There are a lot of scholarships out there for minority students and students with financial needs.

A good place to start looking for scholarships is to contact your state legislator. Many states legislators have the ability to grant certain scholarships to students in their district. Find your state legislator.

Below is a list of organizations that either offer scholarships or have a directory of these scholarships:

Scholarships for Everybody

• Aspira: A directory of scholarships for students of all different backgrounds.

• Burger King Scholars: This scholarship provides financial assistance to students who maintain a 2.5 GPA or better, work 10 hours or more per week, participate in community service activities and have a financial need. The scholarship is available for two and four-year programs and vocational/technical school students. It is not a requirement that students be employees of Burger King.

• College Board Scholarship Search: A free online tool to help you locate scholarships, internships, grants and loans that match your education level, talents and background. Complete the brief questionnaire and Scholarship Search will find potential opportunities from their database of more than 2,300 sources of college funding.

• CollegeNET Scholarship Search: A free online tool that allows you to search for available scholarships.

• The Gates Millennium Scholars Program: Funded by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, this program provides outstanding, low income African American, American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian Pacific Islander American and Hispanic American students with an opportunity to complete an undergraduate and graduate college education in any discipline area of interest.
  
  
• Gaining Early Awareness and Reading for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP!): This is a grant program for students who cannot afford to go to college.  It is designed to increase the number of low-income students who are prepared to enter and succeed in postsecondary education.  It is provided by the U.S. Department of Education.

• Harvard Scholarships: Harvard University offers tuition assistance to any student that shows a financial need. Families with income below $180,000 are given financial assistance, and parents of families with incomes below $60,000 are not expected to contribute at all to college costs. Currently, more than 60 percent of Harvard students receive some form of this assistance.

• International Education Financial Aid: A directory of scholarships, financial awards and financial aid for syudents who want to study abroad.

• The Jackie Robinson Foundation: This program provides scholarships of up to $7,500 annually to minority high school students showing leadership potential and demonstrating financial need to attend an accredited 4-year college or university of their choice.

• Microsoft Scholarships: Microsoft provides scholarship money for students that are pursuing studies in computer science and related technical disciplines.

• The Roothbert Fund: This fund seeks candidates who are "motivated by spiritual values." Grants are available for undergraduate or graduate study at accredited colleges or universities. Scholarships may only be applied to study at an accredited institution based in the United States. Preference will be given to students who are considering careers in education and live in certain states.

• SallieMaeFund: A free, comprehensive database with billions of dollars worth of scholarships.

Scholarships for African-American Students

• Black College Dollars: A directory of scholarships for African-American students, developed in partnership with BET Networks and the Pell Institute for the Study of Opportunity in Higher Education.

• Black Excel: A directory of specialized scholarships for African-American and Hispanic students.

• NAACP Scholarships: A list of scholarships available through the NAACP.

• National Association of Black Engineers: A list of scholarships available to students planning to study engineering.

• National Association of Black Journalists: Awards more than $60,000 in scholarships to deserving students interested in pursuing careers in journalism. Scholarships are worth up to $25,000. Scholarships are open to any foreign or American born student, currently attending or entering an accredited four-year college/university in the U.S. or those who are candidates for graduate school.

• Ron Brown Scholarships: A scholarship fund set up for graduating African-American students currently in their senior year in high school. The program seeks to award scholarships to students that will make significant contributions to society.

• United Negro College Fund: A list of UNCF Program Service Scholarships available to African-American students.

Scholarships for Hispanic and Immigrant Students

• Hispanic College Fund: Scholarships are available to Hispanic students with a Grade Point Average of 3.0 or higher who are attending or planning to attend college in the United States or Puerto Rico.

• Hispanic Scholarship Fund: This organization has several different scholarships available for Hispanic students, including one for students in community college.

• Latino College Dollars: A directory of scholarships for Hispanic students, developed in partnership with the Tomás Rivera Policy Institute at the University of Southern California.

• League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) Scholarships: A list of scholarhips available through LULAC.

• Western Union Foundation Family Scholarship Program: This scholarship helps two members of the same family, one of them must have been born outside the U.S. The scholarship pays for English classes, technical school, high school/GED completion, college, and/or money management classes.