THE IMPORTANCE OF PLANNING AHEAD

Before you even begin a frenzy of calling organizations and mailing your proposals en masse, you should first sit down and define what you really want to accomplish and how much you need to achieve that goal.

This should not be done haphazardly. All too many grant proposals are bogged down by vague and inconsistent objectives. To show that you really know what you’re doing, and win the confidence of the grants review boards, then you you should identify what you hope to accomplish and be as detailed as possible about what tasks you need to undertake.

Break it down into long term and short term goals, including both the simplest requests (like buying equipment) to the more complicated (like budget for a new service). You should be able to explain everything you need, and why it’s so important.

IDENTIFYING THE APPROPRIATE SOURCES

You shouldn’t blindly send your grants to all the organizations. You have to find out what their thrust is and whether it coincides with yours. If you visit the websites you’ll usually find a list of the kind of projects they are interested in, as well as their requirements and restrictions (like geographical area, the size of the grants, etc.)

If your project has several components and complex needs, you may have better chances of success if you get your funding from more than one institution.

DON’T SEND GENERIC PROPOSALS

Take time to individualize your proposal to the institution you are applying to. Don’t make a “cookie cutter”, one-size-fits all proposal. At the very least, check the formatting to ensure that it follows the required structure. You should also finetune the wording so that it seems aligned with the prioritizes of the funding organization.

READ THE GUIDELINES CAREFULLY

This should be common sense but it’s amazing how many people lose a grant simply because they didn’t follow directions. Know, by heart, the deadlines for submissions, the maximum length, the particular sections or topics that must be tackled, the documents you need to submit. Follow everything to the T and you will make it easier for the review board to look through your proposal, increasing your chances of being accepted.

DON’T PROMISE THE MOON OR WAX POETIC ABOUT IT EITHER

Don’t try to “sound smart” by being long-winded or high-faluting. Just get to the point. Use simple words and avoid using technical language for the sake of sounding knowledgeable. The most important thing is that your ideas are easily understood and clearly and logically presented.

Don’t try to exaggerate the scope of your project or the goals you hope to achieve just for the hope of sounding good. They will only dismiss you as a dreamer and will probably laugh while they read your “fairytales.” Be very specific and clear about what you hope to achieve and the solutions you think will work.

DON’T SEND TOO MUCH INFORMATION

If you are good at organizing your proposal then the board will have more than enough to make a decision. You don’t have to bury them under unsolicited documents like publications, videotapes, etc.

ASK SOMEONE TO EDIT YOUR WORK

After weeks of working on a particular proposal you may be too familiar with the text to spot errors or lapses in logic. Ask someone to look over it. His “fresh pair of eyes” will be able to evaluate your work with objectivity.

At first it sounds like good news. “Congratulations!” announces the letter/email/fax. “You have been awarded a college scholarship!” You’re ready to celebrate…then you scroll down to the rest of the text. “To claim your reward, please pay a processing fee of…”

Whoops. That’s a scholarship scam! Unfortunately there are unscrupulous individuals who would like to take advantage of individuals who are in desperate need of financial aid. They hope that by offering an unexpected answer to their prayers, the excitement and enthusiasm will temporarily blind their victims. They send the money, and the, it’s too late. These con artists have fled.

So how do you tell if a scholarship or a grant is the real thing? In order to avoid being victimized by these charlatans, you should be able to spot the typical lines that they use.

“It’s free, except for a processing fee….”

Anything that asks for an initial processing fee should send off warning bells. While some schools may ask for miscellaneous tuition costs these are usually paid upon enrollment.

It doesn’t matter if the letter states that you will get a refund. They know that nobody will actually pursue the complaint seriously since the legal fees will exceed the amount. It’s purely a marketing ploy.

No applications required!

How can you win a scholarship that you haven’t even tried for? Or get the prize for a contest you never even entered? Legitimate organizations have very stringent application requirements and give financial aid only to the most deserving applicants.

Full 100% Financial Aid Guaranteed!

No financial institution will guarantee anything. In fact they will often have the disclaimer that they reserve the right to discontinue financial aid at any given time. So if the letter is making sweeping promises it’s because they never intend to keep them.

Just attend our seminar, and you’ll get the money!

This scam baits people into attending a course or event that supposedly puts them in touch with financial aid institutions. While there are legitimate meet and greets, no credible organization will guarantee that just by showing up you can get aid. At the very most you will get a directory of some institutions, which you could’ve found on your own through the web or by visiting the financial aid office of your school.

Education may be priceless, but the process of getting one can be very heavy on the pocket. Tuition fees, especially those at big schools, are very expensive. Then there are books and other incidental costs like dormitory fees and day to day expenses.

Luckily there are many colleges and universities that will try to assist its students in finding financial aid. They can provide in-house scholarships, work-study programs, student loans, and grants. If you have a good grade point average, and scored well on the tests, then you have even more options available to you, as schools will be scrambling to sign you on.

When evaluating a student loan or financial aid package, you have to look at the fine print. Even if it claims to meet 100% of your expenses doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s an excellent deal.

Of course this presumes that you have ample time to review different financial packages. The mistake that many students make is that they wait until the last minute to inquire about financial aid. You should start your search early. Look around. You’ll find information on the web, and at your school’s guidance counselor’s office. Find out of the college or university you are applying to has its own programs, but also look at government loans and grants, and those given by communities, corporations and organizations. There are several thousands of places where you can find financial aid, but you need time to hunt them down. This is not something you can do weeks before the deadline, when you’re panicking and ready to accept anything. You should also try to send any completed application forms as soon as possible. Don’t wait until the last minute.

When weighing different forms of student aid, the most important factor is how much debt you will incur. How much will you pay in interest and how much percentage of your expenses will it cover? Do your pencil pushing and if it’s too high, look around. Again, that means you need to start early, so you aren’t backed into a corner into accepting the first offer you get.