From time to time on this blog I have mentioned scholarship opportunities for students going off to college.  But now it that winter is coming and it's getting cold outside this is a perfect time to stay inside and start looking for and applying for scholarships.  Grab a cup of hot cocoa and a pen and start applying today because some of these applications will be due in February and March.

Are you an FFA Member?  The National FFA Organizations awards around $2 million to students in various career paths based on their FFA involvement.  Check out the National FFA Organization website for more details as applications are due February 15, 2011.

If you are not an FFA Member don't worry, as there are plenty of companies and foundations who offer scholarships such as Cargill, Farm Credit Services and Monsanto

The month of May and June always bring Graduations and Graduation Parties. While sounds of Pomp and Circumstance linger through the air, I sit eating another piece of graduation cake and all of a sudden it occurs to me that a scholarship application is very similar to a grant application. And when I start to think more about it; I come to the conclusion that a scholarship is a type of grant. It is awarded based on what you have done in the past and will fund what you plan to accomplish in the future.

And, that is where the thought for this blog post came from. Although it may be a little late for this year it’s never too late to start planning for next year.

An ideal place to looking for scholarships is your local community foundation. Most offer scholarships based on how good of a student you are or what major/career path you plan to take. Also, I would suggest checking out larger businesses and corporations as they sometimes have scholarships available. In some cases the scholarships may only be awarded to employees or relatives of employees so it never hurts to check and see if employers of family members have scholarships available.

Lastly I would suggest looking around at some of the non-for-profit organizations in your community as well. Many times they will offer scholarships based on need or an area of study that matches their mission.

For some reason the past week or two I have been using the phrase; “a mixed bag of goods” a lot. Whether that’s the randomness of projects I’ve been working on, or the lack of consistency between what I expect and what I get; regardless, that phrase seems to express where I’m at. Now I’ll be the first to admit I enjoying flowering my speech with quaint phrases (I like to call “Hoosierisms”) such as; “Between you, me and fence post” this weeks blog post is “a mixed bag of goods”.

To start off with there are two foundation opportunities that would be ideal for those groups looking to do small projects around their community. The first is a Constellation Energy’s EcoStar Grant due March 16th to non-profits looking to do projects that focus on Recycling projects, tree plantings, educational type of events for environmental stewardship, projects that support energy conservation measures, wetland restoration, community gardens and urban forests. Awarded funds are up to $5,000 and applications can be found at http://www.constellation.com/portal/site/constellation/menuitem.999b6fed85785a2399084010016176a0
The second is the Heineman Foundation which provides seed money to start projects for environmental research that will help prevent, reduce and/or eliminate water degradation. Projects can last for 3-5 years and average awards are $20,000-50,000. More information can be found at: http://www.heinemanfoundation.org/application_process/guidelines/

Next, I wanted to pass along a scholarship opportunity for members of Farm Credit Services serving Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana and Tennessee. Thirty-six scholarships ranging from $1,000-1,500 will be awarded to college students enrolled in agriculture programs. Applications can be found at www.e-farmcredit.com under the link Community Support.

Lastly, I wanted to “put a bug in your ear” about USDA’s Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Grant. Applications may be submitted by a collaborative state, tribal, local, or regionally-based network or partnership of public or private entities. These collaborations may include the following entities: State cooperative extension services; Federal, State, or tribal agencies; community based organizations and nongovernmental organizations; junior and four-year colleges or universities or foundations maintained by a college or university; private for-profit organizations; and other appropriate partners. This is a competitive grants program for the purpose of providing education, outreach, training and technical assistance to benefit beginning farmers and ranchers in the United States. Applications are due April 6, 2010 and there is a 25% matching requirement. More information can be found at http://ww.nifa.usda.gov/funding/rfas/bfrdp.html

Now, “don’t be slower than molasses in January.” Check out these opportunities and plan to turn in your application soon.