and to help me start up a lucrative internet business

In your dreams. That’s the only place you’ll find them.

I am just starting classes with Penn Foster, and was just wanting to know if you can get grants to help cover the costs?

Penn Foster is not a Title IV federal aid participant, and therefore students registered for Penn Foster courses are not eligible to apply for any federal student aid funding – this includes pell grants, Stafford and Perkins loans, PLUS loans, work-study, and FSEOG and SMART grants.

I’m not going to badmouth Penn Foster, but I will say that I would hope that you have carefully researched and evaluated all of your options before choosing PF, or any other online university. Schools that do not participate in the Title IV aid programs are sending up a pretty large red flag, because it’s really in the school’s best interest to offer this type of aid to its students.

You need to be certain that any online program that you attend is accredited by a reputable accreditation agency (anyone can set up an accreditation agency and start claiming that "we’re accredited by the Agency for The World’s Best Colleges and Universities"). It would be a shame to pay a lot of money for a degree that wasn’t accepted or held in high regard by employers in your industry.

Good luck to you. I hope this information helped.

government grants to start business

It is hard to find grants to start a business. Unlike the myths that some perpetuate, federal government and even private foundations hardly give grant money for a for-profit business. And yes, grants mean PAPERWORK – lots and lots of it, that is why a cottage industry of grant writers was born.

Nonetheless, you can go to the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) http://www.cfda.gov and Grants.gov http://www.grants.gov – these are two sites created by the federal government to provide transparency and information on grants. Browse through the listings and see if you can find any grant that would support a for-profit venture.

Even if you buy books on "how to get grants" or list that supposedly has information on grants — all of them are mere rehash of what CFDA has, albeit packaged differently. But still the info is the same – hardly any grants for starting a for profit business.

Even SBA does NOT give out grants. From the SBA website http://www.sba.gov/expanding/grants.html…

"The U.S. Small Business Administration does not offer grants to start or expand small businesses, although it does offer a wide variety of loan programs. (See http://www.sba.gov/financing for more information) While SBA does offer some grant programs, these are generally designed to expand and enhance organizations that provide small business management, technical, or financial assistance. These grants generally support non-profit organizations, intermediary lending institutions, and state and local governments."

Most of the federal grants are given to specific target groups with specific requirements (e.g. minority business owners involved in transportation related contracts emanating from DOT – Grant#20.905 Disadvantaged Business Enterprises Short Term Lending Program

Grants are also often given to non profit groups or organizations involved in training or other similar activities (grant 59.043 Women’s Business Ownership Assistance that are given to those who will create women’s business center that will train women entrepreneurs

For private grants, you may want to check the Foundation Center’s Foundation Grants for Individuals Online. It’s a subscription based website ($9.95 per month) but their opening blurb only says that the database is ideal for "students, artists, academic researchers, libraries and financial aid offices." Entrepreneurs are apparently not one of them, so I take it they also don’t have listings of private foundations who give grants to would-be entrepreneurs.

http://www.cfda.gov
http://www.grants.gov
http://gtionline.fdncenter.org
http://www.powerhomebiz.com/vol66/grants.htm
http://www.sba.gov/expanding/grants.html

Over a hundred and fifty years ago, after years of controversy and struggle, New Yorkers voted by a 6 to 1 margin to establish the Free Academy for the Poor Man’s Children. That trailblazer college removed the barrier of tuition for its first class of 149 college students and over the years has burgeoned into the City University of New York with 403,000 students and 20 colleges.

Achieving a free college was not easy. As early as 1805, concerned citizens had formed the Free Public Society to advocate free, nonsectarian schools in Manhattan. Organized labor joined the struggle to establish free universal education. Opponents of a free college claimed that “truly deserving” students could get scholarships to the two private colleges in the city. Townsend Harris, an outspoken advocate for public education, rejected “charity scholarships.” As the elected president of the Board of Education, he wrote, “Open the doors to all–let the children of the rich and the poor take their seats together, and know of no distinction save that of industry, good conduct and intellect.”

How had the tuition-free City University been transformed (along with other free public universities) into a tuition-paying system that the nonpartisan Education Trust recently described as the “Engines of Inequality”? The Trust also described the best public universities as having come to resemble “gated communities of higher education.”

The first president of the Free Academy, Horace Webster, championed educating “the children of the whole people.” Today’s presidents preside over decreasing numbers of poor and immigrant students. Those now attending these public colleges face mounting tuition and decreasing governmental grants, vie for scholarships, go into debt, depend on family assistance or interrupt or don’t complete their education.

The descendants of the early opponents of free education for qualified students have found clever ways of whittling away these early achievements. In 1950, when I was a junior, City College imposed a $3 dollar Student Activity Fee. Though it was for student activities and rather small, many students saw the camel sticking its nose into the tent. But the politicians wanting to end 125 years of tuition-free colleges for city residents wisely avoided a single coup de grâce that could have destroyed their political careers. They deserve credit for the deceptive and rationalizing ways they dismantled a free university.

In 1961, Albany passed a bill eliminating the “mandate” for free tuition, but they didn’t impose tuition. The second blow came eleven years later, in 1972, when a tuition structure was established. Again, the politicians still did not actually institute tuition. That came in 1976, during the city’s budget crisis when state officials, in return for helping to fund the senior colleges, arm-twisted the City Board of Education into imposing tuition. Of course the politicians promised that federal, state and other financial aid would not deprive poor students of an education. But over the years that promise has been cynically whittled away by increasing tuition, diminishing sources for and amounts of student aid funds and relying on private donors. The disastrous effects that discourage low income and minority students from attending and graduating college is documented in many studies, the most recent the Education Trust report, which as I mentioned, calls public colleges the “Engines of Inequality.” State and City politicians rescinded what had been mandated by a citizen vote. I still wonder at the legitimacy–morally if not legally–at not having had New York City residents again vote on whether they wanted to maintain a tuition-free system.

Mention should be made of the Open Enrollment Program, whose expense had been used as one reason to charge tuition. Initiated in 1970, the program allowed the entrance into the four year colleges of all city high school students who had an average of at least 80% or were in the top 50% if their class. The community colleges would accept all the others. The program had broad support (e.g., the United Federation of Teachers, the Central Labor Council, the Public Education Association, the CUNY senate.) It benefited not only minority students; many white working class youngsters who didn’t consider attending college enrolled. At the time I was on the faculty of Lehman College wshere I helped train the counselors who worked with these conscientious and hardworking students. While the program was expensive and had shortcomings, it enriched the lives of many.

Another reason for charging tuition was the fiscal problems that New York City was experiencing at the time. While I believe that the politicians should not have sacrificed a free university in the first place, it certainly should have been reinstated once the financial crisis was over.

To digress on a personal note, my brother and I, children of immigrants, were able to attend a free City College. Like so many others coming from working class families, I worked after school and summers to earn money for books, transportation and personal expenses. I remember the corridor in the basement of the Main Building where students sold the previous semester’s textbooks to purchase the new ones. Yet I was better off than others who had to work full time and attended part time or evening school.

As an alumnus of both the Bronx High School of Science and City College, I attended a luncheon to raise college tuition money for selected Science students. I had the opportunity to ask the college’s President, Gregory Williams, an outstanding educator, that while I joined with others in contributing to this fund, I was concerned about the many other students who also needed financial assistance. They were not necessarily “stars” but were capable and worthy of attending City College. Afterwards, he wrote that he realized tuition places “challenges and hardships on our students” and that he appreciated my “desire that City College once again offer free tuition.” But “such a plan,” he added, “is not practical in the current political and economic climate.”

While I agree with President Williams about the current political climate, I am hopeful that it is changing. We are the richest country on the planet, yet the government pays only a third of public college costs while other industrialized countries pay so much more. Only recently did I discover that there are those carrying on the struggle started two centuries ago. These include the Professional Staff Congress of CUNY, the Collective Bargaining Congress of the American Association of University Professors, as well as other university groups and unions. Several labor leaders have set up a web site where one can obtain more information (Debs-Jones-Douglass Institute at www.freehighered.org). While opponents of a free university cite its expense, those benefiting from a free university education have, because of their increased earning power, repaid many times over in taxes the cost of their education, with enough to help other students as well. I know that is true for me, having paid taxes for over fifty years. I am not completely certain that I would have become a psychologist if there was not a free City College of New York, which at that time also enabled me to take my first graduate psychology courses.

Hopefully, civic-minded citizens will again raise the early 19th century banner for free universal education to qualified New York City students. And there assuredly will be the leaders like Townsend Harris, who will again arouse our citizens to restore what was established by a public referendum.

Jacob Jaffe
http://www.articlesbase.com/education-articles/from-quotopen-doorsquot-to-quotengines-of-inequalityquot-92745.html

As a parent, you may be thinking of the financial needs your child need once he enters college.

Think of the payments you need to settle like the SATs, Application forms, Campus Visits, and Transcript of records your child may need before he enters college.

It could be daunting and bothering at times. But with a good planning and finding a credible college financial aid plan, everything can work out easily.

Here are some tips on how to look for a college financial aid program.

1. To start it off, you should look and research for prospective universities and financial aid programs as early as your child is still in high school.

You may search the Internet for possible options on where to find financial aid programs that is perfect for your child.

2. Visit the financial aid main office of the prospective college or university where your child wants to enroll. You should take the chance to ask for the school’s college financial aid offers.

3. Do not forget to request for the scheduled deadlines for the filing and submitting of financial aid application forms.

4. Encourage and motivate your child to search for scholarships and other privilege aids that can support his college education.

There are many options that he can choose from as long he has good scholastic records from high school.

5. Consider filing an application for a Federal college financial aid program. Most state colleges and universities offer this kind of assistance to students who deserve and are qualified to be in college but do not have the finances.

You may personally submit the Free Application Form Student Aid or the FAFSA. There are deadlines for filing the FAFSA, make sure that you have filed it before January 1st of your child’s last year in high school.

6. Tell your child to get the application form from his school guidance counselors’ office. You may even fill out forms on the Internet by logging in the state’s FAFSA application web site.

7. You should prepare and get all FAFSA requirements such as your records of untaxed returns, current statement of accounts, business records, your child’s drivers license and TIN number, W-2 forms, records of monthly income, current mortgage information and business records.

8. After you have completed all FAFSA requirements, you may now file for the application form and see other aids that you can be qualified for.

Navigate the Internet for possible aids that may be applicable for your status.

9. Make sure that you understand and you know all the privileges before accepting the financial aid package.

You should consider the financial aid’s years of support and assistance for your child. You should also consider if it is renewable.

There are many instances that your child may need to pay miscellaneous fees for his college education. You may have the option to consider a private institution that may lend finances using loans for students.

You may even find creditors that offer lesser interests rates if you are paying on time.

Dave Poon
http://www.articlesbase.com/non-fiction-articles/need-help-with-college-financial-aid-53007.html

If you are interested in the prospect of distance learning, you will need to find a distance learning university that will offer you those components of the course so that you can learn from home. Before you embark on a journey to find a distance learning university, however, you should know if you are a candidate that is likely to be successful with such learning.

You need to know if you have the qualities that make a successful distance learner and if you are able to complete the standards required by distance learning schools that could make the experience not quite as simple as it may appear. You can start by asking yourself some serious questions.

The first question you need to ask is whether or not you do well with learning with or without someone looking over your shoulder. You should be able to work, and work well, unsupervised and without continual instruction or assistance. You should be a self-starter and able to motivate yourself without relying on tricks of the trade to help you out.

If you are capable of learning in this way, you may do well at a distance learning university. If you are capable of starting your own assignments and completing them on time and up to pay, you will probably be a good candidate for a distance learning institution of some kind.

Other Aspects

You should also ask yourself if you are a procrastinator or not. People that learn at a distance learning university never put their papers off until the last minute and never put off assignments. Putting off studies can end up with an additional month or two on your learning experience, and successful candidates at a distance learning facility never want to add more to their study than they have to.

Most students on this path benefit from not having to wait for the entire class to catch up. They also enjoy the freedom that working at their own pace gives them over their completion times and use that to their benefit to shorten up the length of time a degree might take them.

Finally, you need to question your reading and comprehension skills as a whole. People that take classes at a distance learning university should have excellent reading and comprehension skills because you may not have the benefit of learning from a lecture or from other aspects that ‘real’ instruction may give. You should be able to comprehend the text without the direct assistance of a teacher.

anonymous
http://www.articlesbase.com/non-fiction-articles/are-you-a-good-candidate-for-a-distance-learning-university-127714.html

The same online degree program offered by different online universities may vary in pricing; the difference may due to a few factors, among these are the types of curriculum and total credit hours to complete the program. If you are considering in earning your degree online, it’s make sense for you to compare the pricing of degrees at the schools offered and select the best online degree program that meet your education goal and targeted budget. This article will outline a few factors to consider when you compare the price of the same online degree program offered by different schools. Let review them one by one:

Tuition Fee

Tuition fee is the amount the school charges to take a course. At some programs tuition is the only cost. Other programs add technology and other miscellaneous costs. When getting the price of an online degree programs. You need to check with the admission department on their tuition fees, are the fees purely the cost of the courses or it includes other costs and any other hidden cost that may incur other than the said costs. After know all the details of the courses’ prices, you can compare the price of the online degree program offered by different online universities.

Campus Residencies

The same online degree program from different online universities may have different course requirement. Some online degree programs are offered 100% online, whereas, others require campus residencies. Factor in the cost of attending these physical residencies to your total cost of your selected online degree program before making your pricing comparison.

Financial Aid Package

The online university may charge slightly higher fee on their tuition but it comes with an attractive financial aid package. Some online universities may help you find student loans, generally the Stafford loans, Sally Mae, or other relating loans; or help you to apply for pell grants and/or other scholars. You may factor in these points when you considering your online degree pricing.

Marketable Degree

If you purpose of earning an online degree is for career switch or get a job promotion, then your must consider the marketability of your degree. For example, you plan to earn an online MBA and you are considering a few offers from universities. Some online MBA program may cost more that others but the job market statistics data shows that the degree-to-career ratio is higher then other universities, it means that more employers like to hire graduates from this university and you will have a better chance to get employed if you are holding a degree from this university. You may need to consider the ROI (Return On Investment) of your online degree program when deciding which online degree program to enroll in.

In Summary

The online degree program with the lowest sticker price may not be the best buy and the most expensive online degree program may not be your best choice. Besides considering the price, you need to carefully review curriculums covered by the degree program with the factors mentioned above in order to determine the true cost of earning an online degree.

Jullie Harvard
http://www.articlesbase.com/online-education-articles/a-guide-to-online-degrees-considering-online-degree-pricing-93675.html

Despite what many people tell you, the idea that the government is just sitting around with a pile of money waiting to give out to you or any other small business is just plain wrong. This is not to suggest however that no grants are available to anyone at any time.

The whole idea of a grant is to provide capital for some activity the government wants to encourage. Typically this means in less desirable areas or opportunities. So although there may be grants available for things such as encouraging the arts or research into a specific disease, unless you can fit your business into these niche areas, there is not a lot of grant money your dream.

This isn’t to say that assistance isn’t available at all, just that grants are probably a long process when and if you happen to find one where your small business fits. There are other ways however that you might explore to fund a small business.

Of these small business financing options, one of the most popular is the loan. That’s right, just go out and borrow the cash needed. If you’ve done your homework and have a solid business plan then the thought of self financing through your personal credit lines shouldn’t worry you. After all, you’re really betting on yourself that you will be successful.

There is a lot of confusion about the Small Business Administration. Yes, this is the government agency dedicated to helping small business…just not with grants. The SBA actually funds a very small portion of the total number of small business loans that are called SBA type loans. What the SBA actually does is “guarantee” to the bank that the money will be paid back, either by you or as a last resort by the SBA/government. If this sounds a lot like the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) you are correct.
Like the FHA, the loan needs to meet their lending or “insurance guarantee” standards. For a small business loan, it’s much the same. The SBA will look at your credit, ability to pay back the loan and the business plan.

Other potential sources of private loans can be found based on ethnic, religious, military service – veterans, or other sub groups of the population. Check out all resources until you find a group willing to finance your dream.

Finally, never give up. I personally know someone who wanted to start a home construction business and needed funding for his first home. The SBA was not an option, and being young, most banks just looked and politely declined. Long story short, he ended up going to 53 different lending institutions but he DID finally find a small, local savings and loan willing to take a chance on the new guy. Why? Because although he didn’t have all the necessary “security” they were impressed by the list of financial institutions he went to and was turned down but never gave up.

Abigail Franks
http://www.articlesbase.com/business-articles/government-grants-for-starting-or-growing-a-small-business-57344.html

There are many reasons why it’s a good idea to save energy in the home these days. To begin with, prices of gas and electricity in Europe have been very high in recent times, and so you can save a lot of money by making your home more efficient. As well as saving money, we all need to do our bit to help fight climate change by reducing the amount of energy we use. Finally, some of the things you can do to save energy in your home, such as installing insulation, can make your home warmer and more comfortable in winter.

The U.K. government and some local authorities are keen to encourage people to save energy in order to help it meet European targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to help people cut the amount they have to pay in energy bills. They offer big grants to help pay for home energy efficiency, such as installing insulation or more efficient central heating. However, you need to know what is available and how to apply

Almost everyone is eligible to receive a major contribution to the cost of installing insulation in their home, or else a more efficient heating system that saves energy. The main way you can do this is by arranging for your insulation or heating upgrade to be done by one of the major national insulation or central heating companies or, alternatively through a major energy supplier. You first need to arrange for a quote from them, and in the quote they should let you know how much you can qualify for in grants. If you agree to the quote, they will then take care of all the paperwork and administration as well as completing the work for you.

Many local authorities will also make a contribution to the cost of insulation and heating improvements. You should look on your local authority web-site, or contact them by phone to see what grants are available specifically from them and how you can apply.

Finally, it is quite possible that you will be able to get all of this work done for free. The UK Government provides up to £2,700 to households where a member of the household is receiving certain benefits. In England the scheme is called ‘Warm Front’, In Northern Ireland it is ‘Warm Homes’, in Scotland ‘Warm Deal’, and in Wales it is the ‘Home Energy Efficiency Scheme’. If you receive any benefits, you should contact your energy supplier or a major insulation or central heating installer, and they can tell you what kind of work you can have done for free. When you have the work done, they should also take care of the administration for you, leaving you free to enjoy a more comfortable home and lower heating bills.

Alex Perry
http://www.articlesbase.com/environment-articles/how-to-get-government-grants-to-save-energy-in-your-home-129259.html

In today’s demanding economy, many families find themselves in need of an extra income. Even if both parents work, the income is often insufficient to cover either basic needs or extra wants.

Even when one or both parents in a household earn an income sufficient enough to cover both wants and needs, we all have unexpected expenses that occur during life’s journey.

For example, a child may be entering college soon and the college fund is not quite large enough. Or, a family member must be hospitalized, creating large bills and potentially a loss of income.

When these and other situations arise and the need for money is greater than usual, many people have turned to working at home after working hours. Grant writing is a frequent choice of those working from home to earn extra income.

Many people who have not explored the concept of grant writing believe that grant writing is simply for nonprofit businesses and schools who either do not have adequate funds or are in need of money to fund special projects.

Fortunately, for those who want to work from home, that belief about grant writing could not be farther from the truth.

Grant writing is a new trend among those working from home, and it has seen a tremendous boom in the last few years. There are many grants available for personal use that most people are completely unaware of. The sources of these grants are the government and private foundations. The money used for the grants is your tax money.

Grants in the amount of $500 to $500,000 are being given away at an alarming rate. Both state and federal agencies offer these grants to those who work from home.

At this point, many may be wondering the motive behind giving away money to individuals who write grants from home. Foundations and governments are not in the habit of giving out money due to the goodness of their hearts.

Instead, governments, and private foundations offering these grants, do benefit in one crucial way: Tax write-offs. When governments and private foundations approve grant requests, they are able to take the grant amount off of their profits for the year, meaning they are not required to pay taxes on the amount of the grant.

In addition, the government is encouraged to fulfill grant requests because the additional funds in the economy create additional jobs. The new employees are often able to cease dependency on government assistance programs.

Another reason private foundations offer grants is to fulfill their obligation to donate at least five percent of their assets each year. If private foundations do not meet this requirement, they lose their tax exemptions.

It may seem that receiving a grant from governments or private foundations would be akin to finding a needle in a haystack. That’s another misconception.

There are around 1,000, $500 grants offered by the government alone, with many available grant funds in the billion dollar range. Even more appealing than the total dollar amount is that all grants are non-taxable.

Individuals are not the only beneficiaries of grants. Small businesses also may apply for and receive these grants for many purposes, including inception and expansion.

There are many categories of people that qualify for grants based on their status as minorities. For example, Native Americans, and those of Hispanic and Asian descent, have their own categories of grants.

An especially appealing category of grants for those working from home is the one for single mothers with children. Many single parents are in desperate need of additional funds but cannot take on a second job due to responsibilities revolving around their children.

Writing grants from home is beneficial because it is both financially rewarding and flexible. Grant writing can be done at any time of day or night and can be spread out over as many sessions as necessary.

If you are interested in grant writing as a work-at-home opportunity, there are many web sites devoted to assisting you that can start you on the path to increased financial success.

Grant writing is becoming more and more popular as time goes on. So, if you are planning to start a careet in grant writing, it would be wise to do so in a timely fashion. Grant writing has many benefits and can help most families increase their financial worth.

Information Net Source Corp
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-business-articles/work-at-home-and-earn-money-with-grants-73966.html