This article has lots of practical ideas on how to get college grants for single moms – and single dads, too.

Single mothers and college grants

Single mothers frequently have to place their own lives on hold as they struggle to afford to maintain their children in decent health, comfort, and housing.

In these situations there are numerous single parent grants provided by the government that can benefit not only your standard of living, but also help with regard to housing costs, and to also help further your education.

College grants for single moms or parents are a form of financial support, although differing from loans in the respect that they typically do not have to be paid back.

One of the most common and well known grant is called the Pell Grant, which is a federal based initiative. The Pell Grant is designed for post-secondary education, and it assists towards your cost of attendance (COA).

Being a single mom may also entitle you to unique grants that can help with other items such as books and equipment.

When applying for a Pell Grant you will be placed into an income bracket, and based upon this bracket, you may be suitable for a Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG). Through your Pell Grant application you will be given an Expected Family Contribution (EFC) score, which, if low enough will qualify you for the FSEOG.

Another service the government offers is housing grants for single mothers. The internet is a great place to start investigating these grants, as federal aid comes in many shapes and forms - from offering subsidized housing to eligible people, to assisting renovation and repair to current homeowners.

This latter aid is supplied by the Housing and Community Facilities Programs (HCFP), and aims to assure that participants can manage the financing.

Another program worth knowing about is the Family Unification Program (FUP), which targets separated families, or families with the threat of approaching separation.

Those families, or individuals who lack satisfactory housing may be eligible for Housing Choice Vouchers (HVCs), which can be used to obtain safe, affordable housing units in the private rental market.  

Of course there are more federal grants on offer, but ones for housing, and education are the most well-known, and accessible.

Before making a request for any grants it is always worth considering your present situation, your needs, and which variation of these grants will match you best.

Kudos to every single mom (or dad for that matter) who is going to college while raising children – and often working one or two jobs! Although this article is focused on ways to get college grants for single moms, it readily applies to single dads as well.