Private Sources of Financial Aid

Financing a college education with private resources is statistically the most underused source when paying for higher education. Some sources of financial aid that are often overlooked are listed. In order to benefit from this information, each family should investigate every resource they think would best suit their financial needs, such as employers, labor unions, or community and service organizations (i.e., Chamber of Commerce, Lions’, or Rotary Club).

Your religious, ethnic, or racial heritage may qualify you for aid programs. Special talents, skills, or abilities can also qualify you for scholarships.

Other sources available to families trying to pay for higher education include home equity loans, college savings plans, tuition payment plans, college savings bonds, or U.S. Savings Bonds series EE. Not everyone can benefit from these sources, so we advise choosing the plan that works best within your budget.

Below is a sampling of helpful addresses and phone numbers:

Advanced Education Services, Inc.
800-932-8409
custserve@aesppm.com

AFL-CIO Guide to Union-Sponsored Scholarships, Awards and Financial Aid
Send $3.00 to:
AFL-CIO Pamphlets Division
815 16th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20006

Need A Lift
(booklet; scholarships to children of veterans; cost involved)
The American Legion
P.O. Box 1005
Indianapolis, IN 46206

The Rotary Scholarship
c/o Robert Smutz, CLU
7711 Bonhomme Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63105
(check the phone book for the chapter nearest you)

The Scholarship Foundation of St. Louis
(no-interest loans)
8215 Clayton Road
St. Louis, MO 63117
314-725-7900

The St. Louis Public Library
CASHE
1301 Olive Street
St. Louis, MO 63101
314-241-2288

Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis, Inc.
Vice President-Education and Employment
3701 Grandel Square
St. Louis, MO 63112
314-289-0334