Free Money News August 2017

August: Back to School time! Where did the summer go? Whether you’re a student or a teacher it’s a hectic time, shopping for school and figuring out how to pay for every thing your family and/or classroom needs.

This year spending for back to school and college is predicted to top $83 billion dollars! Great for retailers but could be tough on you. August’s Free Money Highlights include news on grants and scholarships for students and teachers.

Tropical Storm Emily shows hints of the upcoming hurricane season. Storms of another kind continue in the Trump Administration… efforts to repeal and replace Obamacare failed once again and Healthcare in the U.S. is in limbo. Scaramucci has been tossed out as White House Communications Director just 10 days into the job.

The good news? Employment is up. Wages are rising. Our Free Money Highlights can help you thrive this season:

Our newest article should hit home with anyone dreaming of buying a house — whether it’s your first time or not. Did you know that across the county there are more than 2400 different programs to help buyers with down payments, tax credits, low interest loans, deferred loans and more? We show you the best places to start looking to find the help that works best for you. Often it’s quite close to home as local lenders as well as housing agencies are on a mission to help more people achieve this important part of the “American Dream.” Take a look at Down Payment Assistance and go get your house now that the summer rush is over!

Home buyers and home owners should also be aware that 3% mortgages are still available, as we discuss in our latest update to Government Grants to Purchase a Home. And if you’re already a homeowner and would like to take some money out of your house you can still take advantage of the amazing Home Affordable Refinancing Program (HARP). Yes, it’s still around but may end by the end of this year… See our review in Assistance for HARP Eligibility. And if you’ve been looking for a way to save an historic building find out about new foundation grants available to the tune of $500,000 in Grants for Historical Buildings.

Did you know that Amazon has become a major small business lender? Sounds a little unusual but it makes a lot of sense: if you sell on Amazon they know quite a bit about you and can judge your creditworthiness. And they’ve made over $2 billion in loans in the past year - here at home and in Japan and the U.K. If you’ve considered selling on Amazon this may make it even more worthy of your consideration. See our July 2017 update in Small Business Financing Opportunities.

If your business isn’t up and running yet — but you’d like it to be if you could just get some financing — definitely take a look at Grants to Start a Business. There may very well be some you’ve never heard of!

Teachers — especially those involved with STEM topics (or wanting to be): the Department of Energy along with NASA and the National Science Foundation’s Distinguished Educator Fellowship Program should interest you. Don’t assume it’s only for grad students and college professors: they focus on teachers in grades K through 12. Learn more in our update to Grants for Teachers.

Students: Please don’t ignore scholarships. They are legitimate “Free Money!” And they are definitely not just for the brainiacs and super athletes. There are thousands and there really is something for everyone. We know that the big scholarship search sites can be overwhelming but you can find alternatives in Find Scholarships. And our recent update to fastweb and finaid shows you how to find local and online education opportunities.

Students and Families: There has been a recent uptick in the number of FAFSA applications being filed. People are catching on and families are learning that they should apply even if they dont’ think they’ll qualify for anything — often a mistaken assumption!. Find out more in our July Update to Federal Aid under the heading Assistance for College.

Parents, teachers and non-profits: if your kids enjoy gardening or you’d like them to know more about it, see our latest update to Grants for Kids. They provide some grants, programs and contests to help you with content as well as some financing. Lots more helpful tips in that article as well!

Many of our articles cover topics that can help you bring more income into your life. You may have heard a lot about Unclaimed Money and wondered if it’s all true. You can be sure it’s true that the states are holding tens of billions of dollars in unclaimed property — and making plenty of money off of it. People will claim to find you money that belongs to you if you pay a fee, or give them a cut of what’s found. But you don’t need to do that. See Find Unclaimed Money to see how to put together a thorough, strategic search for money that rightfully belongs to you. And see our latest update that shows how at least one state is actually being proactive trying to find owners of the cash and property they are holding.

Personal Grants is an article updated regularly with information about new places to look for grants that benefit individuals. It summarizes our latest articles — a great place to visit regularly so you don’t miss new information. Dental Care, getting a car, resources for felons, low income help you might not have heard about, disability grants and home grants are just a few of the topics covered here.

Grants for Churches: Huh? Yes, there are some! Our Grants for Churches article discusses ones we have found including what it takes to be eligible and how to get more information. Recently we learned that the Department of Health and Human Services provides grants not just to secular non-profits that provide community services but also to faith-based organizations. They even have a newsletter you can receive regarding faith-based and neighborhood partnerships. See our July update to Grants for Churches to find out more.

Enjoy the rest of your summer – make it a rewarding one!