Financial resources and grants | Autism PDD

I don't have experience with these grants, loans and resources, so be skeptical. If anyone asks for money as part of the grant application process, it's probably a scam. If a link is broken, try removing any blank spaces from the address. If it still doesn't work, let me know.

General information

http://www.easterseals.com/site/PageServer?pagename=ntl_reso urces_support - Easter Seals links on government benefits and their cooperative efforts with MassMutual (booklet on special needs trusts, free life insurance program).

http://autismassistance.blogspot.com/ - blog devoted to "Grants, financial assistance, funding strategies and other resources to help families coping with autism and other disabilities."

TACA resources page for families in need ( http://www.talkaboutcuringautism.org/resources/financial_iss ues.htm) - "All Things Financial as it Relates to Autism", including "Where to Start" (Who pays for what, health insurance, legal issues and trust/financial issues), Non-TACA grants/financial aid programs and TACA programs.

http://prosperitylifeplanning.com/index.php - Nonprofit corporation devoted to dedicated to teaching families of disabled children and adults ways to provide for a financially comfortable quality of life, while preserving eligibility for governmental entitlements, such as Medicaid and SSI. Based in Florida. Offer guest speakers and workshops, etc.

http://autism.about.com/b/2008/09/30/how-to-lower-the-costs- of-autism-therapy.htm - "How to lower the costs of autism therapy."

Family Grants

http://autism.about.com//od/financialresources/tp/grantsfora utism.htm - directory of grants compiled by www.autism.about.com

Quality of Life Grant ( http://www.neighborheart.org/downloads/2007NeighborHeart_Gra ntApplication.pdf)- the NeighborHeart Program serves families in Virginia, Washington DC, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York.

http://autismsupportdaily.com/_wsn/page4.html - Grants to Vermont families in need.

http://www.hannahandfriends.org/grants.html - Grants for families in Indiana/Michiana and Rhode Island.

http://www.wishuponahero.com/ - "Everyone can help anyone."

http://www.talkaboutcuringautism.org/resources/financial_iss ues.htm - links to grants and financial programs, including TACA's own.

http://www.act-today.org/grants.html - 2 grant deadlines per year.

http://www.autismfamilyresources.org/needassistance2.htm - one-time grant of 0

http://www.uhccf.org/ - not specifically for autism.

http://www.nationalautismassociation.org/helpinghand.php - "overwhelmed with applications"

http://www.spinkids.org/applications.html - grants for sensory processing disorder. Can cover training, equipment or therapy.

http://www.factfamily.org/rdi-scholarship.asp - RDI Scholarship.

http://www.autismcares.org/ - grants for autism families that have undergone a catastrophe (such as a hurricane).

Program Grants

National Foundation for Autism Research (NFAR) Grants (http://www.nfar.org/grants.html) - grants for programs in San Diego

Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism, Inc. (http://www.dougflutiejrfoundation.org/grantinfo.html) - grants for programs in New England, New Jersey, Southern California and select parts of Canada.

Unity for Autism Grants (http://www.unityforautism.ca/grants/UFA_Grant.pdf) - grants for programs in Canada

http://www.geelongaustralia.com.au/library/pdf/5267/98.pdf - for Australia. EasyGrants newsletter, Australia's only consolidated grant information service.

Loans

http://www.freeloan.org/howtoapply/index.htm - "Each member organization of the International Association of Hebrew Free Loans (IAHFL) has the common goal of helping those in need through interest-free lending. For information on the application process, please select your country below in order to be directed to your local agency."

P.S. Can't afford dental care for your child? NFDH may be able to help. Details here:

http://www.autism-pdd.net/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=30822&am p;PN=1&TPN=1

NorwayMom39836.4226157407I'm looking for grants for our sensory yard(s) - we are up to four now! Thanks for the tips.

Brenda --

I googled "Family Grants" autism and Canada. Didn't find much promising:

http://www.informalberta.ca/public/service/srvProfileGeneral _Initialize.do;jsessionid=3139353151B2C49D8432E4984703086C?s erviceQueryId=522 - Burns Memorial Fund, family grants for low-income families with special needs kids in Calgary.

Your best bet might be to contact the local autism society, and see if they have some tips. For example, I took a peek at Autism Ontario and found post-secondary scholarships:

http://www.autismontario.com/client/aso/ao.nsf/web/Education +Scholarships

Good luck with everything!

Norway Mom

Thanks so much

Brenda
As always a wealth of information in the form of links

I did check out the Canada site that you listed. It is for organizations. Do you know of any sites that are for families.

Thanks
Brenda

WiMomOf2 posted this under another topic today (thanks for the tip).

<quote>

Grants for Families of Children with Autism

There's no doubt about it: autism is expensive. For some families, though, the cost of autism can be devastating. That's why the National Autism Association has created a grant program specifically for families of children with autism who are in financial crisis.

If you are a family residing in the United States with a child on the autism spectrum aged birth to 18, you may qualify for the grant. The maximum you may request is ,500. Money from the grant may be applied ONLY to biomedical treatments, supplements or therapies for your child with autism - and the money is paid directly to vendors (not to families).

Similar grants are offered to families by Act-Today for Autism, Autism Family Resources, and United Healthcare Children's Foundation. The important point to note is that money from these grants never goes directly to families - and it may be used only for autism treatments and related costs (not to, for example, keep the house warm in winter).

If you are in search of a grant for autism treatment, these grant opportunities are legitimate resources. Many advertised grant opportunities, however, are not. A Google search will almost certainly lead you to sites and ads for "free grants for autism." Many of these organizations will require you to pay in advance for your "free grants" - an absurd idea, since grant, by their very nature, are "free."

If any agency or individual requests money from you as part of a grant application process, run fast and far. Then, consider reporting that agency or individual to the police.

Do you know of other legitimate grant programs for families coping with autism? If so, please let us know! Know of any to be avoided? Your help is appreciated!

Source: www.autism.about.com

Leann, can you please share with me how the grants worked out for you?

None of these were applicable, either because they don't serve our state or because they are for families.

I had to write land call local foundations and groups to raise my 50K...family and friends chipped in, too, and we are selling engraved bricks/blocks which alone raised 5K so far. Two golf tournaments and a run also generated 14K.

I thought I might as well bump this topic again, since I wanted to add my link to state-by-state information on Medicaid waivers, often known as Katie Beckett.

First off, a short explanation for those unfamiliar with Katie Beckett:

"Called the TEFRA (Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act) or �Katie Beckett� option, children with significant medical expenses get Medicaid coverage for home and community-based care, regardless of their family�s income. A child must meet the disability definitions of either the SSI or Social Security Disability Income (SSDI) programs and be cared for at home."

"In 2002, the following states used the TEFRA option:"

"Alaska, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New, Hampshire, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wisconsin."

Source: http://www.familiesusa.org/assets/pdfs/screening-manual/3_Ch ildren-and-Familiies.pdf

Even though the above list is from 2002, it might be still fairly current -- a 2007 manual listed the number of Katie Beckett states as still about 20.

For an up-to-date list of various Medicaid waivers, go here. However, they might not necessarily use the term "Katie Beckett."

http://www.cms.hhs.gov/MedicaidStWaivProgDemoPGI/08_WavMap.a sp

There's money to save if you don't have to pay for diapers. There's a topic on it here:

http://www.autism-pdd.net/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=32388&am p;am p;am p;am p;am p;PN=1&TPN=1 - how to get free diapers.
On two different kinds of special needs trusts:

http://www.njspecialneedschildrenlaw.com/2009/10/articles/sp ecial-needs-trusts/thirdparty-special-needs-trusts-vs-firstp arty-special-needs-trusts/

Article "Dealing with the financial burden of autism"

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/23/health/23patient.html

I offer all kinds of fundraising resources for individuals on my blog with my
link below. Hopefully you can find some ideas there.

Here's a blog about tax deductions:

http://www.greatschools.net/cgi-bin/showarticle/1187?cpn=200 90205ld

Government booklet on SSI:

http://specialchildren.about.com/b/2011/01/27/understanding- ssi.htm

How would you survive if the income for your family suddenly stopped? Could you afford to pay for your mortgage, your car repayments or feed the family?