Financial help for pregnant mothers comes in many forms. Here are twenty-three resources to help you stretch your budget further during this critical time.
Help with money could mean finding ways to replace income if you cannot work or make your dollars last longer by reducing expenses for essentials.
Grants for pregnant women require creativity, as the federal government offers money directly to individuals only in rare cases.
Free programs make scarce dollars go further for ultrasounds, baby stuff, and apartments for you and your baby.
Help with housing makes it easier to afford a decent, safe place to live but may require you to find a local agency or non-profit with availability.
Help with Money
Pregnant women who need financial help can find many possible resources. Financial assistance could replace lost income or reduce monthly expenses, stretching their dollars further.
Money Now
Request a personal loan (Sponsored Link) if you are pregnant and need money now. Private lenders can move more quickly than government agencies. If approved, you could have cash in your checking account within days instead of weeks or months.
To get the funding ASAP, make sure to have these items handy.
- Employer name and address
- Driver’s license number
- Bank account and routing number
Be careful about borrowing emergency money. You must repay the loan with interest, which requires an ongoing income source.
Free Money
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) offers free money to pregnant moms-to-be. However, the process takes longer because the government moves slowly.
Apply for TANF through your local state agency, not at the federal level. TANF provides monetary aid to pregnant women and families with dependent children to help pay for food, shelter, utilities, and other expenses.
Help with Income
Pregnant mothers have multiple resources that could help them with money by replacing a portion of their income if their situation makes it challenging to work.
Short-Term Disability
State short-term disability could help expectant mothers replace a portion of their income if a pregnancy-related medical condition makes it impossible for them to continue working.
- Medical complications that occur before her due date
- Recovery from labor and delivery (childbirth)
- Postpartum medical disorders that delay return to work
Only eight states have a temporary disability program, but they combine to cover about 26% of workers because of their large populations: CA, HI, MA, NJ, NY, RI, and WA.
Leave Laws
Maternity leave laws in the USA help pregnant women with money in three critical areas. It pays to learn about these regulations because geography and employer size could affect your legal rights.
- Paid family leave benefits to replace income while caretaking
- Job protections lasting twelve weeks or longer while taking time off
- Continuation of job-based group health insurance
Research the maternity leave laws in your state here.
Help with Expenses
Pregnant mothers also have multiple resources to help with money by reducing their everyday living expenses. Apply at the appropriate government agency to see if you qualify.
WIC
The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) can help working moms with groceries if they are pregnant, breastfeeding, or caring for offspring up to age five and at nutritional risk.
Find a local WIC provider on this government webpage.
Childcare
Pregnant women who are employed often qualify for Child Care Assistance Programs. Federal money flows to state and county agencies that dole out the benefits to mothers-to-be who need help during their workday.
- Childcare subsidies or vouchers
- Early Head Start
- State-funded Prekindergarten
- Military fee assistance
Find the local state resources on this government website.
Grants for Pregnant Women
Pregnant women can tap into various grants by having an open mind to alternative labels. The federal government doles out this free money to universities, state agencies, and non-profit organizations – rather than individuals in most cases.
Grants for Unemployed
Pregnancy grants for unemployed mothers will require creative thinking to unearth every possible resource. Expectant women without jobs often fall into the low-income category.
Therefore, the benefits you can claim while pregnant and unemployed go far beyond the obvious.
Unemployment Benefits
Unemployment compensation can work as a grant for pregnant mothers by replacing a portion of their income while not working. However, the reason you are unemployed affects your eligibility.
- Women laid off qualify for unemployment provided they remain physically capable of working.
- Women who quit their jobs for pregnancy-related reasons will be ineligible until they recover.
- Temporary unemployment for maternity leave is never viable because you still have a job under the law.
Medical Insurance
Pregnancy Medicaid can work as a grant for unemployed mothers by covering their healthcare expenses. This government-funded program supports low-income families below a specified percentage of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL).
Each state sets a different (higher) income cutoff for women carrying a baby.
Dental Insurance
Medicaid dental coverage extends the pregnancy grant for unemployed mothers to critical oral care needs. Expectant mothers should see their dentist regularly for cleanings to prevent gingivitis.
Each state determines the rules for the type of dental care provided to women expecting a baby.
Learn more about Medicaid dental coverage in your state here.
Food Stamps
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), or Food Stamps, can grant pregnant women a grant by lowering their grocery expenses. Unemployed mothers-to-be frequently meet the earnings criteria.
- $2,250 limit in countable resources
- Gross monthly income under 130% of the poverty level
- Net monthly income under 100% of the poverty level
Find a local SNAP agency on this government webpage.
Energy
Pregnant mothers who are unemployed might qualify for the Low-Income Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). LIHEAP grant money seeks to lower home heating and cooling costs through bill payment help and energy-saving home repairs.
Find a local LIHEAP provider on this government webpage.
College Grants
The US federal government provides maternity grants to support low-income women pursuing a college education. Mothers-to-be can use this free money to pay for tuition, textbooks, and other schooling expenses.
Under federal student aid rules, your pregnancy could improve your chances of qualifying for a Pell Grant award by lowering your expected family contribution.
- File as an independent if your due date falls in the grant semester
- Your unborn babies count as additional household members
Read more about FAFSA household size rules here.
Pregnancy Assistance Grant
The Pregnancy Assistance Fund (PAF) is a competitive grant program run by the Office of Population Affairs. Like most government grants, the money is free and flows to states and tribes rather than to individuals for personal use.
Authorizations and appropriations for the PAF ceased at the end of the 2019 fiscal year. Therefore, this resource is no longer available. However, former grantees might still be in operation.
Read more about the history of PAF here.
Title V Grant
The Title V Maternal and Child Health Services Block Grant Program supports the well-being of the nation’s mothers and children. However, federal money flows to state agencies and jurisdictions rather than individuals for personal use.
State agency grantees operate local programs designed to meet Title V objectives.
- Access to quality healthcare
- Reduce infant mortality and the incidence of preventable diseases
- Access to comprehensive prenatal and postnatal care
- Toll-free hotlines and assistance in applying for services
Find out more about the Title V program here.
IRS Grants
The Internal Revenue Service offers three government grants for pregnant women open to alternative labels. Many maternity-related expenses are tax-deductible, translating into free money for those prepared to take advantage.
- Schedule A deductions offer savings for mothers who itemize and have medical and dental expenses that exceed 7.5% of adjusted gross income.
- Healthcare Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) provide first-dollar tax reductions for prenatal care, labor and delivery, and postpartum medical expenses.
- Health Savings Accounts (HSA) allow women to pay for any maternity-related expenses using pre-tax dollars – if they have a qualifying high-deductible health insurance plan.
Programs for Expectant Mothers
Expectant mothers can tap into a variety of free programs. This form of financial assistance makes limited budget dollars stretch much further because you avoid spending money unnecessarily.
Free Baby Stuff
Low-income pregnant mothers on Medicaid have boundless opportunities to find programs offering free baby stuff. Other parents with older children often need to make room for age-appropriate items and are thankful when another family takes gently used things off their hands.
Online marketplaces abound, with free baby stuff available to anyone willing to pick it up and take it away.
- Cribs and bassinets
- Car seats
- Infant clothing
- Diaper bags
Free Clinics
Free pregnancy clinics for expectant mothers do not charge for services because they want to encourage women to bring their babies to full term. Many faith-based organizations operate clinics across the USA.
- Ultrasounds at no charge to determine fetal viability
- Costless STD testing to uncover sexually transmitted infections
Find a local clinic from this online resource.
Free Vouchers
Free pregnancy vouchers are also easy to find. Retailers love giving away items to expectant mothers because they represent profitable future customers of all things baby-related.
After volunteering your name, address, and the fact that you are expecting a baby, expect a flood of free vouchers or coupons. Vendors covet your business and will sacrifice a few dollars upfront to win you over to their product line.
These companies recognize that parents spend lots of money on their children, and they want a share of that outflow. Vouchers get you hooked.
Free Housing
Free housing for pregnant mothers will prove challenging because apartment owners need to collect rent to remain viable. However, every rule has an exception, and you could get lucky and find a decent place to call home at no charge.
- Faith-based non-profits often provide costless living accommodations to women with nowhere else to stay – but demand often exceeds supply.
- Emergency shelters for women also provide living arrangements gratis but are not a long-term solution in most cases.
- Section 8 vouchers subsidize up to 70% of your rent, but other programs that help with income and expenses could cover the remaining 30%.
Help with Housing
Pregnant women who need help with housing have numerous places to turn. Sometimes, too many options make finding the financial assistance you need more challenging.
While we cannot direct you to a single resource for housing assistance, we can point you to the best starting areas. Good luck with your search.
Emergency Shelters
Emergency shelters can provide pregnant moms and their children with a decent, safe place to stay briefly (days or weeks). Low-income women often turn to these facilities during a financial or domestic crisis, such as abuse.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) publishes a comprehensive online directory of homeless shelters organized by the state.
Find an emergency shelter nearby via the HUD resource.
Maternity Group Homes
The Family and Youth Services Bureau operates the Maternity Group Home projects, which help pregnant youth between the ages of sixteen and twenty-two avoid homelessness.
Like most federal initiatives, grant money flows to states and charitable organizations that provide transitional housing in their area.
Find local recipients of maternity group home grants on this webpage.
Housing Vouchers
Housing vouchers can help pregnant low-income women by covering much of their apartment rental payments. For example, the voucher might pay 70% of the monthly rent for your neighborhood’s “market rate” unit.
The Section 8 voucher money flows from the federal government to state and county agencies. Therefore, you need to apply through your county public housing agency.
Find your county public housing agency on this government webpage.
Non-Profit Organizations
Many non-profit and faith-based organizations provide housing help to pregnant women. Mothers who choose life for their babies can find assistance with their living arrangements from charities that support their decision.
Most of these organizations serve small geographic areas, although several have offices nationwide. Therefore, you may have to search locally.
- Socialserve: Nationwide bilingual call center
- Covenant House: Nationwide (search name and location)
- Catholic Charities: Nationwide (search name and location)
- The Salvation Army: Nationwide (search name and location)
- After Hours Ministry: publishes an extensive listing for California
- Home-Start: San Diego, California
- Precious Life Shelter: Los Alamitos, California
- Saint Ann’s: Hyattsville, Maryland
- Birth Haven: Newton, New Jersey
- Bright Hope Centers: Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton, Pennsylvania
