Scholarships for Women in 2009: AARP Foundation

The AARP Foundation announced a call for entries to its third annual Women’s Scholarship Program.
The scholarships will provide funds to women 40 years and older who are seeking new job skills, training and educational opportunities to support themselves and their families.

To be eligible for the scholarships, applicants must:

- Be female, and 40 years or older as of March 31, 2009
- Be able to demonstrate financial need
- Be enrolled in an accredited post-secondary school or training program within 6 months of the scholarship award date

Priority consideration is given to women in three categories: women raising children of another family member, such as grandparents raising grandchildren, or those raising siblings or nieces/nephews; women who have been out of the workforce for an extended period of time; and women in dead end jobs, those with no opportunity for advancement, low pay and lacking either health or retirement benefits.

Scholarships may be used for any course of study at a public or private secondary school, including community colleges, technical schools and four-year universities. Funds are payable to the institution and may be used to pay for tuition, fees and books.

Interested applicants can submit their application online beginning February 3 at www.aarpfoundationwlc.org. The application process closes March 31, and scholarships will be awarded in the early summer.

Scholarship winners will be chosen by an independent selection committee established by the AARP Foundation. They will be cho-sen on the basis of financial need, personal circumstances and achievements, educational goals and the likely impact of the scholarship on their lives and their families and communities. The Foundation will award up to 100 scholarship awards ranging from $500 to $5,000, depending on financial need and the cost of the education or training program.

“The AARP Foundation is pleased to be offering the Women’s Scholarship Program again this year,” said Michigan State Director Steve Gools. “AARP Foundation is committed to elevating opportunities for women. Since its beginning, the program has provided valuable resources that enabled more nearly 350 deserving women to have access to the educational tools to advance their professional goals.”

While many individuals benefit from the work of the AARP Foundation, research shows that women are disproportionately at risk of having insufficient resources in the second half of their lives due to lower earning and different work patterns.

The AARP Foundation first announced the Women’s Scholarship Program in August of 2007 to help women 40 years and older overcome financial and employment barriers by allowing them to participate in education and training opportunities they could otherwise not afford.

The scholarship program is made possible by the AARP Foundation with support from the AARP Foundation Women’s Leadership Circle. Scholarships are available to eligible individuals with moderate to lower incomes and limited financial resources.

For more information about the AARP Foundation, please log on to www.aarp.org/foundation.