Help for Special Needs Families: Grants, Programs and Services

As parents to children with special needs it can be difficult to find the best resources for kids, especially if we are in the midst of a difficult time or new diagnosis. Hoping to make the task a bit less daunting here is a list of links to various grants, programs, and services for individuals with special needs.

General

UnitedHealthcare Children’s Foundation – provides medical grants to help children gain access to health-related services not covered, or not fully covered, by their family’s commercial health insurance plan

First Hand Foundation – provides funding for individual children—both domestically and globally—who need assistance with clinical necessities (such as surgery, medication and therapy), medical equipment and travel related to care

The Lindsay Foundation – assists families with the resources necessary to provide medical treatment, therapies, and rehabilitative equipment in order to improve the quality of life for their special-needs children

ARCH National Respite Network and Resource Center – assists and promotes the development of quality respite and crisis care programs to help families locate respite and crisis care services in their communities

NeedyMeds – national non-profit organization that maintains a website of free information on programs that help people who can’t afford medications and healthcare costs

Aubrey Rose Foundation – provides assistance to families caring for children with life threatening illnesses by providing emotional and financial support

Hands to Angels – supports the identification and eventual prevention of rare, genetic disorders, and provides financial assistance to families coping with the many complications of these disorders

The Maggie Welby Foundation – provides financial assistance for children in need, families in need, and organizations benefiting children

Building Blocks For Kids – provides assistance to meet the needs of children with physical, emotional and developmental challenges by bridging the funding gap for products and services

Grotto Humanitarian Foundation – brings smiles to children with special needs by providing dental care including costs of dental treatment, hospital, and anesthesia

The Ray Tye Medical Aid Foundation – provides funding for in-hospital life saving medical treatment and surgeries

The Parker Lee Project – organization dedicated to helping the families of children with medical needs obtain the supplies/equipment, education, and support

Aubrey’s Warriors Foundation – assists families with emergency funding by fundraising, transportation assistance, resources necessary to provide medical treatment, therapies and rehabilitative equipment

The Prayer Child Foundation – provides assistance to children with physical and emotional challenges

Different Needz Foundation – provides grants to individuals with developmental disabilities, their families and organizations to provide medical equipment and/or services

Variety – the Children’s Charity – serves children who are less fortunate and who live and grow up with a serious illness, disability or disadvantage

HealthWell Foundation Pediatric Assistance Fund – provides financial assistance so children can start or continue critical and life-saving medical treatment

Alyssa V. Phillips Foundation – provides financial support to those impacted by cerebral palsy so they can receive necessary therapy and equipment

Danny Did Foundation – provides grants for intervention devices for children and adults with epilepsy

Eden’s Hope Foundation – works to ease the financial burden on families with children in treatment for neuroblastoma for expenses not typically covered by insurance or benefit programs

Small Steps in Speech – assists children with speech and language disorders by funding supplemental therapies and treatments for individuals

Medical Travel

Air Charity Network – comprised of a network member organizations who cover specific geographical service areas and coordinate volunteer pilot flights in the United States

Miracle Flights – provides financial assistance to low-income children for commercial air travel to obtain special medical care

Mercy Medical Angels – their mission is to ensure that no one in need is denied medical care due to a lack of transportation

Southwest Airlines Medical Transportation Grant Program – provides complimentary, roundtrip tickets to participating nonprofit hospitals and medical transportation organizations

Footprints in the Sky – provides free flights for patients to medical facilities throughout the United States using donated charter and corporate jets

Angel Wheels to Healing – provides non-emergency, long-distance ground transportation to financially disadvantaged, ambulatory patients who are traveling for treatment

Air Care Alliance – connect with more than sixty groups of volunteer pilots who fly patients for care or provide other flights or aviation services to help those in need

Ronald McDonald House Charities – network of local Chapters has been making children happier and healthier by keeping families close

Believe In Tomorrow Children’s Foundation – provides exceptional hospital and respite housing services to critically ill children and their families. We believe in keeping families together during a child’s medical crisis