AARP Foundation Offers Help For Idaho Women Struggling With Finances

Low-Income 40+ Women in Idaho Are Eligible for Scholarships

Applications Accepted through March 31, 2011

BOISE, Idaho, March 4, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Idaho women struggling with finances or stuck in low paying jobs and looking to get ahead may be able to get a helping hand from AARP.  The AARP Foundation is accepting entries to its fifth annual Women's Scholarship Program cycle. The scholarships will provide funds to women 40+ who are seeking new job skills, training and educational opportunities to support themselves and their families. Scholarships ranging from $500 to $5,000 will be awarded, depending on financial need and the cost of the education or training program.  

In 2010, 200 women from across the country were awarded nearly $500,000 in educational scholarships from the program.

"AARP Foundation is committed to elevating opportunities for women," said Peggy Munson, volunteer State President for AARP in Idaho. "We are so proud of this program, which has helped hundreds of deserving women have access to the educational tools to advance their professional goals.  We hope women across Idaho will take advantage of this opportunity."

Research shows that women are disproportionately at risk of having insufficient funds in the second half of their lives due to lower earning and different work patterns. The AARP Foundation created the Women's Scholarship Program in August 2007 to help women 40+ overcome financial and employment barriers by allowing them to participate in education and training opportunities they could otherwise not afford.

Interested applicants can submit their application through March 31, 2011 at www.aarp.org/womensscholarship. Scholarships will be awarded in early summer 2011.

Scholarships are available to eligible women with moderate to lower incomes and limited financial resources. To be eligible for the scholarships, applicants must:

• Be female and age 40 or older (as of March 31, 2011);
• Be a U.S. Citizen;
• Be able to demonstrate financial need; and
• Be enrolled in an accredited school or technical training program within six months of the scholarship award date.

Priority is given to women in three categories: those raising the children of another family member; those in low-paying jobs with no career opportunities and who are missing either a retirement benefit and/or health insurance; and those who have been out of the workforce for more than five years. Scholarships may be used for any course of study at a public or private secondary school, including community colleges, technical schools, and four-year universities.  Funds are payable to the institution and may be used to pay for tuition, fees, and books.

Scholarship winners are chosen by two independent panels established by AARP Foundation. They are chosen on the basis of financial need, personal circumstances and achievements, educational goals, and the likely impact of the scholarship on their lives.

The scholarship program is made possible by AARP Foundation donors with generous support from Wal-Mart Foundation and AARP.  

AARP Foundation

AARP Foundation is AARP's affiliated charity. The Foundation is dedicated to serving vulnerable people 50+ by creating solutions that help them secure the essentials and achieve their best life.  AARP Foundation focuses on hunger, housing, income and isolation as our key mission areas. The Foundation envisions a country free of poverty where no older person feels vulnerable. Foundation programs are funded by grants, tax-deductible contributions and AARP. For more information about AARP Foundation, please log on to www.aarp.org/foundation.

SOURCE AARP Idaho