There are many forms of financial assistance for single mothers to help with your life goals and aspirations. It can be very difficult to be a single mother, the needs and wants of her children must be met without the support of a partner. Many times, in order to better provide for her children, a mother may wish to go back to school or seek career training. Unfortunately, the same reasons that drive her ambition, her child or children, can also be obstacles to achieving those goals. By raising and financially supporting her children alone, it can be difficult to find the time and resources to pursue the education that enable a fulfilling, financially stable career. Fortunately through financial assistance for single mothers, those goals and aspirations are made easier.

One of the most common ways to further your education and career is through college. However, college presents unique obstacles for a single mother, including child care, tuition and fee payment, the cost of books, and the ability to support herself and children while she is in college. Scholarships and grants are two of the main resources for financial assistance for single mothers. The two resources are very similar, though there are a few key differences. A grant is usually tax exempt funding from a non-profit organization, with the government being the largest. Grants are generally awarded after a proposal is submitted and approved; the grant paying for the completion of that proposal. Usually, other than the completion of the proposal, there are not other requirements stipulated by grants and money belongs to the recipient.

Grants can be awarded for many things, including small business start up, research, and college. A scholarship is tied very closely to education, and is generally awarded after being selected from a pool of applicants. Usually there are requirements to win the scholarship, such as GPA or financial need, and certain standards must be met while receiving the scholarship, such as full time enrollment at an accredited college. Due to the unique situations of single mothers there are numerous grants and scholarships available. The government, and other non-profit organizations, provide grants as financial assistance for single mothers in order to help them further their education and career goals. As successful people positively impact their communities and society as a whole it is in the best interest of these organizations to provide such assistance.

Scholarships specifically geared towards single mothers are very similar to the grants, only they are specifically for college. Universities, private organizations, the government, and non-profit organizations all provide such scholarships. They can be classified as financial need based; student specific, meaning that only one demographic, such as single mothers, would be eligible; or career specific, meaning the scholarship is only available to students pursuing a specific career, such as teaching or health care related career. To find financial assistance for single mothers contact reputable websites, such as government sites, and your local college or university.