Friday, October 23, 2009

Government Grant Program Deadline Extended!



It’s not for as long a period as entrepreneurs around the country were hoping, but the U.S. House of Representatives has passed a bill reauthorizing the deadline date of one of their grant programs to October 31, 2009.

This particular grant program (along with their sister program) provides millions of dollars in grants — with awards reaching upwards of $750,000 to individual businesses meeting specific criteria — to technology start-up companies through a variety of federal agencies, including the Department of Defense, Department of Agriculture, Department of Health and Human Services and NASA.





Grant Program

Available

For Nurses

Who Want To Teach!







Because there is a shortage of nursing teachers, more of them are sorely needed! Despite the economic downturn, record numbers of well qualified potential nursing students continue to be turned away or placed on long waiting lists, (in some cases several years in length), by traditional campus based nursing schools due to severe shortages of nurse educators. As has been reported for many months now, the nationwide deficit of nursing faculty has reached critical proportions as the current faculty workforce rapidly advances toward retirement and the pool of younger replacement faculty decreases. The shortage of nurse educators poses serious threat to national health care. The number of nursing graduates with bachelor’s and master’s degrees isn’t keeping up with soaring demand. Educators and health planners see the growing demand for nurses not only as a need for additional personnel but also for additional education, with more nurses prepared in baccalaureate programs that emphasize leadership, patient education, case management, and care across a variety of acute care and outpatient settings.

For example, at one hospital the shortage of highly qualified nurses who teach is already so bad that it’s had two nurse educator positions open for two years, even at the largest hospital in a state with one of the nation’s worst unemployment rates. According to one spokesperson from the hospital, "It has an impact on care. It really does. It has an impact on how quickly we are able to advance and institute new programs. We absolutely struggle to find nurses with master’s degrees who are educated in teaching.

The looming nursing crisis could mean that the region has thousands fewer nurses than it needs by 2020, according to projections by health officials. Federal estimates have projected the nation will have 29 percent fewer nurses than it needs by 2020.

The influx of baby boomers with complex health needs and an aging nursing population are exacerbating the problem. The average age of nurses is 49, while the average age of nursing faculty is 55. In one tri-state area, the more than 60 nursing schools can’t keep up with the demand.

So because of this three states are banding together with the help of a $250,000 grant which, joined with grants from others, aims to increase the number of teachers, add training opportunities and provide incentives for nurses to want to pursue advanced degrees. One of the goals of the project is to encourage nurses who are interested in teaching to get their master’s or doctorates with scholarships. The grants can be used for anything related to their education, including child care or transportation, as long as the recipient agrees to a year of teaching for each year of funding.

So far over 15 grants of $10,000 each so far have been awarded.

If you are considering getting your nursing degree online, online nursing degree programs make it possible for working adults to earn an advanced degree whenever and wherever it`s convenient for them, rather than having to rearrange work and family responsibilities around fixed class schedules. This ability to continue earning while learning through online nursing degree programs is making school accessible to millions of working professionals who would find it impossible to return to school otherwise. With 24/7 access to virtual classrooms, multimedia lessons, and the ability to network with fellow students and professors via message boards, chat rooms, and e-mail, online students enjoy distinct advantages over campus based students! And there are scholarships available for those that want to study and /or earn their degree(s) online.





Grant Program

Available

For Single Dads




As part of our government's new stimulus package there is more opportunities and more funding for education grants. There are several categories of grants available, but a big portion of it is reserved for dads. The newly revised grant system was created in order to cover many of life's expenses and school at the same time so there is less financial burden for these individuals. There are lots of single dads out there who hold down more than one job to try to support their family. This grant will cover some of this, the tuition, the books, amongst other things.

Once you receive this grant, you can receive up to $10,000 a year or $5100 a semester for up to 18 semesters. That will be more than enough to put you through until you graduate. (In the future the government is looking to increase the funds again to cover even more expenses.)

If you want to go to school, but childcare is a problem, then you can find programs online. There are hundreds of degrees that you can complete over the internet. There are so many options for you that there aren't very many reasons not to take the government's stimulas programs up on their offer.

For more information, you can check out the government's website.

There may be government grant money just waiting for you!


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