Financial Support for Children with Special Needs and Medical Challenges
Having a child with a disability, a new medical diagnosis, or frequent medical care needs often results in added and unexpected costs for a family. Dealing with these financial burdens can make an already difficult situation even more challenging, which is why many organizations have made it their mission to help bridge the gap for families in need. In this guide you will find a list of organizations that may be able to help should you find yourself in need of monetary resources to fully fund or reduce the costs associated with medical care, travel, and basic living expenses. This is just a starting point and not a comprehensive list of all available funding sources. In addition to perusing this guide you may want to consider seeking help from organizations that provide resources just for your hometown, county, or region, and may find even more support by conducting additional searches for specific medical diagnoses, disabilities, or healthcare needs. If you need help finding additional resources, or assistance in completing applications, ask your medical team if they can recommend a social worker to help you through the process.
Tips for applying for grants and funding
Before submitting an application, read through the materials provided by the organization on their website. Make sure that you meet all of the application requirements and that you are applying within any specified or designated application periods.
Talk to your child’s physician or medical team before pursuing funding for durable medical equipment so that you can be specific in your request and avoid acquiring equipment that may not fit your needs.
If you receive funding or support be sure to send thank you letters and, if possible and appropriate, pictures of your family. The staff and volunteers of the organization will appreciate seeing how their efforts touched your life, and if you are comfortable allowing your story to be shared you may even be able to help them to raise additional funds to support more families in need.
It is not uncommon for an organization to temporarily suspend a program for a variety of reasons. Should you find that a particular resource is unavailable make a note for yourself to check back at a later date.
GENERAL Grant programs for medical expenses & equipment
The Oracle Health Foundation offers grants for medical treatment, transportation, vehicle home modifications, and other expenses.
Friends of Disabled Adults and Children offers free and low-cost home health-care equipment.
The Giving Angels Foundation assists children with medical challenges special needs throughout the United States (under 21) from lower income families.
United Healthcare Children’s Foundation Grant helps families pay for medical expenses.
Wheelchairs 4 Kids provides wheelchairs, home and vehicle modifications as well as other assistive and therapeutic devices for children that have limited mobility.
Modest Needs Foundation is a non profit that exists to responsibly provide short-term financial assistance to individuals and families in temporary crisis, stop these at-risk households from slipping into the cycle of poverty, despite the burden posed by an unanticipated, emergency expense, and to promote compassion and generosity on the part of individual persons living in the United States and Canada.
Prescription Medication and coPayment assistance
HelpRx has a database of drug discount coupons to download and print and offers a prescription discount card.
RxAssist has a database of programs that offer discounts on prescription drugs. You can search the database by pharmaceutical company or type of drug.
NeedyMeds helps people pay for expensive generic medications.
The Assistance Fund gives financial help to people with certain conditions for copayments, premiums, and more.
The PAN (Patient Access Network) Foundation helps underinsured people with life-threatening, chronic and rare diseases get the medications and treatments they need by assisting with their out-of-pocket costs and advocating for improved access and affordability.
CancerCare Copayment Assistance Foundation helps people with chemotherapy co-payments.
HealthWell Foundation helps people who have long-lasting or life-altering diseases cover prescription co-payments and medical insurance payments.
National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) gives prescription payment and co-payment help to people who have certain rare conditions.
Patient Advocate Foundation’s Co-pay Relief Program offers prescription co-payments and insurance deductible help for people who have certain conditions.
Transportation and medical travel Help
Children’s Flight of Hope, Inc. is a nonprofit organization that gives children with critical medical needs free air transportation to and from a medical facility, if they are going for treatment.
Corporate Angel Network arranges free plane transportation for cancer patients and bone marrow donors going to or from recognized cancer treatment centers.
Mercy Medical Angels helps transport people in medical and financial crisis by connecting them with people or organizations that give free or low-cost patient air transportation.
Miracle Flights for Kids gives free medical transportation by air to families who need necessary medical treatment out of their home state.
The National Children's Cancer Society provides the financial assistance needed to ensure a child with cancer gets the treatment they need – whether it is across town or across the country.
Operation Liftoff will provide air travel for a child younger than 18 years old and 1 parent. Any child 3 to 18 years old who has a life-threatening illness and has not received a wish trip from another organization can apply to get a dream trip too.
Local Chapters of National Organizations
There are many national service or charitable organizations that give help in local communities or cities through smaller clubs or chapters. Each local area manages its own programs, grants, and gifts. We recommend that you contact your local chapters of the organizations listed here, to see if they can help you.
Easterseals offers a variety of services to children who have disabilities or special health care needs.
Elks Lodge might give scholarships or other types of help.
Kiwanis are groups that do community service and raise funds for many children’s causes.
Lions Clubs might give out grants or other financial help for assistive technology and other needs.
support for specific medical conditions
Association of Blind Citizens Assistive Technology Fund offers grants for assistive technology and software for individuals with visual impairments.
American Council of the Blind offers scholarships for college or job training programs, and sometimes offers grants for assistive technology for people who have vision impairments.
Sight for Students offers free vision exams and glasses. If you meet Sight for Students’ income rules, you can talk to your child’s school or another participating community organization to get a voucher for an exam and glasses.
Muscular Dystrophy Association offers services and support to children with muscular dystrophy.
Alyssa V. Phillips Foundation supports individuals with Cerebral Palsy (CP) with a focus on assisting children with CP, their families, or any individual impacted by CP in maximizing independence.
Family Reach is a national organization dedicated to eradicating the financial barriers that accompany a cancer diagnosis.
Gwendolyn Strong Foundation works to fill in the gaps needed to create real change & build a more inclusive future for those with disabilities.
The HIKE Fund works with families who qualify to provides devices for children with hearing loss from newborn age up to twenty years old.
Holton’s Heroes provides support, information, and rehabilitative devices for children and their families affected by a post-birth brain injury.
Keep Punching, The Glenn Garcelon Foundation, Mission4Maureen, and the The Matthew Larson Foundation help families who have a loved one diagnosed with a pediatric brain tumor.
The Kelly Brush Foundation inspires and empowers people with spinal cord injuries to lead active and engaged lives.
The LGS Foundation's mission is to improve the lives of individuals affected by Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome (LGS) through research, family support programs, and educationThe McLindon Family Foundation.
Miracle-Ear Foundation helps to provide hearing aids and other assistive technology devices to individuals who will benefit from them.
Molly Bear Foundation aims to provide supplemental financial assistance to families raising children with Trisomy 18.
Small Steps in Speech provides grants on behalf of children with speech and language disorders for therapies, treatments, communicative devices, and other services.
The National Gaucher Foundation - CARE Program provides financial assistance for people with Gaucher disease and their families through the CARE and CARE+ Programs.
Adapted with permission from Navigate Life Texas, a project of Texas Health and Human Services.