I lost my husband a few years back, and for about two and a half years after that, I could not work. Not “didn’t want to.” Could not. Some mornings I couldn’t even get out of bed, let alone hold down a job while raising my kids alone.
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So when people ask me how we made it through that stretch, my honest answer is: I didn’t do it by myself. There were organizations, programs, and honestly just kind strangers on the internet who helped carry us through until I could stand on my own feet again.
That’s exactly why I made the video above, and why I wanted to put this article underneath it. Everything in the video is something I personally went and tested myself — clicking through the actual websites, filling out real fields, checking what’s still active and what’s changed since the last time I made a list like this. Nothing here is a random “grants exist!” listicle. This is updated, it’s current, and it’s specifically laid out for people in the United States.
Before you scroll through the list, one important thing to understand: not everything below hands you a check with no strings attached. Some of these are true grants — money you never pay back. Some are crowdfunding platforms where real people choose to support your story. A couple are 0%-interest loans, which I’ve clearly marked as loans, not gifts. And a few are simply places that connect you to help you didn’t know existed. I’m telling you exactly which is which as we go so you can decide what actually fits your situation.
A Quick Story Before We Start
A guy who works maintenance on the railroad reached out to me after watching an earlier version of this video. He’d been out of work for several weeks after an injury, and between missed paychecks and a mounting hospital bill from the ER visit, he was drowning. He told me he almost didn’t bother applying anywhere because he assumed “help like that” was only for people in more extreme situations than his.
He ended up doing two things: he ran his hospital bill through a hospital financial assistance program, and he put up a short, honest fundraiser explaining exactly what happened and what he needed. Between the reduced bill and what people chipped in, he covered the gap he was stressing over. He told me the hardest part wasn’t the applications — it was getting over the feeling that he wasn’t “the kind of person” who asks for help. If that sounds like you right now, that’s exactly why I keep making these videos.
Okay, let’s get into the 25.
1. Awesome Foundation
This is one of the closest things to free money with almost no strings attached. Local chapters of regular people pool their own cash and hand out $1,000 grants — no repayment, no percentage of your business taken, no lengthy forms. It’s not just for businesses either. They’ve funded community projects, creative ideas, even oddball stuff like public swing installations. You can apply directly to an existing US chapter, or if there isn’t one near you, you can start your own. The application itself is short: tell them who you are, what you’re doing, and how you’ll use the money.
2. Dollar For
If a hospital bill is what’s crushing you, this nonprofit is built specifically for that. They won’t hand you cash directly, but they help you access hospital charity care programs that can reduce or completely wipe out medical debt for people who qualify. You plug in your state, the bill amount, and your household income, and they’ll tell you what you might be eligible for. This is exactly the kind of program the railway worker I mentioned above used for his ER bill.
3. GoFundMe
Almost everyone’s heard of it, but most people never actually consider using it for themselves. It works for medical emergencies, funeral costs, family hardship, community causes, and more. It’s free to start, and campaigns can be shared endlessly on social media. My biggest tip: be specific about what happened, how much you need, and exactly what the money covers — vague campaigns raise very little.
4. FundMyTravel
Yes, there are legitimate platforms built specifically to help fund travel — reuniting with family, medical travel, honeymoons, mission trips. What I like about this model is you don’t need to hit your entire goal to actually use the money you raise, unlike all-or-nothing platforms.
5. Seed&Spark
Built for filmmakers and creative storytellers. What stood out to me is their claimed success rate is unusually high, and they actually review your project and give you feedback to strengthen your pitch before you launch — most crowdfunding platforms just let you post and hope for the best.
6. GoGetFunding
This one is broader than most — medical bills, weddings, community projects, you name it. I looked up campaigns from different states and found real, funded fundraisers everywhere I checked, which tells me people across the country are actively using this one, not just in a couple of major cities.
7. NeedHelpPayingBills.com
This site is basically a giant directory of financial assistance programs, charity grants, and hardship funds organized by category — rent, utilities, medical, food, and more. If you don’t know where to even start looking, this is a solid first stop.
8. Benefits.gov
This is the official U.S. government benefit finder. You answer some short questions about your situation — income, family size, state, circumstances — and it matches you against federal and state assistance programs you may already qualify for and simply never knew existed.
9. United Healthcare Children’s Foundation
If you’re raising a child with a serious medical condition or disability, this nonprofit provides grants that help cover things insurance doesn’t — medical equipment, therapy, specialized technology. You don’t have to be a UnitedHealthcare policyholder to apply. My honest tip: don’t assume you won’t qualify. Apply and let them tell you.
10. Kickstarter
One of the most well-known creative crowdfunding platforms — books, films, games, art, tech, design. The catch: it’s all-or-nothing. If you don’t hit your funding goal, you don’t get any of the money, but your backers also aren’t charged, which is a fair trade-off.
11. Indiegogo
Great for inventors and entrepreneurs bringing a physical product to market. I’ve personally backed products on here as a buyer. Instead of spending your own savings manufacturing something nobody’s confirmed they want, you use the platform to prove demand first. They take a modest fee off whatever you raise.
12. Fundable
Built specifically for U.S. startups looking to raise funding, whether through pre-orders, rewards, or early customer support. It’s a solid alternative if Kickstarter or Indiegogo don’t fit your specific business model.
13. Chuffed
This one leans heavily toward causes — nonprofits, community projects, environmental campaigns, human rights work. It’s used well beyond its home country, including plenty of U.S.-based campaigns. The best part: you don’t need to hit your full goal to withdraw whatever you did raise.
14. Plumfund
Zero platform fees, which matters a lot if every dollar counts. People use it for life events, but it works just as well for hardship fundraising when you want a clean, simple page without extra costs eating into donations.
15. StartSomeGood
For projects with a genuine positive impact — community improvement, education, environment, social causes. One heads-up: unlike most platforms on this list, there’s a small upfront fee to launch a campaign here, so weigh that against how much you expect to raise.
16. Amber Grant (WomensNet)
If you’re a woman running or starting a business in the U.S., this one’s worth your time. They award $10,000 monthly grants to women-owned businesses, and a handful of those monthly winners go on to receive an additional $50,000 year-end grant. There’s a small $15 application fee, but for a shot at a real business grant, that’s nothing.
17. Wefunder
This lets everyday people invest in your startup — not just venture capitalists or wealthy angel investors. Friends, followers, and customers can invest as little as $100 through what’s called a community round. To be clear, this is investment, not a gift, so it comes with its own responsibilities.
18. StartEngine
Similar concept to Wefunder — equity crowdfunding where regular people can become part-owners in a company they believe in. If you’ve got real traction and a community that already supports what you’re building, this is worth exploring.
19. Kiva U.S.
This one genuinely surprised me: 0% interest, no fees, no collateral, and no minimum credit score required for eligible U.S. small businesses, with loan amounts generally ranging up to $15,000. It’s still a loan, meaning you do pay it back — but paying back the exact amount you borrowed with zero interest is about as good as loans get.
20. National Endowment for the Arts & State Arts Councils
If you’re a creative working on an arts, culture, or community heritage project, most states have an arts council offering project grants, and the National Endowment for the Arts funds projects nationally as well. These are true grants — money you don’t repay — aimed at strengthening arts access in your community.
21. Classy
A fundraising platform widely used by nonprofits and cause-driven campaigns across the U.S. If your situation ties into a broader nonprofit or charitable cause rather than a purely personal ask, this is built for that kind of structured fundraising.
22. Givebutter
This isn’t just one fundraising page — it’s a whole toolkit. Donation pages, event ticketing, peer-to-peer fundraising where others raise money on your behalf, all in one place. It’s especially good for schools, sports teams, churches, and community organizations rather than solo personal campaigns.
23. Community Action Agencies (LIHEAP & Emergency Assistance)
Nearly every county in the U.S. has a local Community Action Agency that distributes federally backed emergency assistance — energy bill help through LIHEAP, rent assistance, and crisis funds for households facing sudden financial shocks. You don’t always have to already be on other benefits to qualify. Search “[your county] Community Action Agency” to find yours.
24. Grants.gov & USA.gov Benefit Finder
Grants.gov is the official portal for federal grant opportunities (more geared toward organizations, but some individual and small-business opportunities do appear), while USA.gov’s benefit finder tool helps individuals search across federal assistance programs by category. Worth ten minutes of your time just to see what’s listed.
25. SCORE Mentorship + Accion Opportunity Fund
If you’re a new or young entrepreneur, SCORE offers free business mentoring backed by the Small Business Administration, and Accion Opportunity Fund provides small business grants and loans specifically aimed at entrepreneurs who’ve historically had a harder time accessing traditional funding. The combination of real mentorship plus funding access is something I wish more people knew about before trying to figure everything out alone.
What I’d Actually Do, Step By Step
- Start with Benefits.gov and your local Community Action Agency — these tell you what you may already qualify for before you do anything public.
- Identify your category: medical, housing, business, creative project, or general hardship. That narrows this list down fast.
- Apply to two or three grant or charity-based options before launching a public crowdfunding campaign, since those don’t require broadcasting your situation to everyone you know.
- If you do go the crowdfunding route, write your own story in plain language, include one clear photo, and state the exact amount and exact purpose.
- Share it more than once. A single post rarely spreads on its own — the campaigns that succeed get reshared over a couple of weeks with updates.
- Never pay a large upfront fee to “unlock” money. Small, transparent fees (like Amber Grant’s $15 application fee) are normal. Demands for a “processing deposit” before you’ve received anything are not.
Final Thoughts
I don’t record these videos because I have to — I do it because I’ve been on the other side of needing this exact kind of help, and I know how isolating it feels to think nobody’s coming. Somebody helped me and my kids get through two and a half years I genuinely didn’t think we’d survive financially, and if sharing this list helps even one person the way I was helped, then making it was worth it.
If something here fits your situation, don’t wait for the “perfect moment” to apply. Pick two or three from this list today, and take the first step.
