Minnesota

The new Achieve Scholarship program is designed to address two critical barriers to college attendance: lack of academic preparation and financial access. High school graduates who complete any one of four sets of courses defined as rigorous earn a one-time scholarship of $1,200 to help pay for college at a public or private university or college. The Achieve scholarship, which was proposed by Governor Tim Pawlenty in January 2007 and signed into law in May, is available to students who graduate after January 1, 2008. To be eligible, a student must:

• Have a parental adjusted gross income of less than $75,000 reported on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the academic year during which the scholarship is requested (this limit also applies to the adjusted gross income reported for independent students)
• Be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen
• Meet the definition of Minnesota resident used for state financial aid programs
• Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid.
• Attend an eligible public or private postsecondary institution in Minnesota.
• Apply for the scholarship no later than 30 days after the term starts
• Successfully complete the first term of college enrollment in order to receive the second $600 installment of the Achieve Scholarship
• Complete one of the four sets of rigorous programs of study while in high school or in a home-school setting described below

To learn more about the Achieve Scholarship program, visit: http://www.getreadyforcollege.org/gPg.cfm?pageID=1789

To learn more about getting ready for college and applying for financial aid, visit: www.getreadyforcollege.org

Volunteers across the state can help you prepare your federal and state tax returns. If you’re a senior citizen, disabled citizen, or an individual with an income of $30,000 or less ($40,000 or less for families), you are eligible for assistance.

Most volunteer tax preparation sites are open from February 5 through April 15.

To get free assistance in filing your income taxes, you can log on the Minnesota Department of Revenue website to find a location near your home or click on the link below:

http://www.taxes.state.mn.us/taxes/vita/free_tax_prep.shtml

A question I’ve heard over and over in Horizons communities throughout the state, starting way back in Study Circles, is, “how much exactly is enough to make ends meet?”

The Minnesota JOBS NOW Coalition has a great tool that can help answer this question for your area: the Family Wage and Budget Calculator, available on their website. You can find your county, enter a family size and number of hours worked per week outside the home (one adult working, two adults working full time, etc.), and based on regional data and basic, no-frills budget amounts for food, transportation, child care, etc., it will calculate the hourly wage needed to support a family under those conditions.