National College Athletic Association

• The National College Athletic Association (NCAA) has grants available to women who want to further their education and intend on working in the sports field. There are 13 yearly, nonrenewable, scholarships to women enrolled in a post-graduate sports program. The award consists of $6,000 and a conference held at the NCAA office to inspire women and help them network to find future jobs. Go to ncaa.org to download the application and send it in by the December deadline. Check the site for the specific date each year.
  
  

Amber Grants

• Amber Grants are given to women in business. Women's Net gives out the awards on a quarterly basis. One of the nice things about this grant is that they do not charge you an application fee, as many do. The award ranges from $500 to $1,000. See womensnet.net to download the application. Grant money should be used to start your own home-based or online business.
  
  

Women's Sports Foundation

• Women's Sports Foundation offers a few different grants for women in the field of athletics. The Jump Start grant helps women who want to get involved in racing sports, but do not have the finances necessary; the Travel and Training Fund helps high level competitive athletes pay for travel expenses when attending competitions; the Rusty Kanokogi Fund gives grants to women competing at high levels in Judo. See their website, womenssportsfoundation.org, to find out more on each grant and to download the applications.
  
  

The Eleanor Foundation

• The Eleanor Foundation gives grants to women who want to better themselves and work to become self-sufficient. They offer help with career planning, child care and housing. The foundation is based in the Chicago area and works mostly with local women. To see if you or your charitable organization are eligible and to get the application go to eleanorfoundation.org.