Becoming a teach is one of the best ways to make a difference in the life of a child and even older students. Spreading knowledge, being a role model, and shaping the future is an extremely rewarding career. However, going to college to make your dreams a relatively can become quite a burden.

Through scholarships and grants, future teachers can substantially lessen this burden by bringing down or eliminating their tuition. If you are considering becoming a teacher, here are several locations to begin your hunt for financial aid that you do not have to pay back. Some are open to any and all education routes, but many are specifically for those going into the teaching field.

Embarking on a hunt for scholarships and grants can feel like standing in the middle of a maze. Most people do not even know where to start, and there is a chance of running into dead end after dead end.

However, once you know what you are looking for, the task become much easier and almost enjoyable as you see free money becoming a reality for your education. Don’t miss out on the opportunities over confusion and frustration. Here are some great scholarship and grant opportunities to get the ball rolling on your dreams of becoming a teacher.

Straightforward Teacher Program

This is one of the most popular and unique scholarships available for students working towards becoming teachers. The foundation offers their scholarships every three months as opposed to each semester. During each disbursement, four students receive a $500 scholarship.

Four may sound like a very small number, but applicants can apply several times throughout the year, and can apply unlimited times. Although, after you have received the scholarship, you are not allowed to receive it a second time. You can go to their website to find the specific due dates.

Prezell Robinson Scholarship Program

While this scholarship is available only to students in the state of North Carolina, it is so incredibly helpful that many students choose to study in the state for the sole purpose of receiving it. It is offered to college students who come from low-income high schools or families that are interested in pursuing a long term career in education at any level.

The only requirements are that the prospective student must exhibit a relatively high grade point average and score well on the Scholastic Aptitute Test (SAT). The program also helps the students to find loans with the lowest interest rates and best payback policies for recent graduates.

New York State Scholarship Program

Officials in the state of New York founded this program to award students who want to give back to their community through their ability to teach. The catch for this scholarship is that the students must be pursing a teaching career in mathematics or science at the secondary level.

Also, because the program was designed to improve the education system in New York, the candidates must sign a service contract agreeing to work full time within the state for at least five years after graduation. While this may seem like an extreme commitment, it is extremely beneficial if you already plan on staying in New York. Also, you must have a grade point average of 2.5 or higher, and you cannot be in default on a student loan.

The NYS Math and Science Scholarship is extremely popular, and all the candidates are more than willing to accept the terms because of how greatly beneficial it is. The maximum award for a single student is $4,375. That is enough to pay for a whole semester of college. The award is paid directly to the school in which the student is enrolled.

TeachingTips101.Com

This website does not offer grants or scholarships itself, but it does provide nearly everything a prospective teaching student needs to know. They have complied dozens of lists of scholarships and grants that can help students narrow down their search options. Some of the categories are scholarships and grants based on state, year in school, excellence in grade point average, and expected field of teaching upon graduation.

By focusing on the subject heading, you can decide which scholarships and grants are most suited for you. This way, you do not have to waste time applying for ones that you are not eligible or very unlikely to receive.

In addition to the extensive lists of grants and scholarships, TeachingTips101.com also provides many other topics of interest future teachers should know. This includes everything from ways to keep focused while in school to how to relate to parents when you are actually in the school system. Even after you have finished applying for money and graduated, this is a great website to keep saved in your list of favorites so you can refer to it time and time again.

Coca-Cola Scholarships

Students can apply for multiple scholarships throughout The Coca Cola Foundation. However, each student can only be accepted for one per year. Coca Cola has implemented dozens of scholarships and grant opportunities that aim to help the world as a whole become a better place for everyone in it.

This includes giving money to third world countries, financing mission trips for those that want to help, funding school openings, and providing students who want to become teachers with the financial means to not only pay for college, but to ensure that they do not have to spend too much time away from their studies trying to make ends meet.

You may have many opportunities for grants and scholarships through The Coca Cola Foundation. There is the Coca Cola Teaching Foundation that will provide free money for students pursuing an education in the teaching field. This is the most obvious for teachers, but do not be afraid to check out their other offers.

Coca Cola also offers a substantial grant for students who are the first in their family to attend college and scholarships for minorities. You may even be able to get your entire education paid for in full if you are willing to use your teaching degree in another country or low-income area for a predetermined amount of time.

Teach and Inspire Scholarship Program

Brought to you by The American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence (ABCTE), this full scholarship is provided to individuals looking to become teachers in current high need subject areas in specific states. The location and subject change with each passing year, but this program is more than worth the look as they will pay your tuition in full if you are qualified.

Not only will ABCTE provide you with the money that you need to become a teacher, they will also provide you with the tools and other help you will need after you graduate.

They will help to find you a job where your skills are most usefull and they will help to prepare you for the transition from student to teacher. This non-profit organization is fully committed to helping improve the quality of the education system by infiltrating from the inside.

The Teach and Inspire Scholarship is given out once a year to a predetermined number of students that changes each year. Be sure to apply early, as early applicants receiving priority review, and the deadline is extremely strict.

Funds For Teachers

Not all scholarships or grants are for students entering or already in college. The Funds for Teachers scholarships are for graduates who are already working in the field, but want to improve their possibilities, skills and education in an effort to increase their ability to teach the students that cross their path more effectively. Teachers in PreK through 12th grade are applicable no matter where they teach or what subject they specialize in.

Since 2001, more than 4,000 teachers have been awarded $14.2 million inf grants. This has been divided by $5,000 for individual teachers and $10,000 awards for teams of teachers. The fellowship even goes beyond the United States to 113 other countries to empower teachers in every culture.

The application for the Fund for Teachers scholarship becoms available every October with a deadline in January. The awardees of the money are notified in April, and the disbursement takes place sometime during the summer. The application asks thoughtful questions as opposed to mere formalities.

They are asked what objective they would like to pursue and how they see the money making a difference for themselves as a teacher, but more importantly for their students and community.

Past Awards

Past awards have been used to take schools on education field trips, open up more extra curricular activities, and even help open schools for special needs students. If you are already working as a teacher, but you feel like you could do more for your students if you had more to work with, the Fund for Teachers can help to make that dream a possibility. If you are currently in school to become a teacher, this is a great grant to keep in the back of your mind for future use.

National Board Scholarship Program

The NBPTS is a nonprofit, independent, nongovernmental organization that formed in 1987 to advance the quality of teaching and learning. They set out on a mission to increase the standards set by teachers and integrate certified teachers into educational reform. Through the National Board Scholarship Program, you may be eligible for several different scholarships and grants.

This is a slightly more difficult route for students as you have to pay an initial $500 fee to become a member of the board. This is in addition to the appropriate grades and character.

However, once you have applied and been accepted into the NBPTS, you have access to many scholarships and grants that are not available to those outside of this group. It is almost guaranteed that you will get that $500 back in the form of free money for school, and then some. The membership also includes many other resources that students and teachers will find helpful on a daily basis as opposed to only when tuition is due. If you have $500 to pay upfront, applying for the NBPTS is extremely beneficial to your education and overall career.

Financial Aid Office

No matter what degree you are working towards or what field you plan on working in after graduation, a yearly trip to the financial aid office can help to point you in the right direction in terms of finding a way to pay for college. More than anybody (except yourself), your school wants you to succeed in the classroom and after you leave their institution. The school earns its reputation based on the percentage of students that make it to graduation and how they perform after that long awaited day. It may sound selfish of the school, but use this to your advantage.

They will help you find the most money possible for school so that you can afford the tuition and maybe even have some extra so that you don’t have to work as hard ar your temporary job and can focus on your studies.

In addition to wanting to help you find scholarship and grants to further your teaching studies, they are the most experienced when it comes to what roadblocks students face in the financial department. They can help you to avoid problems and help you out of existing ones.

Because each individual financial aid officer likely helps hundreds of students every year, they will know which scholarships and grants most pertain to your individual needs. They will also know which ones you should not waste your time on.

Getting Financial Aid Information

Many financial aid offices will even have pamphlets and flyers of the best websites for scholarships and grants that you can grab without having to set up an appointment with an officer. Stop by every couple of months just to see if anything new has come up that pertains to your needs and potentially increase the amount of free money you are getting to become a teacher.

Outside Scholarships and Grants

Even if you are planning to go to school to become a teacher, there is no reason you have to limit yourself to looking for scholarships and grants exclusively for prospective teachers. Take a little bit of time to consider who you are beyond a teacher, and you could open yourself up to a nearly endless assortment of other funding options.

For example, there are hundreds of scholarships and grants awarded to people of different ethnicities. The most talked about are the ones that focus on minorities such as African Americans or Latinos, but the options do not stop there. There is even a Federation for Polish Women that hands out yearly scholarships. No matter what your background, it is almost guaranteed that there is a scholarship or grant out there for you. You just have to look for it.

Also consider your hobbies and interests outside of teaching. Do you enjoy playing sports or writing short stories? Do you make quilts in your spare time? Maybe you simply enjoy going for strolls around your neighborhood. There are scholarships for all these activities too, and you don’t even have to be a star to qualify.

While the massive scholarships that star athletes receive are out of reach for the majority of students, smaller amounts are handed out to students that maybe do not exhibit the same talent, but do show passion.

Grants.Gov

Nearly every college student hears about Grants.gov at some point in their educational experience, but not enough take advantage of it. This government run website compiles hundreds of scholarship and grant opportunities that they have deemed genuine, and places them in an easy to find search engine. They are also listed with headings and tags so you can browse a more detailed compilation.

Also, because it is government run and used by hundreds of thousands of students, you can rest assured that the opportunities are not scams to steal your information. Each location is thoroughly checked out by a Grants.gov team before it is placed on the website.

What makes Grants.gov interesting is that applicants fill out a single form that they will send to each scholarship and grant organization that they are interested in and qualified for. Instead of applying to each place individually, students will fill out one somewhat lengthy and comprehensive application upon signing up for Grants.gov.

As they discover opportunities, they simply click “apply” to send their preexisting application. Some places may ask for additional information, but usually it is a short answer type format that makes their organization unique.

Applying for a Variety of Grants

While this seems like the easiest way to apply for multiple scholarships and grants, it does take a bit of strategy. For example, some scholarships are not awarded to those who already have a scholarship for something in the field. If you have applied for a teaching scholarship from Group A and received $500, you may not be eligible to receive a scholarship from Group B.

If Group B is handing out scholarships for $1,000, you just lost $500 by not strategically planning your applications. Basically what it all boils down to is that you should read the fine print before you apply to anything.

Summary of Teaching Grants

Teaching is a noble profession that many people will want to reward you for. They will want to ensure that your education experience is as best as it could possible be for the sake of the future leaders of the country that you will be guiding. For this reason, there are literally hundreds of scholarship aimed directly at teachers.

They might be as broad as awarding to teachers of any subject or grade level, but they might be as specific as awarding the grant to teachers of the second grade in a school in Arizona. You just have to look at what applies to you, and if it doesn’t, keep looking.

More Tips on Obtaining Grants

The more you are willing to do, the more free money you will be able to receive. While this means being willing to do more work to fill out applications and hunching over the computer to find them, it also means having an open heart to extend past your comfort zone after graduation.

Most people who choose to teach do not plan on leaving the country to teach in third world countries, or even in a well-developed country. They plan on staying in their area. However, if you are willing to do something extraordinary with your education, extraordinary opportunities will be passed your way.

Either way, your hard work and dedication will pay off. If it is not in the form of scholarship and grants (although it is very likely that it will be), it will be rewarded to you in the eyes of grateful parents and inspired students.