Grants for Women in California

If you are a woman looking for assistance in California, then you are in luck. California is one state that offers many, many different grants as well as federal and state bill pay and food assistance programs. Read on to learn about some of the best offers available to women in California.

Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program

The LIHEAP program, as it is known, provides financial assistance to Californian women. Assistance can be gained for home repairs, utility bills, and small home improvements that make homes more energy efficient. This program is funded by the California State Department of Community Services and Development. Learn more information and apply by visiting their website.

The Calfresh Program

Calfresh, created and funded by the California government, provides food assistance to families who are considered at a disadvantage. Also known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), it provides food stamps (or EBT cards) to supplement the food budgets of low-income women and families.  This program can help you to ensure your family has healthy and nutritious food to put on the table. To apply and find out if you qualif, visit the Calfresh website here.

Medi-cal

This medical assistance program is available to pregnant women, families with a low income, kids, and seniors, as well as disabled persons. Medi-cal provides financial assistance for; emergency services, prescription medications, childbirth and care, mental health, and several other areas. The program is funded entirely by state and local governments and covers both children and adults living at home. To apply and learn more information about the program, visit the website here.

The Women Infants and Children Assistance Program

This program, referred to as WIC for short, is an assistance operative funded by the government. The premise of the program is that they provide health and nutrition assistance to women and children in the form of food vouchers and various programs. A major difference between this and the SNAP program is that you can only purchase WIC-approved foods with the provided vouchers. Further, it’s designed for mothers and their young children. If you wish to learn more, or apply, visit their website here.

The Amber Grant

Founded by WomensNet in 1998, this monthly grant program awards one woman per month with $1,000 in cash. The cash is intended to help the winner “fulfill their dreams.” To win, you must state what you wish to do with the money in the application. If you are chosen as one of the monthly award winners, you will be automatically entered for an end-of- year grant in the amount of $10,000. Since this is a privately-funded grant, there is an application fee of $15 per application, which goes to help review applications and maintain the personnel necessary to run the program.For a shot at $11,000, $15 is a relatively minor fee. Find out more and apply here today.

The Pell Grant

This scholarly grant is funded by the federal government and is available to undergraduate students for a maximum of twelve years. At a maximum payout of $6,000 per year, it is a great helping hand. Tuition is naturally deducted from your awarded amount by the school you apply through, but after that, the money can be used for books, housing, and food. The application process is easy, and completing the FAFSA form needed to apply, automatically makes you eligible for other government funded grants. To find out more and fill out your FAFSA form, visit the website here, or stop into your school’s financial aid office.

The Cal-Grants Program

Cal-Grants is a series of state-funded scholarships available to women (and men) who are legal residents of California. While the majority of the scholarships are made available to students going into college, there are some available to students still in high-school. Your SAT or ACT scores will need to be sent to the California Student Aid Commission, if you did not receive a high school diploma. To learn about the different grants available in the Cal Grants Program (there are a few different ones), head to their website here.

With all of the assistance programs available to women in California, from help with bills, to school, to plain old cash grants, you should start applying if you need help. This assistance could be just what you need to take the next step in your life or to make ends meet.