5-27-2010- SFAA, known for their breakthrough guides on Scholarships for African Americans, has just released there financial aid guide for Minority students.

“For those who are desire to continue their education, it has become much easier due to several programs available that give scholarships for African American students,” says Jeremy Thomson, owner of SFAA. “ Some of these programs you have probably heard of before and some you may not. These programs give out millions of dollars worth of African American scholarships to those who qualify. In this guide we go over a several programs and what a student must due to qualify.”

One program discussed in the report is the UNCF. This is probably one of the most recognized organizations in the world for providing African American Scholarships. They offer their students 21st century academic programs while keeping their tuitions to less than half the average of other private colleges;
Administering 400 scholarship and internship programs, so that even students from low- and moderate-income families can afford college tuition, books and room and board.
“There are many financial aid programs available to minority students that are fairly easy to qualify for,” says Jeremy. “Some of the more well known programs include the Ron Brown Scholarship Program, the NAACP, the Jackie Robinson Foundation Scholarship Program as well as many others.”
“We feel that anyone who wants to continue their education should not let their financial situation stand in the way. There is literally millions of dollars given away each year in the form of college scholarships and grants. The key is knowing where to look, what the requirements are and how to apply,” says Jeremy. “With this knowledge, anyone should be able to get the continuing education they seek.
Anyone who would like to access the free guide can do so at the SFAA website.

5-27-2010 – CSAG, known for their up-to-date guides on the latest college scholarships and grants programs, has just their latest guide on financial assistance for graduate students.

“Some graduate students have hit a brick wall when it come to finding financial assistance to assist them in their financial education,” says Jeremy Thomson, owner of CSAG. “Most people are aware of the usual grants such as the Pell Grant and the FSEOG program, but there are also other ways to pay for a students continuing education such as fellowships.”

Fellowships are awards given to both, graduate and post-graduate students. Like scholarships and grants, they are for you to keep with no need of repayment. Fellowships differ by granting source, amount, length, and purpose. They are typically awarded in form of stipend to finance education or research. Some even feature tuition waiver for a partial or full duration of studies. Fellowships may be offered by government, private foundations, international organizations, or your school. Eligibility criteria differ between different types of fellowships and thorough research is required to weight your chances of getting a fellowship.

“Scholarships for graduate students may be based on a wide range of criteria from academic excellence and outstanding achievements to ethnic background and social status” says Jeremy. “While scholarships vary in the amounts and length, they are all, equally to grants, highly competitive and require a lot of effort to obtain. Scholarships come from a variety of sources, from government to private. Many schools, especially private universities, issue scholarships to most talented students. Contacting your school for a list of available scholarships is the best starting point for any graduate student seeking free help with funding his or her graduate degree. There is an array of other sources, however, besides university you attend, that offers scholarship search and assistance. A comprehensive online search may help you to come up with a solid list of scholarships for graduate students.”

You can learn more about scholarships for graduation students and other financial aid programs such as Scholarships for African Americans at the CSAG website.

5-16-2010 – CSAG has releases their financial aid guide for college scholarships and grants. Covered in this report are many unknown financial aid programs that are available to students regardless of financial situation or background.

“Many people are unaware of the fact that there is so much money available in the form of scholarships and grants,” says Jeremy Thomson, owner of CSAG. “Anyone who has the desire to further their education can no longer use the lack of money as an excuse. There is literally millions of dollars given away each year for continuing education”

This report includes some of well known financial aid programs that are available but also includes many programs that many people have never heard of. Before applying for any type of financial aid, there are a few things to consider.

Expected Family contribution (EFC)— Expected family contribution is the amount that is often said to be the amount that your family can contribute to the college costs. This amount is often determined by the one who is going to provide the grant. Usually it is some federal government body or the individual universities or the colleges that determine the expected family contribution.

Need Formulas—Need formulas are used by the federal government offices and the financial aid offices in order to analyze the financial circumstances of your family. In financial circumstances, they consider the things like the family size, income and the assets, and they often compare these proportionally with the financial circumstances of other families.

Importance of EFC figures—One thing is for sure that most of the families just can’t pay out the EFC from their income only. However, they don’t need to worry about as the formulas often have the assumption that the families will meet the contribution that they have to make with the help of the pure combination of their savings, the borrowing and the current income of theirs.

“When applying for financial aid, it is important to keep these points in mind,” says Jeremy. “Once you understand how the scholarship programs work, you will have an advantage over 90 percent of the other applicants.”

“We also include in the report some unknown scholarship programs such as Scholarships for African Americans. You can access the full report at the CSAG.org website,” says Jeremy.

It is not too difficult to secure Canadian government grants.  As long as you submit a strong proposal to the right government agency, getting grants from the government would be easy.  However, be prepared also to get numerous rejections especially if you are applying for a program where you have lots of competitors.  In such cases, you can apply for government loans which are also abundant or you can try to submit another grant proposal to other agencies of the Canadian government.  In order to minimize rejections, you have to prepare a checklist for grant seeking.  This checklist will be your strategic tool in seeking more government grants in the future.

Your grant seeker checklist should not be too complicated.  If you do not know how to make one, then you can find non-profit organizations that provide a template checklist.  However, it is always best to create your own checklist so you can align the objectives of your company to the Canadian government grants or loans that you want to get.  When creating your checklist, make sure that you can divide it into three major parts.  The first part is the pre application stage.  The second part should be project proposal writing while the last part is your assessment and evaluation stage.

Objective setting should be on top of your checklist.  You have to clarify and determine the things that you want to accomplish in seeking Canadian government grants and loans.  Setting your strategic grant seeking objective is important so you can organize your effort.  You can make 1-year, 2-year, or even 5-year plans so you will have a clear vision about the things you want to accomplish in seeking grants.  Next on your checklist should be research.  There are two approaches to grant research.  First, you have to thoroughly scout for available funding and agencies that have regular grant programs.  It is not enough to browse government websites when doing your research.  You can seek help from independent research institutions like the Small Business Finance Centre of Canada.

Research on your competition is also important if you want to get Canadian government grants.  You have to gather information about companies or small business owners who successfully acquired loans and grants from the government.  Look for small businesses that have projects similar to your own.  You can learn valuable insights from these successful grant seekers.  Next on your checklist is project proposal writing.  This task will take up at least 50 percent of your time.  That is because you have to carefully prepare your proposal in order to get the nod of funding agencies.

Last on your list should be assessment and evaluation.  If you succeeded in your first application, then you have to assess it, learn lessons from the process, and replicate your success for your future grant seeking.  If you fail in your bid to get government grants, you also have to evaluate the process, learn lessons from your mistakes and improve your methods for the next grant application.

Do you want to know how to get Canadian government grants? Visit our website today and learn how you can effectively apply for grants and loans from the Canadian government.

Writing compelling business plans is a key aspect to get Canadian government grants. A business plan serves as your proposal to the Canadian government. The merits of your application therefore will be based primarily on the business proposal that you have submitted. So you have to learn how to create a small business plan that will catch the attention of reviewers. Once the grants reviewers noticed your proposal, then you will have a greater chance of getting a positive response from them. So here are some basic tips on how to create a good business plan that can catch the attention of grant reviewers.

First, you have to avoid using a template for writing your business plan. Business plan templates lack sophistication and character. Your business plan therefore will also lack character so the reviewers can easily bypass your proposal. What you should do is to create and customize a business plan according to your own personal styles. You will notice that your business plan will become more organized, clearer, and well planned. Those who will review your business plan will also notice the uniqueness of your proposal. Because of this, the other components of your business plan can also be reviewed which means you now have a greater chance of getting a positive reply from the reviewers.

Second, you must also avoid writing long and difficult to understand sentences. Keep your proposal and business plan short. Make sure to write all the essential elements of your plan on the first page of your proposal. Do not make long winded introductory statements. Instead, focus on your main points and state these on the first paragraphs of your business plan. Remember, small business grants reviewers are very busy people. They have to read and review thousands of applications each day. So they do not have the time to read all the contents of your proposal. But if you can provide a concise and compelling business plan right on the first page of your proposal, then you will have a good chance of getting positive reviews and eventual approval.

Third, always show proof of profitability and business viability. Small business grants reviewers are more interested in your track record. So no matter how lofty your proposals are, they will still review your business track record. You have to provide them with clear and precise records of your company’s profitability. This way, you can show proof that the government small business grants program will not be wasted on your company. You can provide financial projections but these should always be based on your current financial strengths and fiscal competence. Remember, small business grants are designed not to bail out failing businesses. These grants and subsidies are designed to further boost the profitability of small business enterprises in order to stimulate the entire economy.

These are the three key aspects of a compelling business plan. Make sure that you can write a business plan or proposals that will catch the attention of the grants reviewers. Once your plan gets noticed, then your proposal will be reviewed further which is the first step towards outright approval.

Are you looking for Canadian government grants? Visit our website today to find available loans, small business grants and financing programs provided by the Canadian government for small business owners.