Newcombe Educational Scholarships for Single Mothers

The Charlotte W. Newcombe Foundation offers Scholarships for Mature Women Students.

Website: www.newcombefoundation.org

This money can make a college education feasible for single mothers. It even enables them to reduce their work hours so they can focus on their education and family obligations. And more importantly, help them achieve their goal of obtaining a college degree.

The grant money is not provided directly to the student. Instead, it is awarded to participating colleges and universities who then issue it to eligible students.

Grants are freely awarded to eligible single moms on the basis of financial hardship which unlike federal student loans, do not require any repayment.

The recipient must be over age 25 and have earned a minimum of 60 credits toward a bachelor’s degree. This makes this scholarship ideal for those who interrupted their schooling to start a family and now find themselves doing so alone.

Each educational institution that receives funding must administer the scholarship according to guidelines established by the Foundation. The programs benefit women returning to school or changing careers who usually do not qualify for adequate amounts of financial aid other than loans.

During the 2010-11 academic year, 29 institutions were awarded a total of $679,500 in grant money to use for these scholarships. An additional $219,000 was spread amongst 19 of these institutions to serve as matching challenges for the establishment of Newcombe-endowed scholarship funds. American University and Fordham University were among the schools that received grants.

A typical Newcombe Scholarship recipient is 36 years old and has a GPA of 3.4. Prior to attending their current institution, 65 percent of the recipients attended a community college. More recipients were enrolled on a full-time basis and the majority also worked at least part time and did community volunteer work. In 2009-10, the scholarship amounts ranged from $300 to $10,000 per semester.

For more information about financial aids and grants for single mothers, please refer to the "Single Mother Grants" official website: http://singlemothergrant.net/.