One of the things I like doing here in the library, is finding ways to get more money FOR the library. One of the ways I search for funding, is through various sites that offer grants, scholarships, and awards for people in the world of education. One site in particular, GetEdFunding.com, has a whole plethora of methods. Not all of them are available to me and my library of course, but some of them ARE available to you!
From time to time I try to promote these opportunities to you all. As a former student and current parent, I can assure you that once you graduate high school, finances and 'adulting' can really be a pain on your pocketbook. If you think it's rough now, wait till you have to possibly shell out $10k+ for a semester of college. YIKES! Double YIKES because most times we have to use some sort of loan that's going to charge us stupid amounts of interest, so our $10k semester can cost more like $13k....ugh.
With that in mind, the best way to minimize damage to you (or your parents/guardians) bank account, is to find free funding. I will be posting some of those opportunities to you here as I come across them. Keep in mind though, that most of these opportunities are in the form of competitions and require an essay or video or project of some sort. I've seen some that only need to be a 300 word essay (about 4 paragraphs), and some that require you to have a team, with a teacher as a sponsor, and submit a video with notes. Some prizes are cash up front, some are scholarships you can redeem when you head to college (whatever year that will be), some are full paid trips to places like Washington DC, and others, like this one I'm sharing today, is a savings bond that will be worth $10,000 when it *matures ($5,000 for 2nd place).
Free money folks! Take it when you can.
*Savings bonds do take some time to 'mature', which is when you can redeem them. These are EE savings bonds, which take 30 years to mature. Maturity date is dependent upon the time the bonds were purchased. As there is no date listed, I couldn't say when these bonds will mature. I contacted the company though, so if I get a reply, I'll update here.
*UPDATE* Here's the answer I received about the bonds.
Hi Denise,
Thank you for your email and helping to promote ExploraVision. Please see below for clarification on Savings Bonds. I hope this information is helpful.
We look forward to having your team/teams compete. Good Luck!
Clarification on Bond Amount
The purchase price of a U.S. EE Savings Bond is half the amount of the full mature bond value. This would be the amount you will see delivered to your child’s account. (For instance, if your child was a 1st place winner and won a $10,000 savings bond, the purchase price was $5,000, therefore, you will see $5,000 in the account when you log-in.) Interest builds up very slowly - it will take about 20 years before the bond reaches its full mature value.
How to Redeem (cash-out) a Bond
Many parents and students when time for college rolls around have questions on how to redeem (cash out) a bond. Recipients are eligible to cash out their bonds (at the purchase price, plus any amount of interest earned to date) 12 months after the date of purchase. Of course, the longer you wait, the more the bond will be worth. And, there may be a small penalty if the bond is redeemed within the first 5 years – you’d have to check with TreasuryDirect for more information about that if and when the time comes. When ready to cash out the bond, whether in 1 year or 20 years, you should contact TreasuryDirect to find out how to proceed. There is a wealth of information and How-To’s on TreasuryDirect’s website – http://www.treasurydirect.gov – and you can send questions electronically to them directly from their website.
Best,
ExploraVision Team
Sponsored by Toshiba and the National Science Teachers Association
Website:http://www.exploravision.org/what-exploravisionContact:Toshiba/NSTA
ExploraVision
National Science Teachers Association
1840 Wilson Blvd.
Arlington, VA 22201-3092
Phone: 800.EXPLOR9 (Toll-free) Email: exploravision@nsta.org
Description:ExploraVision is a science competition that engages students teams in research and development with a strong emphasis on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Working in teams of two, three, or four members, students study a technology of interest and predict what that technology might be like in 20 years, and then explore what is necessary to make their visions a reality. Past winners have imagined technologies ranging from a hand-held food allergen detector to a new device to help people who have lost limbs regain movement in real time. All students in kindergarten through grade 12 in public, private, and home schools are eligible to enter this annual competition. Teachers may incorporate the competition investigation into their curriculum to involve all students, or coach interested teams of students that want to enter the competition.
The ExploraVision website includes both sample projects by grade level (primary, elementary, middle school, and high school) and examples of how to prepare each part of the project. Interested applicants are encouraged to browse the site for support with project development and to read the contest rules.
Completed projects must be received by the deadline and may be mailed to the contact address or submitted online at the web address provided. Eight teams receive a national finalists award including an expense-paid trip to Washington, DC for ExploraVision Awards Weekend for all national finalist students and their parents and guardians.
Eligibility:Charter, Private, Public, Other (including homeschool, 501 (c)(3) organizations)
Award(s):Each first-place team receives a prize of a US EE Savings Bond worth $10,000 at maturity for each student. Each second-place team receives a prize of a US EE Savings Bond worth $5,000 at maturity for each student.
Deadline(s):Projects are due February 8, 2019.Focus:Engineering, Scholarships/Fellowships, STEM, Technology
Grade Level(s):K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12
Content Area(s):Mathematics, Science
21st Century Themes and Skills:Collaboration, Communication, Creativity, Critical Thinking, Innovation
State(s):National