Education Grant Program
Location:
840 43rd Avenue NE
Suite 202
Bismarck, ND 58503
Office Hours:
Monday - Friday
8:00AM - 4:30PM
Contact:
Phone: 701-751-0280
Servies Provided & Mission
The MHA Education Grant program was created to provide financial support for MHA enrolled members seeking education opportunities for preK-12 students at private/charter schools, learning centers, close-up group trips, and mileage assistance; high school students attaining dual credits; college students attaining undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees, internships, study abroad opportunities and students who have old bills which are preventing them from continuing their education.
Office Staff
Want to know more infomation?
Check out our YouTube video explaining and showing what our department is about!
APPLICATIONS
The MHA Education Grant application has been revised as of March 22, 2023. The most recent applications are below:
DEADLINES:
Fall: October 15
Spring: February 15
Summer: June 15
(Quarter students, see bottom of page 1)
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are a few most frequently questions.
Answered by the department
Why do I have to reapply?
We ask students to reapply for several reasons. First and foremost is to keep current information on each student. We have many students who transfer schools, change their name, their degree, or even drop out. We have to account for these changes. Secondly, we reassess the student’s unmet need each term. A student might receive thousands of dollars in the fall and nothing in the spring. If we did not have them reapply, we would never know that they needed funding in the spring. Lastly, we must keep track of a student’s progress. We look at the final cumulative GPA to see if a student maintains eligibility requirements and their credit load for the upcoming term. The reapplication process is simple and helps our office stay organized and keep accurate data.
When am I going to get my grant money?
We process applications as soon as we receive everything we need. “Processing” an application includes reviewing the application, calculating the award, submitting for a check, waiting for other departments to approve the request, and then mailing the check. We ask students to allow two weeks for this process as it involves several other properties and steps after we receive the complete application. We will always email the student when the check is sent in the mail. Typically, the school will receive payment within one to two weeks from the mail date. Every school is different when it comes to disbursing awards, so students will need to check with their financial aid office to see specifically when their award will be disbursed to them. However, typically it is a quick process (one-two weeks). Pro tip on receiving your award quickly: submit your application to our office complete and early. The earlier you submit your application, the earlier you will receive your award.
What is a financial needs analysis?
A Financial Needs Analysis is the form we have students complete to calculate the student’s award. The form must be completed by someone in the financial aid office and it cannot be completed and until the student completes a FAFSA for the academic year. The form includes all of the student’s costs, or their Cost of Attendance (COA), which includes tuition, fees, room and board, books, transportation, and miscellaneous living expenses. It also includes the student’s resources, if they have any. This is typically comprised of any federal or state PELL aid, scholarships, and/or tuition waivers. The financial aid officer will provide their signature to verify the information and provide the correct mailing address to send the student award. We will look at your Cost of Attendance and subtract any Resources received to calculate the student’s “unmet need”.
Do I have to complete the FAFSA?
Yes! We require all applicants to apply for FAFSA prior to applying for the MHA Education Grant Program. The intention in creating this grant was to fill the gap in funding provided by the federal and state government and other scholarships. In the 2023-2024 year, a majority of our applicants received $3,698 from PELL and many received outside scholarships. What this does is INCREASES your total awards. Any grants or scholarships received before our office are FREE MONEY. If you fall under a higher tax bracket, you will not be offered these monies, however the financial aid office still needs this information to generate a budget specific to you. Without the answers to your FAFSA, they will not complete their portion of the application. Keep in mind we do not include the Expected Family Contribution or EFC in our calculation. So, if you have $0 unmet needs because your parents earn a lot of money, we remove that number from our calculation as we understand not everyone prepares to contribute to their child’s education. But the short answer is YES – you are required to apply to be eligible for the MHA Education Grant.