Scholarship Research According to Newsweek Magazine!

Are you wondering how to tell which sites on the Internet are truly going to help You find scholarships that fit YOUR circumstances?

Unfortunately many of the social sites that advertise free sources of scholarship and grant information are ultimately busy hives for scholarship spammers, so be careful not to get stung. Be sure to measure what your time, energy and frustration level is worth in the long run. But you don’t have to take my word for it. Here’s a great article I came across from Newsweek Magazine http://www.newsweek.com/id/135371 that beautifully sums up the experience of getting "caught up" in those automated Internet scholarship search sites.

Yes these search engines like FastWeb do provide some scholarship opportunities that might indeed fit some of your need, but they fall very short of providing you a personalized and comprehensive list of legitimate foundation/scholarship opportunities. Sure these free search sites might be one of the places you visit to get started, but be prepared for all sorts of "junk" offers and endless "opt-outs" from credit card companies and colleges trying to get you to sign up with them! Be careful that you do indeed OPT-OUT or you will be deluged with aggressive email, snail mail and phone marketing activity. These sites are also home to those marketing scams that appear to be "Contest Scholarships", of which some are legitimate but the underlying goal of the contest provider is to gather your information for their database to be sold and used in a number of ways that ultimately does little more than compromise your privacy.

Do you have a question about Grants or Scholarships that you would like to see a post on? Send it our way!

jenny lynn

Scholarships for Moms !!!

Hello Scholarship Hunters! I wanted to help get the word out on these two scholarship “hits” ASAP, Post Haste, Immediately, Forthwith!

Blogger Lisa Mills wrote on her Blog, Work at Home Mom Revolution at http://workathomemomrevolution.blogspot.com/2008/04/working-mom-scholarships-apply-to-win.html
about this great opportunity for all of us mom’s working from home, but craving for more education and complimentary work opportunities. Lisa say’s “If you've wanted to go back to school, but haven't because of finances, Project Working Mom might be a great opportunity for you.” ELearners.com, a Web resource of Education Dynamics, is offering $2 million in full-ride scholarships to working moms to further their education. But hurry… the deadline is today April 30th! The scholarship recipients will be announced in May. It's sponsored by American Intercontinental University, DeVry University, and Walden University.

Here is one of my favorite scholarship sources that I love to pass on to women. Check out Talbots Women's Scholarship Fund, http://www1.talbots.com/about/scholar/scholar.asp?BID=&h=&sk=M
a program of the Talbots Charitable Foundation, which will award $100,000 in scholarships to women determined to finally get that college degree. Five women will each be awarded $10,000 scholarships, and 50 women will each be awarded $1,000 scholarships. The application process is closed for this year, winners to be announced this summer, but be sure to keep an eye on the web site for announcement of open enrollment. They only consider the first 1000 applications!

Check out Lisa’s Blog and these opportunities to get your degree from home… possibly FREE!

I want to hear from YOU! Do you know of great opportunities like these for Women? Reply to this blog for all to see!

Jenny Lynn

Military - Educational Grants & Scholarships

This LivingWell Hot Scholarship Tip of the Week is dedicated to all those young people, wise in years, who have decided to begin their careers serving in the United States Military. Don’t worry I know it’s not Veterans Day, but maybe we should have two or three or more Veterans Days a year! I challenge you to make up a couple of extra days to celebrate these men and women and see what friendly fires you can start!

Here is a small contribution to all of you considering or currently providing military service to our country. Thank you!

1) Air Force Scholarship for Healthcare Professionals
Scholarship covers all tuition & required fees, textbooks, supplies & equipment needs for living expenses.
Visit: http://www.airforce.com/education/healthcare/moneyForSchool.php

2) Air Force Financial Assistance Program for medical and dental residencies
Scholarship provides $28,000 for every year you participate in program, plus a monthly stipend of $1,605 for living expenses.
Visit: http://www.airforce.com/education/healthcare/moneyForSchool.php

3) Homefront America’s American Patriot Freedom Scholarship

Deadline – May 30

College and college-bound children of military members are invited to apply for one of the 25 - $1,000 scholarships.

Applicants must submit an essay of 500 words or less on one of four topics:
“Why I love my country”, “Challenge(s) in my life and how I overcame it/them”, “Of all that my dad/mom has done for me, I am most thankful for …” or “My number one American hero.”

Persons ages 16-21 are eligible. They must be children of active-duty, disabled or fallen service members, retirees and activated or deployed guardsmen and reservists.
Visit: http://www.stripes.com/www.homefrontamerica.org.

4) New York Regents Award for Child of Veteran

This NY Regents Award serves children of veterans who are deceased, 40% or more disabled, former POW or MIA as a result of service during certain specified conflicts. Candidates must be a legal NY resident at the time of application and parent must have been a legal NY resident at the time of induction, death or disability.

Awards - $450 per year to all eligible candidates up to five years depending on normal length of undergraduate program.
Visit: http://education.military.com/money-for-school/state-veteran-benefits-ny-and-pa

5) Pennsylvania Educational Gratuity Program

Educational Gratuity program provides financial assistance to children of honorably discharged veterans who have service-connected disabilities and served during a period of war or armed conflict or children of veterans who die or died in service during a period of war or armed conflict.

Maximum award $500.00 per term or semester for 4 scholastic years.
Visit: http://education.military.com/money-for-school/state-veteran-benefits-ny-and-pa

6) Military Spouse Career Advancement Accounts

The Career Advancement Accounts program provides assistance to military spouses seeking to gain the skills and credentials necessary to begin or advance their career. Career Advancement Accounts (CAA) covers the costs of training and education.

CAA can be used to pay up to $3,000 in fees for one year, and may be renewed for one additional year, for a total two-year account amount of up to $6,000 per spouse.
Visit: http://education.military.com/money-for-school/spouse-family/military-spouse-and-family-educational-assistance-programs

7) Spouse and Dependents Education Assistance Program

The Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) program provides education and training opportunities to eligible dependents of certain veterans. The program offers up to 45 months of education benefits. These benefits may be used for degree and certificate programs, apprenticeship, and on-the-job training. If you are a spouse, you may take a correspondence course. Remedial, deficiency, and refresher courses may be approved under certain circumstances.
Visit: http://education.military.com/money-for-school/spouse-family/military-spouse-and-family-educational-assistance-programs

8) Reserve Education Benefits User's Guide

In addition to tuition assistance you may be eligible for service specific education programs, scholarships, college funds, and other programs that can help you reach your education goals. To learn more about your specific education benefits check out the following related link:
http://education.military.com/money-for-school/reserve/reserve-education-benefits-users-guide

Jenny Lynn

Scholarships for Budding Business Entrepreneurs !

This weeks LivingWell Student Scholarship Tip is for those pursuing studies in BUSINESS.
More specifically, this scholarship tip focuses on those students who froth at the mouth at the words INNOVATION and ENTREPRENEUR. Check these two sources out if you fit either of these descriptions!

1) NASE Future Entrepreneur Scholarship – up to $24,000
Deadline – April 25

Offered by The National Association for the Self-Employed (NASE). This entrepreneurial award is granted in the form of a $12,000 scholarship for the first year and $4,000 for additional scholarships in the next three years as eligible, for undergraduate work. This prestigious award is the largest of its kind in the nation and the only one that promotes the philosophy of entrepreneurship.

Critera: Do you or either of your parents belong to NASE? If not, get one of them signed up for membership. This scholarship is awarded to NASE Members’ dependents.

Check it - http://benefits.nase.org/show_benefit.asp?Benefit=Scholarship

2) OdioWorks' Excellence in Entrepreneurship - $500
Deadline – July 1

Purpose: To foster entrepreneurship at the university level.

This Founding Entrepreneur, Alan Rutledge really knows how to make a difference in the next generation. Give them what they need to get the job done! … if the job is getting an education what they need is $$$. Plain & Simple.
This scholarship is just $500, but for a student that is struggling to get through … this makes a difference. Thanks for your generosity Mr. Rutledge! If only, every successful entrepreneur helped the next generation this way!

Check it out at - http://odioworks.com/32-An_Entrepreneur_Scholarship.html

Grant Writing Careers / Make Money - Making Money !!!

Practical ideas for breaking in to the Grant Writing field.

In all likelihood you have been exposed to the “fruits” of a Grant Writers work without ever realizing it. If you have been served by one of the organizations listed below, you most likely have reaped the benefit of a Grant Writer’s diligence.

If you are contemplating using your creative writing skills in the world of program and project development then here are a handful of areas where Grant Writers are needed, wanted and pursued!

Get out there and sell what you can do for one of these organizations. To get started, offer to assist the organization’s Development Director or current Grant Writer as a volunteer… yes for FREE! Your Goal - Build a reputation and a testimonial catalog.

Help Wanted: Grant Writer !

hospital development office
Institutions of Higher Ed.
Private Institutions of Higher Ed
university development office
university laboratory
university grants compliance office
university outreach department (like a Cooperative Extension)
community coalition (like a local Community Foundation)
church board
faith-based community services
Small Business Development Center
Library
School - local and district positions
State Department of Education
Federal Agencies like UDSA, HHS, etc.
grassroots organizations
public policy action groups
City or Township Governments
County Governments
minority –serving institutions
Individuals (pursuing college)
Native American Tribal Orgs.
Nonprofits with 501(c)(3) IRS status
Not-for-Profits – (mental health, social work, child care, youth, medical, social service, ANY KIND of group

Check out America’s Job Exchange for an excellent Job Search site!

What are you waiting for? Get out there and change the world around you!

Jenny Lynn
http://www.livingwellgrants.com

clipped from http://www.americasjobexchange.com/

Be A Grant Writer!

I apologize for being MIA since my last post on Tuesday April 1, 2008. This is a good example of … not a good example… of Time Management! Which by the way is a very important characteristic of a good professional Grant Writer? Hence my imperfection! But we won’t go into this any further right now… I’ll save this for another day when a good self-deprecating whipping is due again.

So are you dreaming about one of those careers that totally and completely ADDS, in a totally positive way to the world around you… and many times far far beyond? Well Grant Writing is a good place to begin your exploration. Grant Writers are the ultimate Visionaries, the ultimate self-contained Gamblers, the ultimate Change Makers, the ultimate Glass Half-Full'ers, and the Ultimate Rose Colored Glass Wear’ers! Wow! I want to be a Grant Writer! Oh… that’s right. I am. And now I am hoping to encourage some new energy out there to do the same!

This time in history is also the perfect time to really develop this industry. The flood of attention toward philanthropy is greater now than like no time I can remember in the past. Who would ever have imagined that you could successfully launch and maintain a prime time TV lineup based solely on Giving! Thanks Extreme Home Makeover and Oprah’s Big Give. This movement amazes and inspires me… especially after having been deluged with little more than LAME on TV for so so long. Maybe Jesus will put off his return a little longer after seeing what good we are capable of !!!

What it takes to become one… A GREAT Grant Writer!

1) Education/Skills

Writing – you must have very good, preferably creative writing skills. Can you “sell” your ideas, passions and strategies on paper? Can you tell your story succinctly, and keep your reader from EGO syndrome..(Eyes Glazed Over that is)?

Technology – You must have very good technology skills or a team member that can fill this bill. Why? Because virtually all state, federal, governmental and even most large foundations require submissions through an on-line process. I also highly recommend being fairly adept at using Access & Excel. You will need to incorporate these charts in most of your applications.

2) Personality

Do you tend to “get the job done” when you put yourself under a commitment with a tight time constraint or do you go to pieces, falling to the floor in a hair pulling frenzy when pressured? If you are the later personality… sorry… check off Grant Writer as a NOT. Grant Writers THRIVE under pressure! Melt-downs are allowed but only after you have officially tendered the 58 page application… On Time!

Grant Writers are highly organized. “A Place for Everything” types. Yes, a little obsessive-compulsive works fine! You will have to manage and maintain massive amounts of small “tidbits” of information including: dates, statistics, contacts, events, schedules, deadlines… Truly, a never ending list of what sometimes appears to be “totally useless facts”. I’m not talking good memory here… I’m talking great life and project management when your memory is SHOT!

Profile - Grant Writers are Not Too Cocky. If you are compelled to skip steps once you feel like you have “mastered” something, you probably will not be a good Grant Writer. Being able and willing to methodically work through a process without the urge to skip a step is a must. Like an airline pilot who even after 20years of flying goes through the pre-flight checklist one item at a time, EVERY TIME, it will be necessary for you as a Grant Writer to just as methodically check every step of your process, dotting every I and crossing every T EVERY TIME.
It will be the small details that shake out the average writer from the superior and highly successful writer.

Comments Welcome! Have you worked with a Grant Writer? Or are you one? Be sure to send your insight on what it takes to be a GREAT ONE!

Stay tuned… next blog… Steps to Getting to Grant Writer and Where you can find great Grant Writing Jobs!

jenny lynn

Grant Writing In Your Future?

I read an interesting blog this morning from an English major at a State University in Northern Minnesota http://katykins.wordpress.com/
This obviously savvy sophomore was contemplating her career direction and mulling over the possibility of pursuing a career in Grant Writing. I think it is safe to conclude from her blog that her initial inquiries into the field have led her to more unanswered questions. I sure applaud her tenacity and willingness to pursue unknown, or undeveloped territory (the U.S. Dept. of Labor doesn’t even recognize “Grant Writer” as an occupation yet) and possibly make a career out of a skill that can indeed be highly rewarding. IF, that is, your sense of reward is largely based upon an internal sense of accomplishment.

This Coed hit it right on the mark when she suggested that grant writers are very valuable… “non-profits rely on grants to survive”! Yes, absolutely right. Unfortunately, just a very small majority of non-profits or not-for-profits can afford the talents of an accomplished, experienced, skilled grant writer. Even the organizations that can afford a grant writer typically require that writer to also “juggle” other organizational business.

Here’s a great example of the juggling act… In Corning, NY the City of Corning actually has a very accomplished grant writer within their ranks. He is full-time and has been with the City for 10 years. During this decade of very fruitful work Jim Goodling secured over 14 MILLION dollars in funding for the City! Wow! Now if you are into feeling good, and seeing amazing things come to fruition from the words you put down on paper, then you are going in the right direction. Buutttttt… here is where the eye twitching tinges of pain enter… After 10 years of service Mr. Goodling is only making around $69,000. Whoa… If that doesn’t take the air out of your sails then this will. With Mr. Goodling’s retirement now looming, the good soul who is coming in to take his job will be looking at a potential starting salary as low as $47,000. Yikes!

Ok. Since we are creeping around this house of pain, did I mention Mr. Goodling’s Official title at the City of Corning? Planning & Economic Development Department Chief. Ok, that sounds good. Titles are in-fact quite important. Ok… you know there has to be a downside looming… What comes with this title? Mr. Goodling is also the City’s Code Enforcement Officer.

This scenario is much more common that not. If you are pursuing a career in grant writing because you love making wonderful things happen for wonderful causes that directly effect wonderful people then go for it! Be prepared, though, you may have to supplement the other side of your ego through contract work or otherwise. Either that or you’ll have to ready yourself for the fact that after you cash that million dollar check awarded to your City Hall you may later be required to visit some City resident and present them with a nice “fix it up, or pay it up” code violation “invitation”! Oh… yes. Always with a smile!

Well don’t be completely dismayed Potential Grant Writers there is good news coming! Next blog… Great Grant Writing Jobs … go get em’!

Visit us at http://www.livingwellgrants.com

Jenny Lynn

Pooh Pooh On You Scammers!

Ok folks, my “Pooh-Pooh On You Scammers” commentary is coming to an end today with the last of messages on those darn Internet Scams and how to keep yourself away… Far Far away!

What I have discovered through my researching for this expose is that it looks like a lot of other professionals and lay grant seekers alike have fallen prey to these unseemly but no doubt very attractive web presentations and marketing strategists. I’m betting that all these grant “businesses” are run by really smart, tech savvy young people, because the likelihood of an old fart like me developing such an effective techno-cyber strategy is just about as likely as the sun actually shining here in upstate NY today (can you tell I'm in the later stages of SAD?).


Scammers - Talent... yes, what a shame though... there is always that societal fringe that has to use their great talents to make a case for deceit. How in the world do you wrangle these little devils into pursuits for good? (Clockwork Orange 'Em!) :-) Well that chit chat will have to wait for another moment in time…

I’ve added a few more interesting web sites to the Enter At Your Own Risk – Grant Scams List! Be sure to check this short-list out before you venture out into Cyber Grant World!

Further insight… Here are some excellent observations by Brian of JDSBlog.com who’s internet grant research has left an obvious and emotional impression on him (hey, the sting lingers for a while when you’ve been bitten!).

Brian writes on 3/27/08…

“The best lies are those with a hint of truth. This allows the true part to be verified. Then through slight of hand and with the help of those precious people born every minute (That one is already a saying. Look under Barnum Bailey.) the true part lends its veracity to the rest of the scam and “Bam!” you’ve got yourself a great scam. (This is also how politicians and political radio and T.V. hosts also operate.) At Half-Truth Inn, their slogan is “The Government Gives Away Billions of Dollars Each Year”. Of course, here in the Half-Truth Inn only part of any statement is true. In this case, it is true that the government gives away Billions of dollars each year. Too, bad that most of that goes to college students. Ever hear of Pell Grants? Those are government grants; over $15 Billion worth. What about business grants? Again, Billions is right. Exxon, Archer Daniels Midland, ConEd, GM, Tennessee Nuclear Power Authority, ever hear of any of them? They got Billions. How about small businesses? Sure. A good friend of mine owns a small business. He applies for millions of dollars worth of grants each year. He has even received some government grant money for his small business. His secret? Well, he and his partners hold about six or so PhDs among them and they are in Biology and Biochemistry and they still have some ties to the university, and they do research into the right things; sound like your business? Ever see an announcement about $300 million dollars to fight diabetes? Some of that will be research grants.

Great stuff Brian! If you would like to read Brian’s entire article on grant scams visit him at:
http://www.jdsblog.com/2008/03/27/government-grant-small-business/

Hope you enjoyed this short series and are now feeling more Scam Proof! Be sure to drop me a note and let me know if these articles have been helpful. As always, continue to send me your thoughts on grant/scholarships subjects of your interest for future banter! http://livingwellgrants.com

Have a great weekend! Is it SPRING yet where you are? It is here (in my head...). My kids are looking pretty concerned with my scantily appearance as I venture out in the SNOW today! :-)


Jenny Lynn

Avoid Grant Scams - Better Business Bureau Advice

Hello Grant Seekers!

Here is a great resource I located off the http://www.grants.gov/ site, which by the way is an excellent source for grant seekers! Next week I will begin a whole series on great sites to help find what you are looking for. Be sure to come back and check it out! For now though... I continue sharing a bunch of the pitfalls that I have experienced myself through those endless searches for funding opportunites. Snooooooooze.

How can YOU recognize and avoid grant scams/fraud?
The Better Business Bureau offers these tips and suggestions:

1) YOU WILL NOT BE CONTACTED BY THE GOVERNMENT TO OFFER YOU A GRANT. The government does not contact people to offer them money. If you do qualify for a government grant, the government does not request payment for it.

2) THERE ARE NO FEES ASSOCIATED WITH APPLYING FOR A GOVERNMENT GRANT. Providing financial information to prove that you qualify for a government grant is typical, but you should never pay money to apply for a grant. People who run scams often claim to provide help and sometimes claim to be federal government officials, don't be fooled by these scams that request money from you.

3) ALL GOVERNMENT GRANTS INVOLVE AN APPLICATION PROCESS. If you have not submitted an application for a government grant and someone claims you have been awarded one, it's a scam. Grant money is not given over the phone for a fee. In order to qualify for a grant you must apply for the specific opportunity that you are qualified to apply for.

4) GOVERNMENT GRANTS ARE AWARDED FOR EXPLICIT OPPORTUNITIES. Government Grants are typically awarded to states, cities, educational institutions, nonprofits and other organizations to fund research and other projects.

5) GOVERNMENT GRANT APPLICATIONS AND INFORMATION IS FREE. Be cautious of offers that ask for your personal information (especially financial) when requesting a fee to access grant information. You can always access free information about government grants and other benefits at Grants.gov and Govbenefits.gov.

So here you go folks... Even the government is saying BEWARE. I'm not being spiteful or vindictive in "outing" some of these sites that I feel are making false claims, in order to get your attention and ultimately MONEY! But I have to admit I would make a good Whistle Blower! :-)

Hoping for lots of loot coming your way (legitimately) real soon !!!

Jenny Lynn

SCAMS! Revealed...Sites to Stay Away From!

Good Morning Grant Seeking Friends!

Hope you are having a relaxing Good Friday.... As I started my morning with a cup of Joe and perusing my email for comments and questions, I easily got drawn into my Internet Grant Search Activities... as is quite typical. What is also quite typical... even after several years of grant writing... is getting blindly caught up in this peruse!

THREE HOURS later I realize that I have lost a big chunk of my day, my kids are wondering if I am actually going to "check in" for lunch because I obviously missed breakfast and since I missed the supervision of the "getting dressed" stage, I now must leave the privacy of my home with what appears to be a "Band of Bandits"!

The Lesson? Random searches can and most likely WILL waste your precious time, possibly suck you into spending your precious money and will certainly not deliver anything even remotely equal to or exceeding your investment of both.

The Answer? Avoid-Avoid-Avoid. Whenever you see the words on a web site "money for Anything!" or "money for Everything" RUN LIKE _ ELL !!!!! They are all going to take you for your money up front and you are going to get nothing that your are eligible for, nothing that is current, nothing that truly will move you forward to your goals. Sorry folks... the truth hurts.

So my gift for you today...? Yeh! The beginning of my short list of Grant/Scholarship Internet Scams! (Of course this IS of course just the opinion of little old--- me and I am always up for a debate!) My "Scams" list is just the beginning... I am hoping that as you also come across these sites that you will forward them to this blog so I can update this list often for all of us to see and ultimately AVOID!

Have a wonderful day... Use your time and energy to appreciate feeding and dressing your kids today!

Jenny Lynn