Child-Only Grant

• Under the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, each state decides what the income limits for the program are. Child-only grants under the TANF program are usually very small, averaging only $7 per day for one child in 2001. Additional children only bring a small increase in the grant amount. This grant takes into account the income of the child and provides money only for the child's needs. (See References 3 and 4.) As the grant considers only the child's income, most grandparents are eligible to receive some funding from this grant.
  
  

Family Grant

• TANF's family grants are larger than child-only grants. These grants consider the income of both the caregiver and the child. States have the option to exempt relative care providers from the requirements for the grants. Many states do so, but some do not. Work requirements and a 60-month time limit apply to the grant. It provides money for the needs of both the child and the caregiver. Work requirements include searching for a job, attending job training classes. Contact your state's department of health and human services for specific work requirements in your state.
  
  

Foster Care Payments

• Some grandparents may be eligible to receive foster care payments for their grandchildren if their grandchildren were in the care of the state before they decided to care for them. Grandparents must become licensed foster parents to receive the grant. Payments are usually higher than the child-only or family grant under TANF. The amount of the payments multiplies for each child in a grandparent's care.
  
  

Adoption Assistance

• Grandparents who adopt a special-needs child are often eligible for adoption assistance payments from their states. The North American Council on Adoptable Children provides information on each state's eligibility requirements, payment amounts and other relevant information.
  
  

Subsidized Guardianship

• Subsidized Guardianship, also known as Kinship Guardianship Assistance, gives grandparents financial help and legal authority to provide care for children. Grandparents can utilize this program when adoption is not the best choice for the child. The payment amounts, availability and eligibility are different in each state. States are starting programs to allow children to leave foster care to live with grandparents and other relatives permanently as a result of the 2008 Fostering Connections Act. No money is provided for adoption and reunification with parents under this program. Some states, like Louisiana, have similar programs for children who have not been part of the states' child welfare systems.
  
  

Other Assistance

• Kinship navigator programs are available in some areas of the country to give grandparents and other family caregivers assistance in accessing programs like TANF. Local support groups for grandparents raising grandchildren can be found on the Generations United website. The Grandfamilies State Law and Policy Resource Center is another place to find information on programs in your state