School grants, as the name suggests, are given for education and need not be paid back.
It is a wonderful source of income for the education sector.
The primary intention of a grant is to provide money for school education.
They are primarily used to pay for at least part of the tuition fees of the children who otherwise wouldn't have been able to afford to go to school.
Getting good education has always been a challenge for the underprivileged children.
And with today's economic condition, it has become more difficult for the parents to find a means to pay for their children's school education.
While the wealthy may be able to afford these costs easily, others are not so lucky.
School grants are usually offered to undergraduate students, students with good academic performance, low income students, or adults going back to school.
Education at a private school is more expensive than in a government school or at a community level school.
Depending on the student's financial capacity, paying for either of them can still be unaffordable.
Only school grants can help ease this burden.
Grants can be student specific, subject specific, degree or level specific, or minority grants.
Grants can be taken from the central or federal government and state government offices, college campuses and universities, public and private organizations.
A grant is, however, different from an education loan or scholarship.
A grant need not be paid back, whereas an education loan has to be paid back.
A scholarship is given on the basis of academic performance, whereas a grant is solely given on the basis of the financial needs of the student.
These grants can be for elementary schools, charter schools, business schools, and federal schools.
Many government grants are awarded based on the financial needs of the students, but some are also awarded based on the merit and achievement of the students.
Government grants are generally huge and can encompass an entire district.
Most of them are offered through the department of education though other federal agencies and departments also offer them.
State governments also offer grants that can be availed by students or schools in these districts or areas.
Private school grants are slightly difficult to obtain for a basic reason that they are expensive and have an alternative in the form of federal schools.
These are limited and depend on private benefactors.
Sometimes religious private school grants are available from churches.
Sometimes special grants are given to students in the form of private school grants, depending on their academic, athletic, or artistic achievements and talents.
The federal government also offers housing grants.
These grants are offered to underprivileged, low income candidates, a first-time home buyer, or somebody having a bad credit history.
The candidates who are seeking financial help for paying rent or down payment of a mortgage can receive housing grants to pay the rent, make a down payment, or for home renovation.
A school grant's main goal is to provide as many opportunities as possible to benefit the nation's children and their schools.
Only an educated nation can progress positively.