Free College Funding: Grants for Black Students

Minority Grant Sources

Cash-strapped and looking to go to college? If you’re an African American student you are missing the boat if you’re not exploring your options for grant money. Hundreds, maybe thousands of organizations and businesses hand out millions of dollars every year to help students just like you get an education to succeed in life.

Grant money is similar to scholarship money in that you don’t have to repay it. Good news, right?

The United Negro College Fund Grant Programs

“A mind is a terrible thing to waste,” has been the mantra of the United Negro College Fund for decades. Today it is THE premier source for scholarships and grants designed to assist hundreds of black college students. The organization is rock solid with monetary funds and boasts a huge list of supporters from everyday citizen donors to high-powered executives and celebrities. UNCF maintains a large list of scholarships and grants specifically matched to the needs of African American college students—undergraduates, graduates and post-grad candidates.

African American Grants from Colleges and Universities

Excellent sources for grant money are colleges and university coffers. In many cases colleges prefer to diversify their student bodies and they do this by offering scholarships and grants. In the last few years many of the nation’s top universities have dropped their institutional loan programs and replaced them with grants. This means that hundreds of students that might not have had the financial structure to afford an Ivy-League education can now join their peers and exercise their academic strength through institutional grant programs.

College Grants from the Historically Black Colleges and Universities

The 105 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) also are rich sources for college grants. The list includes 4-year and 2-year institutions. Originally these institutions were established to provide education primarily for African American students when higher education was exclusionary and/or expensive elsewhere. But today, many of these colleges rank among the best in the nation and appeal to a wide range of student. Most are very proactive with scholarships and grants for eligible students.

Tuskegee University, Morehouse College, Spelman College, and North Carolina A&T State University are just a few of the HBCUs that provide additional free gift aid to students.

Sources for African American College Grants

Besides the United Negro College Fund and many of the HBCUs, you’ll also find grants available from many state governments and public and private organizations and businesses. Look for grants from these sources and in this order:

  • Federal government college grants
  • State education grants
  • Black student grants from colleges and universities
  • Grants funded by non-profit organizations
  • Private business and industry grants

State Grant Programs for African American Students

Your state government is usually a source for quite a number of college grants and scholarships, one or two of which are usually designed to assist minority students. Examples:

  • The State of Wisconsin provides a handful of very good educational grants including the Minority Undergraduate Retention Grant. This program is open to financially disadvantaged and at-risk minority students wishing to pursue an undergraduate college program in Wisconsin.
  • North Carolina Community College Grant is open to Pell Grant recipients that continue to prove financial disadvantage. To qualify, students must be enrolled in one of the state’s 2-year community college programs.

Applying for Grants

In most cases your eligibility for any type of grant will be based on your ability to pay for college along with your short-term and long-term goals. Complete the FAFSA. You will be expected to apply for any available federal loans, but don’t miss out on the Federal grant programs, a couple for which you’ll automatically be considered—Pell, FSEOG, Academic Competitiveness Grant, National SMART Grant and TEACH Grants.

Examples: Popular African American Student Grant Programs

  • The Sachs Foundation is a not-for-profit organization based in Colorado. A main goal is to provide African American students from Colorado with the necessary cash aid to make college a possibility. Sachs gives away much of its money in the form of undergraduate scholarships, but a number of graduate level education grants are extended annually.
  • The African American Success Foundation, Inc. provides education grants to eligible African American students whose goal is to conduct research into the history of African American success in education and business.
  • The American Geological Institute offers education grants to African American and other minority students engaged in an undergraduate geoscience studies program.