Historically, African Americans have been at a disadvantage when it comes to educational resources. Over time, an effort has been made to change this and a variety of college grant and scholarship programs have been created to help open up higher education to those who might not even consider it as part of their future. Paying for school can be a lot easier with help from grants, and many who qualify can cover quite a bit of the costs though the money grants generate.

While grant programs often take into account a student’s academic performance or success in other areas, a great majority are designed to help students who would be otherwise unable to afford college. To apply for these kinds of awards students will need to fill out a FAFSA form and may need to provide a previous year’s tax returns. For more merit-based awards, GPA and school transcripts will likely need to be acquired and sent to the grant donor.

Perhaps one of the largest organizations that provides college grants to African American students is the United Negro College Fund. Founded in 1944, it hands out grants and scholarships to tens of thousands of college students every year at colleges all across the country. While many are geared towards study at historically black universities, students can find funding to attend any college they choose through the fund.

Students may be able to find grant funding directly though their university as well, especially if they are attending a historically black college or university like Tuskegee or Bethune-Cookman. These schools often provide grants based on financial need, especially for single mothers, or due to the student’s impressive performance academically or in athletics.

Private companies and organizations can provide another source of funding, especially for students entering high demand fields like nursing. Big name corporations like Coca Cola also offer students support and can be a great way to fund an education.

African American College Grants

• Emerging Leaders in Public Health Grant: $4,500 to cover the cost of attending this leadership program from the University of North Carolina go to a limited number of minority students majoring in health care.
• American Society for Engineering Education Helen T. Carr Fellowship: Up to $10,000 to a varied number of African American students pursuing a doctoral degree in Engineering.
• Lydia Donaldson Tutt-Jones Memorial Research Grant: $2,000 awarded each year to an African American graduate student.
• Minority Teacher Incentive Grant Program: $5,000 awarded annually to minority junior or senior undergraduate students.
• National Leadership Development Grants: $500 to $5,000 awarded each year to 75 minority undergraduate students who are of the Methodist faith.