Financial Assistance
Grandparent and Guardians Fund
Although there are several potential funding streams to which grandparents and other relatives can turn for financial assistance in raising children, two of the major programs (TANF and foster care) were not designed with relative caregivers in mind. For example, when the TANF program was created in 1996, the rhetoric was about getting able-bodied parents to work, not requiring a retired grandmother to go back to work so that she can receive financial assistance to care for a child she is keeping out of the foster care system.
Similarly, foster care was not designed for grandparents and other relatives raising children. Unlike non-kin foster parents, grandparents and other relatives often have no warning before the children are on their doorstep. While safety concerns are equally important for children living with kin and non-kin, conducting background checks, home studies, training and other licensing requirements can delay access to financial supports for relatives suddenly caring for a child. In addition, as with TANF, foster care is intended to be temporary, not permanent.
We understand what it's like to provide for children that aren't biologically your own. And we can only imagine the resources needed to continue providing during the unprecedented times of a global pandemic. We hope to support families and children to maintain healthy living conditions during this time. What this means to us is being able to provide assistance that ranges from essential items, PPE, clothing, school supplies and/or mini grants!
Mommy Relief Fund
No group has been spared the economic destruction of the coronavirus pandemic, which pushed unemployment to levels unseen since the Great Depression.
But it’s proven especially devastating for single mothers.
There are approximately 13.6 million single parents in the U.S., raising 22.4 million children. Sixty four percent of those single parents are black women. Women have lost more jobs than men during the recession, and others are quitting their jobs in frustration from the demands of childcare. However, quitting is just not an option for most single parents.
During the unprecedented times of this global pandemic our goal is to help mothers and children to maintain healthy and thriving living conditions. This means supporting mom with essential items needed to maintain the household and her own mental health. Through this fund we provide essential self care items, utility/bill assistant, small grants and more!