Different types of African American Grants

Stimulating diversity in education results in an equal opportunity for all. And without doubt, it is a dream of every student to get an academic degree in order to be able to pursue their future goals. Regrettably, US experiences a noticeable racial gap in the admission rates at top universities. According to the Data from the National Center for Education Statistics, it’s noticed that less than 65% of African American high school students attend college or university. Now even though the dropout rate of back students is low, it is still observed that those who do leave their education in the middle blame the threat high student loan debt, inability to get a good job, racial discrimination, etc.

Unaware of the different types of African American Grants, it is also seen that in the US, the grants are awarded on the basis of financial need. Thus, the learners falling in the low-income setremain to exhibit the greatest need for financial assistance. African Americans belonging to this category withhold their children from chasing their dreams. Also, since student loan debt is a common phenomenon, wealth disparity between the African Americans and other demographic groups also tie the students from pursuing their dreams.

Affordability has always been an apprehension for all college-bound students, especially the African Americans. Luckily, there are a number of scholarships, grants, assistance and financial aid opportunities earmarked explicitly for the African Americans.

To ensure that everyone gets the right to education, African Americans, during their graduation, can also apply for federal, state, and privately funded education grants and scholarship to help in getting the college degree.

Whilst applying for African American grants, it is necessary to check all the details, including the different need-and merit-based grants available to African Americans. Then there are special African American grants targeting men, women, and students researching in a particular field. The fund amount of African American grants is normally the same as that of the usual grants and range between a few hundred dollars to several thousand dollars. Also, like in most cases, in order to get funds every year, the recipient is expected to reapply every year, and then the funds are granted based on the academic progress made by the student in the preceding year.

Eligibility Requirements

The foremost important criteria is that the student applying for the African American grant for education has to be an African American. Centralized education grants are usually granted keeping in mind the financial need of the applicant. This is determined by the FAFSA. The State and other privately funded African American grants usually take into consideration the applicant’s place of residence, academic achievement, planned course of study, etc.

Here are some of the different types of African American Grants

General African American Grants

• AICPA Fellowship for Minority Doctoral Students
• Ford Foundation Fellowship Program
• Frederick Douglass Distinguished Scholars Program
• United Nigro College Fund

Grants for African American Women

• AAUW Professions Group Fellowship
• National Black Nurses Association
• National Association of Black Journalists Awards
• Dr. Julianne Malveaux Scholarship
• The Dr. Blanca Moore-Velez Woman of Substance Scholarship

Grants for African American Males

• Pell Grant
• CUNY Opportunity Programs
• Cornell University Fellowship for Minorities
• The National GEM Consortium Fellowship Program
• 100 Black Men Virginia scholarship

There are several scholarships available for the minority African American students, and then there are those that helps students who are seeking a postgraduate degree. These include:

• AAAS Minority Science Writers Internship
• ABA Diversity Scholarship
• ALA – LITA/LSSI Scholarship
• ACS Scholars Program
• ACHE Albert W. Dent Graduate Student Scholarship
• Actuarial Diversity Scholarship
• Association of Blacks in Energy Scholarships
• African American Teaching Fellows
• American Library Association Spectrum Scholarship