Search for College Grants By Subject
“Show Me the Money”
Grants designed specifically for students pursuing particular fields of study are many and varied. But where do grants come from? Common grant sources that help you fund college education:
- Federal government
- State need-based programs
- Colleges and universities
- Corporations
- Private organizations
Popular Subjects that Draw Big Grant Money
The fields of study that draw the most grant funding, from all of the sources listed just above, include:
- Science
- Technology
- Engineering
- Math
- Nursing
- Teaching
- Arts
Grants for SMET Subjects
If you’re a student interested in studying science, math, engineering, or technology (or the SMET subjects) you’re in luck.
- Federal SMET Grants--Academic competitiveness is the goal behind many of the government grants. The National SMART Grant is designed for this student profile: academically talented, financially needy, with interests in science, math, chemistry, technology, or engineering. Seems American students lag behind their European counterparts in the SMET subjects.
- Professional organizations that support the field of engineering, the sciences, technical fields—National Science Foundation math fellowships and the Morris Udall Foundation grants—are well funded and willingly provide for talented and disadvantaged students—the next generation of professionals.
- Grants from Bell Labs and Lucent Technologies are typical of corporate grant sponsors. You’ll find an array of science, math, and engineering grants in this sponsor category. Grants by degree level include those relative to undergraduate, graduate, and PhDs. In research-heavy business and industry, courtship of talented students is a necessary part of business. Students that accept grants, however, may be expected to commit to jobs with the same corporate sponsor.
Subject-Specific Grants Designed for Women and Minorities
The college educations of women and ethnic minorities could also commonly be funded with Law student grants, business school subsidies, and journalism grants, many from colleges and private industry. Again, like the SMET programs, these mainstream careers have been historically a common breeding ground for white professional males.
Break the cycle and get funded.
Underrepresented Students Fare Well with SMET Grants
The fields of science, engineering, and math are wide open for underrepresented students—African American, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, and women will all find a stable of lucrative grants for minorities. These populations are especially underrepresented in the tech-engineering sector. Some rich sources within this category include:
- Math grants for minorities and women originate primarily with private industry and professional associations. If you fit the profile, they are looking for talented students just like you.
- You’ll find a few engineering diversity grants from key corporate sources such as IBM and Google. They are very competitive, but if you’re qualified, then work your best angle.
Grants in High Need Fields Offset Shortages
Nursing and teaching remain two high-need fields. Government entities take particular notice of low enrollment in these professional fields because they figure so prominently for the public at large. In response, students in hot pursuit of either degree type have a wide selection of grant funds especially from government coffers.
Grants Buy Good Teachers
Public education is always wanting for good teachers, and grant money helps. Government programs provide aid to undergraduate and graduate students and often bundles in service agreements in return for educational aid. If you have the slightest interest in teaching then consider exploring a program like the Transition to Teaching program, or other federally funded grants for teaching students.
After you check federal programs, look to your home state for grant money for student teachers.
Nursing and Healthcare to Offset Industry Shortages
Perhaps the most widely advertised shortage is in nursing. Most industry sources cite bleak statistics on nurses: the lackluster number entering the field versus the mass exodus out. If doomsday speculations were to actually wane true, our healthcare system, as we know it, would buckle. In response, new nursing recruits, including men and minorities, are being wooed with lucrative nursing grant subsidies, tuition waivers and grant and loan repayment agreements for nursing students from state and federal governments. About two-thirds of states offer grant assistance to nursing students. So check your state programs. Remember, though, there may be a binding contract that requires you work for an underserved hospital or public school system to “repay” grant gifts.
Alternative healthcare grants:
- Professional nursing associations attached to each specialty, such as the American Association of Critical Care Nurses and the Emergency Nurses Association often provide need-based grants for student members.
- Grants for medical study, physical therapy, and occupational therapy also indicate regular shortages, though nothing that approximates the nursing shortage.
How to Find Arts-based Grants
No discussion of grant monies would be complete without mention of the stable of art grants that may include aid for students pursuing degrees in art studio, graphic arts, performing arts, and even art history. One of the historically wealthy sources of grants for art students is the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). Depending on the current Presidential Administration, it’s anyone’s guess how well this federally funded program is positioned financially, but the NEA traditionally bears the deepest pockets. Other good sources for art grants include:
- College and university art departments
- Art grants from private donors
- Private businesses with arts-based interests may occasionally subsidize art students.
What better way to create excitement for particular fields than to dangle the money carrot? If you think you qualify, then act now; remember, explore sources from largest to smallest: federal, state, corporate, university, and private sources for grant money that can make a difference.
