Free Money News January 2019

Happy New Year and welcome 2019! There’s lots of entertainment coming right up: the NFL’s Wildcard Weekend starts January 5 with a Texas doubleheader: Indianapolis at Houston and Seattle at Dallas. Who will make it to the final goal: a spot in Super Bowl LIII in Atlanta on February 3, 2019? Many expect a Super Bowl game between the New Orleans Saints and the Kansas City Chiefs. Time will tell…

Maybe just as exciting - if not more so - will be the January 7 College Football Championship game between the Clemson Tigers and the Crimson Tide. This is the third time in four seasons that the two have faced off for the championship and expectations are high!

2018 was something of a rollercoaster year but overall it was a good one. The economy has been hot and that can continue. Focus on making 2019 an outstanding year. Whether you want to start a business, go to school, find a home or fix yours up, or just hope to improve your financial situation there are important tips for you in this month’s Free Money Highlights:

Fire Department Grants is our newest article. It’s an important one since all too often fire departments lack the level of funding necessary to do the best possible job protecting their communities. The good news is that there are grants available from the government and from private organizations and foundations. These apply to both career departments and to the many volunteer organizations which are dedicated to fighting fires. Take a look at Fire Department Grants to see what might be available to help your local department and your community. Also learn more about a new act awaiting the President’s signature — it could mean significant additional grant funding for those who risk their lives to keep us safe.

One of our hottest topics is always the traditional and new options available now to help you start and/or grow a business. Current updates and news items include:

Microfinancing Opportunities:

This one may be a bit surprising: There are new microfinancing opportunities in the form of microloans … and the news is that they’re for refugees! Many refugees come here with very little but they are highly motivated to start their own businesses. Some organizations that help to resettle these people are offering micro loans. Some people complain that it’s not fair to offer these loans to refugees rather than U.S. citizens. But as our review of Microfinancing in the U.S. shows it’s not the case the citizens cannot get these loans. Check out our latest update and see what could be available for you and your business.


The Minority Business Development Agency is an excellent resource for women and minority businesses. Lately they have been promoting their efforts to help these businesses to learn about and use new technologies developed in government labs. Be sure to see our review of the MBDA and keep up with what’s going on. heyT can often be a great help to your business if it’s woman or minority owned and managed.

Always check the latest in our popular reviews about Fund a Startup Business, Grants for Small Business, Business Help for Women, and Small Business Ideas.

While grants for teachers can be hard to find there are always new opportunities to be found if you look for them. We have recently reviewed grants being offered to teachers and scholars at the doctoral and post doctoral levels. If this applies to you be sure to see our latest update to Grants for Teachers. The American Council of Learned Societies is offering grants and last year they awarded more than $24 million to 250 scholars (including teachers).

If you’re struggling trying to figure out how to pay for school you should be aware of several important resources:

Pell Grants gives you the low down on these amazing grants that are truly “free money.” You don’t have to compete for them, you simply qualify based on your low income. And you never have to pay the money back. Discover more in Pell Grants and especially in Qualify for Pell Grants.

An important school financing topic too often ignored is Scholarships. These too are funds that do not have to be repaid. Don’t think you can’t qualify because you’re not a brainiac or super talented in some specific area. There are thousands of scholarships available and you are surely eligible for some of them. Some of them are simply contests that can be won based on luck. Get more details in Scholarship Information and in Scholarship Contests.

Are you still procrastinating looking into HARP? It’s still available — for a while anyway — but they end could be near. Discover the latest on what’s happening with HARP and why you should give it a shot even if you’ve been turned down before in Assistance for HARP Eligibility.

Is the cold winter weather making your home repairs even more necessary? Don’t ignore them because you don’t think there’s any way to afford them. Check out the options we cover in Grants for Home Repair and see if you might be able to find assistance in your own community. If you’d consider a loan take a look at our recent review of special resources for those with lower credit scores in Home Repair Loans.

Are you still temped by the “Free Money Book”? You do know that the author is still in jail, right? Check out our review to see why we don’t recommend it and how to get it cheap if you just can’t resist in Free Money Book.

Please please please be sure to get you children vaccinated. It is scientifically proven that vaccinations do not cause autism. And you could be putting your children and other at risk of serious diseases. We know it costs money. But we also want you to know that there is a program that will let you get these vaccinations for free. Please go and check out our latest update to healthcare.gov.

Grants for Felons

Yes, there are some — especially programs that can help those about to get out of prison. Better yet, there are apparently new prison reforms coming through (the First Step Act) that can be good news to (some) felons. Discover more in our updated Grants for Felons.

Grants for Researchers

Did you know that Crowdfunding turns out to be an excellent fundraising strategy for researchers? They’re apparently pretty good at it — especially women and younger researchers. People who contribute are not looking for a financial benefit — they are simply motivated by the type of research being done. Worth looking into: see the latest in Crowdfunding.

Happy New Year!