Free Money News January 2016

Happy New Year! So have you seen Star Wars: The Force Awakens yet? The movie is out and still drawing long lines. It’s grossed over $1.2 billion worldwide in less than three weeks, living up to box office expectations.

Apparently it hasn’t lived up to George Lucas’ expectations. After selling Star Wars for $4 billion Lucas has recently been free with his criticism of its retro tone. Appearing to regret his sale he has referred to Disney as “white slavers.” Can't feel badly since he willingly gave up all rights for a princely price…

The movie has generated more controversy as Carrie Fisher strikes out at social media “trolls” and journalists who criticize her looks. At 59+ she is feisty and puts them in their place in colorful ways…

Actually 2015 was a good year for aging women. Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin are 78 and 76 and doing great in the Netflix sitcom Grace and Frankie. Aretha Franklin stole the show at Lincoln Center Honors. Maggie Smith and Helen Mirren still dominate with brilliant performances. And older women are in the race of U.S. President. Male or female, you can have an outstanding upcoming year too! Check out this round-up of our top Free Money Opportunities for 2016:

One of our hottest topics continues to be all the opportunities and resources out there for starting and running a business. Updates and news items include:


• an increase in the number and amounts of SBA-backed loans available to business borrowers and a new business that works with suppliers to make loans online to small businesses. Much easier than a bank! You’ll learn why it’s important - and profitable - to look to your state for small business funding. And talk about easy — we tell you how you can win a small grant just for being awesome… All of these opportunities are detailed in Grants for Small Business; and

• a review of the decreasing number of business loans available from large banks in Small Business Loans — along with the growing number of non-bank lenders competing for small business loans (good news for small business). Those non-traditional lenders as well as exciting programs for grants from private businesses, states and even cities are covered in the always popular Small Business Financing Opportunities. In that article you will also discover some really amazing investment funds offered by cities and get a great tip on a source of seed funding you probably haven’t thought of — especially if you’re going it alone in your new business. And you can even find a great resource for identifying potential Angel Investors for your business in Fund a Startup Business.

Women and Minority - owned Businesses are doing really well these days though it still can be harder for them to find financing. See how the Minority Business Development Administration is helping to turn things around. Based on their recent successes they are opening lots of business centers across the country and have launched a new partnership with Project Hope. They’ve also started some great programs aimed to promote Hispanic businesses, entrepreneurship and education opportunities. And see our review and updates about Black Business Resources for more information about the phenomenal growth rate for new businesses started by blacks — and black women in particular. Women will find additional information about state funding programs targeted at women as well as grant awards from private businesses in Grants for Women Owned Business and Small Business Grants for Women.

2015 saw lots of news about Pell Grants, the government’s education loans available based on your income. Now those eligible for Pell Grants include not just low-income college students but also high school students taking some college courses; prisoners; and students and working adults taking short term intensive programs (like coding bootcamps) designed to enhance or change their careers. Check out these and other new opportunities in Qualify for a Pell Grant.

An interesting new program from Starbucks also helps veterans and their families go to college. In fact free college tuition is available to veteran employees and their spouse or child. Check it - and more - out in Grants for Veterans.

In addition to the key updates and news highlighted above we have added number of new articles to this site over the past year. We add articles based on the requests and inquiries we get from users — so they are sure to be especially timely and useful for you! Start your new year off right by checking out these important resources:

Home Grants: Find help in all areas related to your home whether you rent, own, or hope to own! Home Grants includes coverage and links for more info on Grants for Housing, Assistance for Rent, Government Grants to Purchase a Home, Grants for First Time Home Buyers, Grants for Home Repair, Home Repair Help, Home Improvement Grants, Assistance for HARP Eligibility, and Reverse Mortgages (those are mortgages that pay you!).

Grants Online: Want to compete for a grant? You may be confused about how and where to find them. Fortunately things have changed quite a bit due to the internet and most can be found and applied for online. So whether you are looking for some of the billions awarded every year by the states and federal government, private companies, Foundations, non-profits or others, you can find them more easily than ever before. That means more competition too — but you’ll be a step ahead if you know just where to look. We show you how in Grants Online.

Money for a Car is critically important for getting to work, getting your kids to school and medical appointments and more. There are some favorable trends in this area as more used cars become available. Find some new resources for help affording your own car in the new Money for a Car.

Government Loans: Everyone needs a loan now and then whether it’s to make a major purchase or just get through hard times. Grants and loans are two very different things. It’s important to know what you’re looking for and whom you can trust. This article explains and summarizes all you should know about Government Loans.

Low Income Help: As the name implies, this article is your go-to spot to find help in a number of areas. You may be aware of some of the resources it covers but there are probably some surprises there too - we do our homework! Take a look at Low Income Help. For help specific to childcare, also see another new article Assistance for Child Care.

Free Money 2015: Last but definitely not least, this article focuses on programs that are more recent, less well known, and sometimes based on today’s new technology. It covers our top recommendations in five areas: Credit Card Programs, Crowdfunding, Education, Recovering Past Wages, and Shopping. They’re all still very valid in 2016 so be sure to catch up on Free Money 2015.

We wish you a happy and prosperous New Year!!