Government Grants & Financial Aid

There are many government grants and financial aids that give you money to help you during the COVID crisis, and for other financial problems. Whoever said nothing in life comes free did not take into account government programs that help people pay for different things like college, daycare, and others. And during the coronavirus outbreak, there’s even more help available to you.

Find Unclaimed Money

This is not a way to find free money. However, it may help you collect on funds you did not know you were missing. Visit unclaimed.org and enter your info to search whether you have money waiting to be returned to you. The National Association of State Treasurers created the site to connect customers with forgotten funds. These can involve forgotten savings bonds, insurance reimbursements, apartment deposits, old utility payment overages or deposits, and paychecks you not cashed. You can search by your full name and address. And you can browse the results from your last name alone.

Find Unclaimed Money

Find Unclaimed Pension Funds

Okay, one more not free but your resource. If you have left a company because of layoffs, acquisition, merger and you may be too preoccupied with your next career move to remember pension funds. Fortunately, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) may help you reconnect with this forgotten money. Visit pbgc.gov to check your name and info against their database. There are almost 73,000 names on their unclaimed pensions list. So, you can well find some money you had forgotten all about.

Get Help with a Down Payment

One of the big hurdles in buying a new home is probably the down payment needed. Fortunately, the government is willing to provide aid if required. Every state has its own funded down payment programs with benefits. To see the state-sponsored programs in your area, visit the down payment grant page of FHA and search your state. For instance, Texas provides a statewide program that can cover down payments and closing costs up to 5 percent of the total mortgage price. They offer a Hill Country-specific program for Travis County if you are looking to live deep in the heart of Texas.

Apply for Educational Grants

College is expensive. We all know that. Actually, the 2017-18 school year saw tuition averages of almost $35,000 for private colleges and under $10,000 for state colleges. If you want to get more education but cannot afford the high prices of books, tuition, room, board, and more, an education grant can be the best choice. The great funding source is the Federal Pell Grant of government. This awards as much as $5,920 (2017 to 18 school year) to students every year that they qualify for need. And it does not want to be repaid. To qualify, you will complete a FAFSA. You can see details for the Pell Grant at ed.gov. Beyond that, though, there are several best grants available to students based on interests, major, career sought, and local areas. You need to shoot for the Pell Grant of government first. But then fill many grant applications as you can find from other organizations and companies. The best place to find them is the College Grants Database.

Government COVID Relief

Nowadays, the biggest grant is the COVID relief. You can use an online calculator which is available on many websites to determine how much COVID relief money you can expect and can find a link to track the payment’s status from the United States Treasury. Above and beyond pandemic payouts, there are other day to day government programs available to those who are in need. But different from COVID relief, you will apply for these financial boosts. These programs are generally funded by taxes, so technically you pay something, but you can find free money from the government. Note that the COVID-19 pandemic can affect the availability of some of these programs.

Find Money for Child Care

Daycare is a major expense for various families. Annual prices for infant care range from $5,000 in Mississippi to more than $22,600 in Washington, D.C., as per the Economic Policy Institute, a nonprofit organization focused on low- and middle-income workers. The Child Care and Development Fund may help ease the burden for lower-income families. Administered by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, the fund gives states, territories, and tribes money to distribute to families to aid pay for child care. Grants are income-based and cover care for kids under 13.

Get Free or Reduced Healthcare for Your Children

If you’re having trouble paying for health care for your kids and meet low-income needs, you can be eligible for free or reduced coverage via InsureKidsNow.gov. Here, you can learn more about services like the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and local Medicaid programs. You can find health care providers in the area even dentists and apply for your state’s certain programs.

Get Assistance with Utilities

The average American spends over $300 a month on basic utilities. It is simple to see how these bills may be difficult to manage for a few particularly in the summer and winter months. The government’s Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) offers funds to those who are in need across the nation. These grants are available to help residents with their cooling or heating expenses. They’re managed via state programs. To search for your available programs and help of the state, visit the LIHEAP (Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program) website here.

Winterize Your Home

Do you want to get helped with updating your house to winterize it? You can be capable of getting government it as a grant through the United States Department of Energy. The Weatherization Assistance Program Technical Assistance Center (WAPTAC) can connect you with state grant programs for house improvements to decrease energy expenses. If you have kids, a family member in the home with a disability, or are over age 60, you will get preference for approval. Actually, the DOE estimates that 20 to 30 million homes are eligible for weatherization grants.

During this time it’s important to remember that there are government grants and financial aid programs in place that can help you. Many Americans are facing hardships, regardless of how hard they are working to make ends meet. For a list of resources that assist those facing hardship, please visit our Resource Directory (insert resource directory link) and our Helpline resource page (insert helpline link) to get more information and contact the organization directly for the help you need.

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