Yes. Please see the "Apply for a Scholarship" page on our website for specific dates.

Yes. Raise the Nation is a national organization.

Our federal tax ID number is 45-0501169.

Single parent women, their friends, families and supporters are our primary funding source. Our hope is that others who support the mission and goals of Raise the Nation will also begin to contribute. At this time, we do not receive any state or federal funding. We are not associated with any state or federal programs.

Cancer victims and persons with diabetes may not be asked to directly contribute to foundations benefiting them but their friends and family are asked and do make contributions to those organizations. When the NAACP was founded, they received donations exclusively from the population that they represented. That is what we ask single parent women and their friends and families to do: This is YOUR organization. The mission of Raise the Nation is that single parent women become independent through education. As a group, single parent women are often overlooked in social policy and programs. We must therefore support one another as a class of intelligent, driven, capable and deserving people.

Regrettably, as of November 1, 2006, we are no longer able to waive application fees. So please be sure to include that as part of your complete application. You might want to ask friends and family to invest in your education by donating to you for your application fee. The application fee covers web hosting, paper, printer ink, and all the stuff it takes to run the office, as well as a small marketing budget of $100.00 a month. Our goal is that we will be able to increase our marketing and PR budget soon.

We are now requiring that application fees be in the form of a cahiers check, money order or credit card. Unfortunately, we have experienced several bounced checks in the past so we are no longer able to accept them. You may pay by credit card through our website, www.raisethenation.org, using PayPal. If choosing to pay by credit card, note in the comment box "Application fee for (insert name)" and please include a copy of the completed transaction page (the receipt), with your application.

Our goal is to make distributions 2x a year: Once per the fall and spring semesters. Our ability to make a distribution is 100% dependent on our fundraising success. This is where your contribution of $1 makes a difference!

The amounts of our awards are solely dependent on our fundraising success. We have averaged between $500-$1,000. Our goal is to increase this amount substantially. This is where your $1 contribution counts! Ask friends and family to make Raise the Nation the organization they support so that we can continue to make distributions and can increase our award amounts.

Everyone at Raise the Nation is a volunteer at this time. Due to high call volume, we have disconnected our toll free number and ask that applicants and other interested parties send an e-mail. If your question necessitates a call, you may call our office at (505) 265-1201.

Because of the limited number of volunteers we have, we cannot contact every applicant individually when we receive their application. Applicants are notified when they are awarded a scholarship/grant. You can check the status of your application on our website by clicking on the "Check your status" tab. You will need to use your applicant ID to access the database. Your applicant ID is your first and last initial and the last four digits of your social security number. Please be sure to submit a complete application. Incomplete applications will be discarded and you will have to resubmit one in full to be considered for an award. You are responsible for updating your information when it changes.

No. The community service required for this grant will accrue after you receive an award. We will speak with you to determine what type of service will benefit your family and community most. The average that we ask is 8 hours a month for a time to be determined by the amount of your award. If you already work in the teaching or other helping professions, we consider this to be part of your community service.

No. This scholarship is for students who are children of single parent women who are still claimed on their mother's taxes (so younger than 24). This is because students are eligible for full federal financial aid once they are considered independent.

We completely understand. All we need on your applicaiton is the last four digits of your social security number. Also, we do not need your child's social security number so please don't include that either.

Unfortunately, the way that we must provide proof to the IRS that we are giving funds to single parent women is by looking at the top portion of a 1040 which states that the woman applying has head of household filing status. You do not have to send in your entire 1040, only the top portion that shows you filed as head of household. When you file, please feel free to apply.

You might want to file even if you didn't make enough to have federal tax liability. You may still qualify for the earned income tax credit. Also, filing is free. You don't have to have earned income to file. You can file through the IRS website at www.irs.gov.

Unfortunately, the way that we must provide proof to the IRS that we are giving funds to single parent women is by looking at the top portion of a 1040 which states that the woman applying has head of household filing status. You do not have to send in your entire 1040, only the top portion that shows you filed as head of household.

Filing is free. You don't have to have earned income to file. You can file through the IRS website at www.irs.gov. When you file, please feel free to apply.

Unfortunately, the way that we must provide proof to the IRS that we are giving funds to single parent women is by looking at the top portion of a 1040 which states that the woman applying has head of household filing status. You do not have to send in your entire 1040, only the top portion that shows you filed as head of household.

Filing is free. You don't have to have earned income to file. You can file through the IRS website at www.irs.gov. When you file, please feel free to apply

No. The way that we must provide proof to the IRS that we are giving funds to single parent women is by looking at the top portion of a 1040 which states that the woman applying has head of household filing status. You do not have to send in your entire 1040, only the top portion that shows you filed as head of household.

No. We must have proof that the applicant is a single parent and filed as head of household.

Unfortunately, the way that we must provide proof to the IRS that we are giving funds to single parent women is by looking at the top portion of a 1040 which states that the woman applying has head of household filing status. You do not have to send in your entire 1040, only the top portion that shows you filed as head of household. When you file, please feel free to apply.

Yes.

Yes. We honor any post-secondary degree program.

No. We would like to help as many single parent women as possible. And by not giving double awards, we are able to do this.

Our grants and scholarships are designed to assist with college or other post-secondary costs. If you meet the criteria of being a single parent women in college, have a degree and student loan debt, or have a child entering or in college that you claim on your taxes as a dependent, you may use the funds any way you wish.

No. We understand that single fathers are also in need of support. However, we are not currently able to offer financial assistance to single parent fathers. We hope to one day be able to provide such assistance.

No. Though we recognize that marriage is not necessarily a financial solution, married women benefit from a generally better economic situation than single parent women.

Only if the parent qualifies on their own; if they either or in school or have a degree and student loan debt. If you and your child both qualify, you may both apply. Please submit two separate complete applications including two application fees.

No. To ensure that all applications get where they need to go, we ask that applicants send their applications regular mail to the P.O. Box listed on the cover page of each application. We do not have the volunteer capacity to go to the post office and wait in line to sign for certified or registered mail. You can check the online database to verify whether or not we received your application. Also, you can request delivery confirmation from the post office that doesn’t require a signature to pick up.

The child of a single parent is the applicant. They need to fill out that section of the application.

Absolutely. We understand that some single parent women rely on these state programs to meet the basic needs of their families. Receiving assistance from state programs does not affect your eligibility for our scholarships/grants.

No. You must claim your child (adopted or biological) on your taxes in order to qualify.

We do have an income limit. We use the median household income for a four-person family for every state. In the vast majority of cases our applicants do not come close to exceeding this limit. Please check the "Apply for a Scholarship" section of our website for these limits.

Note that the income limit applies to the single parent woman on applications for the child of a single parent woman scholarship.

There is a waiting list. Our program is first come, first serve. We do not have economic reserves in our bank account to provide economic support in a weeks notice.

We are unable to help women who have transportation problems. This is not the service we provide. If you qualify for a scholarship or grant, you may use your award in anyway that you need.