$2,500 Aboriginal Student Grants- Apply now!

Did you See This Grant?

ECO Canada is pleased to share with you this great opportunity for Aboriginal students.

2012 Newalta Aboriginal Environmantal Scholarship

Application deadline: Monday, May 14th, 2012

In partnership with Newalta, ECO Canada will be awarding three scholarships worth $2,500 each to Aboriginal students entering their first year of post-secondary studies.

Do you know a student who has demonstrated environmental leadership in your community?

>> Encourage your students to apply online today at eco.ca/scholarships.

For more information, contact Rebecca Dickson at scholarships@eco.ca for more details.

Applications are due May 14, 2012.

Thank you to Newalta, a proud sponsor of the Newalta Aboriginal Environment Scholarship.

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Feel free to distribute to any people that may be interested.

Aren’t you glad you signed up for Freebie alerts from Freebies 4 Canada? Be sure to share your Freebies on our Freebies 4 Canada Facebook Page!

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FREE Money: Adult Literacy Award!

Have a Great Adult Literacy Program? Grab this Award Money!

Update: October 2014 - The application just ended for 2014. Watch for 2015 application to open soon.

Free Money For Alberta Education-Kids

Alberta Government Offers Additional Education Funds

Interesting eligibility requirements on this one: Curious age requirement on the $100 grant. Do I see everyone packing their vehicles for Alberta now?

What is the Alberta Centennial Education Savings Plan?

Free Cash-Special Needs - NWT, Yukon, BC!

BC Lions Special People Helping Special Needs Kids!

Do you know a family with a child who has special needs? Please pass this info on to them.
BC Lions Patient Care Grants help families with children who have special needs in BC, the Yukon and the Northwest Territories.
Families of children with disabilities frequently face extremely high costs, not covered by other medical plans. My brother was born with quadriplegia, so I know first hand, how important grants of this type are to families.

Free Money! PC Children’s Charity Scoop Appeal Boosts Kids!

PC Children’s Charities-Helping Kids –Scoop Now!

Click to choose a scoop and President's Choice^®Children’s Charities receives $1 towards its fundraising goal.
Which flavour will you add? Go to the President's Choice®Children’s Charity Facebook App to participate.

About President's Choice^®Children’s Charities

Free Money for high school grads ECO Grants (Exp.May 16)

Environmental Studies Grant for recent high school grads.
All application forms, reference letters and proof of enrollment letters will be sent directly toscholarships@eco.ca by May 16, 2011.
Step 1:  Complete the scholarship application form

Free Money-Up to 4K Apprenticeship Grants

Apprentices: Canadian Government Grants 4K Max

Who? Registered apprentices who have successfully finished their first or second year/level(or equivalent) in one of the Red Seal trades can apply for the Apprenticeship Incentive Grant (AIG), which is a taxable cash grant of $1,000 per year/level up to a maximum of $2,000.

It is FREE to apply! Get the info from the government link below. Deadline June 30.

Apprenticeship Grants

Free money Montreal, AVON employee Scholarship

Avon Canada Scholarship Program

From their Website:

Available to: one student from each of the two school boards in Montréal’s West Island – Lester B. Pearson and Marguerite-Bourgeoys – as well as to one child of an Avon employee.

Amount Awarded: Each scholarship covers up to four years of tuition, to a maximum of $16,000, at any accredited Canadian degree-granting institution, in addition to $300 per year for the purchase of books. A $500 grant-in-aid is also awarded to the high schools that the recipients graduate from.

See the original post:

Avon cosmetics, beauty, make-up, skincare, fragrance, jobs, work from home

Free Money GGC Scholarships

Energizer, CIBC, Dare offer Scholarships to GGC Members.

I was pleasantly surprised to find out about these scholarships offered to members of Girl Guides of Canada to help with further education. There are also scholarships established by individuals like Roberta Bondar, and in memory of Norma Osler, and Col. Karen Ritchie.

Seriously thinking of switching banks! What is your bank doing to support volunteers who help raise healthy women?

Check out the scholarships by clicking the link below.

Scholarships - Girl Guides of Canada

Free Money for Ontario and Quebec Schools Green Apple Grants

Found on Info 4 Canada
Schools! Apply before March 31st 2011 . Get $1 K for Green Initiatives!
Metro is donating $1 million  to help schools with Green initiatives they undertake on their grounds , or in their communities. Has your school applied yet?
She hasn’t been able to find the criteria for Quebec schools yet. Here are the guidelines for Ontario schools:

1. School Qualifications

Free Money for Student Loan Repayment

Lugging around a huge student debt load ?  Need help repaying it?  You may qualify for help or even total forgiveness. First there is an interest relief period, that can help you through a rough patch. However, there are times that call for total loan forgiveness. In certain situations, the federal and provincial governments will  forgive the entire loan.  If you have a permanent disability that restricts your ability to work, and you've exhausted your entire interest relief period, you can  apply to have all your loans forgiven. Remember to apply for forgiveness on both federal and provincial loans.

Province Specific Programs:

Here are a few examples of Province Specific Programs:

Ontario has a  Ontario Student Opportunity Grant. This grant automatically reduces an Ontario student's debt load to $7,300 for a two-term academic year and $10,950 for a three-term academic year.

In B.C., The Pacific Leaders Program allows any  provincial government employee with loans in good standing to have their entire loans gradually forgiven at a rate of one third per year, leaving them debt free at the end of three years. Also in B.C.,  medical practitioners working in publicly funded facilities and meeting certain criteria  can have their loans forgiven in the same manner. Medical professions include: nursing, speech therapy, audiology, midwifery and psychology, etc. (Click here for full list and details.)

Call your provincial loan office for loan forgiveness programs in your province.

Please help out by adding links in the comments.

This article was inspired by another article found on the net. If you are the original author, please leave a comment, so I may give you proper recognition, my browser crashed and I lost your link.

Free Money-Grant Warning

Grants
There are billions of dollars available through over 900 grants available for small business owners, community development programs, non-profit organizations, import/export initiatives, research & development, students, art projects, and more. There are even grants for helping pay general expenses and getting out of debt. The key is knowing which ones to apply for, meeting the eligibility criteria and knowing how to apply. 

However, there are scams claiming to offer free money from the government. Watch out for programs claiming:

• no application needed
• guaranteed grants
• phone calls asking for personal information
• phone calls claiming to be from the government offering a grant

Grants must have applications filled out, it is rare for the government to contact those approved for grants by phone and they will not ask for personal information over the phone.

While Money Pop advertises  Canadian Grant Programs Assistance Directory as giving “you a list of the various grants available and how to apply for them for a one time fee of $54.00”. I don’t see how this can be considered as giving. You are, after all, paying for it!  Think I’ll keep surfing and searching for info.

Adapted from: How to Get Free Money from the Canadian Government

Free Money! - Grant Writing Tips

Do’s and Don’ts of Grant Writing: I just found these great tips on the J.W. McConnell Family Foundation site:

 Don’t:

• Send a generic, "one size fits all" request without reference to the foundation's guidelines or interests;
• Send a list of possible project ideas and invite the foundation to select the one that most interests them;
• Tell the foundation that their funds are required to match a government grant;
• Ask for all of the funds you need from a single source;
• Send too much or too little ie a 20-page proposal with numerous attachments—or a one-page letter with minimal information;
• Use jargon or acronyms that are not spelled out;
• Request a meeting (or feedback on an idea by telephone) in advance of sending anything in writing;
• Approach a family member (if a family foundation) or board members directly to ask for their support;
• Send a request to the wrong name at the right address or the right name at the wrong address.

Do consider the following:

• Find out as much as you can about a foundation before approaching them (research their website, annual reports, etc.);
• Tailor your request to the interests of the particular foundation (we're all different);
• Send your request in the form specified by the foundation. For example, some foundations do not accept applications by email, while others prefer that format;
• Make sure you send your letter of enquiry to the identified contact person. Sending it to someone else could delay the processing of your application.
• Send brief letters of enquiry containing all of the pertinent information;
• When submitting a full proposal, include an executive summary;
• Come to the point. Somewhere near the beginning of your proposal, state in one or two sentences precisely what you want to do, and what part of the project the foundation’s grant would be used for;
• Advise the foundation of other potential or actual funders, any prior evaluations that have been conducted, and how you plan to evaluate the project over the course of the grant;
• Demonstrate that you are submitting the proposal as part of a longer-term strategy and that if the project is not slated to end, steps will be taken to ensure it is sustainable beyond the period of foundation funding;
• Demonstrate community support (volunteer hours, financial contributions, etc.). Indeed it can be effective to have a board member or other active volunteer write the covering letter;
• Whenever possible, show that you will be collaborating with other organizations in implementing your project;
• Continue to approach a foundation from time to time (but not too frequently!) even if you have been declined; foundations evolve and priorities change (be sure to do your homework—have another look at their website, annual reports, etc.).

J.W. McConnell Family Foundation is a private family foundation funding programs, often innovative, to foster a more inclusive, sustainable and resilient society. Their vision is a Canada where all people feel a sense of belonging and contribute as active citizens to improving the well-being of all. (from their Website)

 

Free Money for your Child’s Education-Smart Saver Project

On the SmartSaver.org site you can get information on how to get FREE money for your child’s education from the government when you open an RESP for them even without putting any money in the account yourself, as well as matching percentages based on your income. In addition, there are links to Social Insurance Number Application forms,and a chart to compare different RESP Plans. At first glance there seems to be a bit of bias towards four financial institutions which have direct links on the site:  Bank of Nova Scotia(site sponsor)  ,Royal Bank of Canada (site sponsor),Bank of Montreal ,and TD Bank.  However, RESPs from these providers are cited as having:

• No enrolment fee
• No annual fee
• No minimum contribution
• 100% guaranteed investment option

I was surprised not to find my financial institution in the list. Is yours there?

The Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development,  announced the launch of the SmartSaver project on September 24, 2010. The aim of the Smart Saver project is to  provide families with financial information in plain language, making it easier to understand and invest in an RESP.

The Government of Canada and the Omega Foundation have teamed up to increase awareness of and participation in Registered Education Savings Plans (RESPs).  Although the target audience of this three-year partnership is low- and middle-income families living in the Great Toronto Area, the layman’s terms explaining how to get FREE money for your child’s education will be helpful to everyone.

“Our government believes that access to post-secondary education is essential to securing future opportunities for young Canadians,” said Minister Finley. “This investment will help encourage low- and middle-income families to save early for their children’s future education.”

Read the article that inspired this blog.