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Faith Based Funding for Students

Written by Kara Lilly

Tuesday, 17 June 2008

Your spirituality is very important to you, so much that you want to apply it in your career or maybe you just want to attend a Christian or Faith Based College. If so, here are a few places to look for funding.

1. Your College - Before checking any place else, check with the school you are interested in. Since a great many of these are awarded to students that are enrolled at the institute that they are offered at, you should schedule an appointment with your financial aid advisor and request information from her/him concerning what awards would be available to you.

2. Churches - Ask your pastor or head of your church if they offer grants or scholarships. Your church may not offer a specific scholarship, but church members may be willing to help fund a portion of your college education.

Additionally, church foundations offer scholarships, such as the United Church of Christ's scholarships. Ask your clergyman for the list of scholarships available from your organization. Many exist for those wishing to enter the clergy or do missionary work and several exist for those applying for general scholarships in both graduate and pre-graduate studies.

3. The Government - Another place Christian teens can find money for college is the government. There are government supported loans and grants that many college students opt to use to pay for their college costs. Grants are the better option, because they do not need to be paid back, but federal loans should not be discounted if scholarships and grants do not cover all costs. Every U.S. student, no matter how much contribution they receive from their parents, should put in a FAFSA application.

4. Private Lenders -Not every Christian teen will be eligible for government-backed loans and grants, and those same students may not receive as many scholarships they need. Another option for those students could be private loans. Several private lenders are now offering loans to students or their parents in order to help pay for a college education. However, these loans often come with higher interest rates and less flexible repayment options, so other options should be explored first.

Want to explore some more specific organizations that offer funding? Try these:

• Women's awards are also available for Christian women and minorities. Two notable ones are the Women's Missionary Union Scholarships and Lee Frances Heller Memorial Award.
United Church of Christ.

• The UCC offer the Brown Scholarships, which award awards up to $10,000 annually for students seeking pastoral degrees. This award is administered by the seven seminaries of the United Church of Christ and the Council of Racial and Ethnic Ministries (COREM).
• American Bible Society -Scholarships for Education, Medical and Seminary Students. The American Bible Society has received two endowments to fund scholarships.
• The William and Alice Brown endowment will provide a $3,000 scholarship for outstanding academic accomplishments and leadership potential in the fields of Medicine and Education.
• Lt. Colonel Robert and Mrs. Rae M. Goodridge, USAF Reserve Retired, Phd, have made possible four scholarships of $3,000 each, only for residents of Hawaii, who are full-time students in a post-graduate Protestant seminary or divinity program.
• Woman's Missionary Union - The WMU offers a number of scholarships to women or children of women missionaries and clergy. The foundation seeks to advance the support of Christian values through charity, educating and missionary work. Most of the awards are under $1000.
• R. Keith Parks Scholarship Fund: For post-graduate work for students wishing to enter the foreign missionary field.
• Carolyn Weatherfod Scholarship Fund: Another post-graduate award for students entering foreign missionary work.
• Julia C. Pugh Scholarship: This is for children of international and North American missionaries.
• Mattie J. C. Russell Scholarship: Another award for children of North American missionaries
• Lee Frances Heller Memorial Award

This is a scholarship sponsored by Julie Ann Johnson and awarded to a Christian transgendered student and can be used at any college or University for religious studies. Ms Heller made her life's work seeking to educate people in the Christian faith, focusing on her sisters of the transgendered community. This scholarship does require an essay of how your transgender identity and your membership in a church have related to one another. They also ask you to submit your home church and any other related leadership experience. Successful applicants will receive the scholarship in the amount of $1500.

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About The Author:

Evelyn Saunders, a retired teacher, is the editor for student-loans.net , a provider of private student loans and information on student loans and consolidation. For more information, please visit http://www.student-loans.net

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