apply? Does your application have to go through the school, does it have to go through the local government or can you send it directly?

4. These projects usually have assessment pages where they show previously or currently funded individuals or institutions, study these to find out your chances of getting the grant.

5. Know what types of paperwork are required note down everything you already have and everything that you still have to get.

6. Call the contact persons and ask to get an application kit.

7. After filling the kit don’t forget to include your grant proposal; most of the judgment is based on this piece of writing. It’ll help a lot if you attend or at least have read previous grant proposals.

8. Make sure to have the application in before the deadline.