Foundation grants can help financially-needy students attend college.
According to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, an estimated 4.5 million students will not attend college because of financial difficulty in the decade between 2006 and 2016. To prevent so many students from losing valuable educational opportunities due to financial need, a number of foundations offer grants to support programs and individual students who are in need of a financial boost.
Gates Foundation
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation offers a number of scholarship opportunities for low-income and financially needy students.
The Mary Gates scholarship helps to fund undergraduate study at the University of Washington in Seattle for hundreds of students each year. The scholarships fund academic achievement, research possibilities, leadership projects and independent ventures for students at the university.
Gates Millennium scholarships award students for academic achievement, leadership capabilities and community service efforts. These scholarships are available to minority students who are eligible for need-based financial aid from the Federal Pell Grant.
Other Gates Foundation efforts fund study abroad efforts at Cambridge University, law degree scholarships and graduate fellowships.
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
P.O. Box 23350
Seattle, WA 98102
206-709-3100
gatesfoundation.org
IECA Foundation
The IECA Foundation provides funding grants for programs in the schools and communities that are designed to reach out and improve the lives of underprivileged or needy students.
The number and value of grants available for such projects vary by year; the highest value for a grant is $5,000. The grants are given to organizations that provide direct assistance to needy students through professional consultation, leadership development and other areas.
The grants are available for individuals or organizations working as nonprofits, such as schools or churches. For-profit organizations or those that receive unrestricted funds from other areas will not receive grants.
IECA Foundation
3251 Old Lee Highway
Suite 510
Fairfax, VA 22030
703-890-0135
iecafoundation.org
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation provides grants to colleges, universities and other institutes of higher learning to fund scholarships granted directly through the schools.
Scholarships are given to universities to disperse among associate, baccalaureate or graduate-level degree seekers in the science and engineering disciplines. Students are required to fulfill academic standards and financial need requirements before they can earn these scholarships.
Those interested in applying for NSF-funded scholarships should contact their educational institution to find out if funds are available. NSF does not provide awards directly to students; the schools determine who is eligible to receive an award.
National Science Foundation
4201 Wilson Blvd.
Arlington, VA 22230
703-292-5111
nsf.gov
Tags: Gates Foundation, Bill Melinda, Bill Melinda Gates, IECA Foundation, Melinda Gates, Melinda Gates Foundation