| AwardYear: 1996-1997 EnterChapterNo: 9 EnterChapterTitle: State Grant Programs SectionNumber: SectionTitle: Introduction PageNumbers: 1-2 This chapter covers the State Student Incentive Grant (SSIG) Program, the Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship (Byrd) Program and the National Early Intervention Scholarship and Partnership (NEISP) Program. The SSIG, Byrd, and NEISP programs are authorized under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA). [[How the programs are funded]] A student who wishes to apply for financial assistance from these programs may do so through the appropriate education assistance agency in his or her state. Under the SSIG Program, the Secretary of Education provides states with funds to establish a state grant program assisting students who demonstrate substantial financial need. Each state matches the federal funds on at least a 50-50 ratio. Under the Byrd Program, the Secretary makes grants to states to enable those states to award scholarships to high school seniors who have demonstrated outstanding academic achievement and who show promise of continued academic achievement. (Scholarship recipients are called Byrd Scholars). Under the NEISP Program, the Secretary provides states with grants for early intervention and scholarship assistance. Such assistance is intended to encourage students to obtain high school diplomas and to pursue higher education. [[State agency listing]] A student with questions on eligibility and award procedures for any of these programs should contact the appropriate state agency that administers the program in that student's state. A complete list of these agencies is included in Section 5 of this chapter. (There is no individual state agency list for the NEISP Program. See page 33 of Section 4 of this chapter for more information.) [[Paul Douglas Teacher Scholarship Program]] Section 3 of this chapter covers the Paul Douglas Teacher Scholarship (Douglas Scholarship) Program. For 1996-97, funding for this program was not authorized by Congress. Therefore, no new Douglas Scholarships will be awarded in the 1996-97 academic year. Each current Douglas Scholar will, however, have to fulfil his or her scholarship agreement. This agreement is described in detail in Section 3. Each Douglas Scholar should be notified by his or her state agency regarding any changes to his or her scholarship agreement. [[Recent legislative changes]] Under the Omnibus Consolidated Rescissions and Appropriations Act of 1996 (Public Law 104-134), the following program changes take effect for 1996-97: - Under the Byrd Program, the maximum amount each Byrd Scholar may receive for the year has been reduced from $1,500 to $1,121. - Under the NEISP Program, no funding will be available for new state applications. Only the current nine states already receiving funding will continue to be funded. |