The US government has set up a number of grants for pregnant women; the main thing is to know which you can benefit from depending on your particular condition. The goal of every government grant is to extend as much support as possible to every expectant mother including their potential children. It is important to understand that each of these grants come with an eligibility based on the nature of the individual programs.
The most common beneficiaries of grants are families that have low income; however, there have been instances where the target groups are all citizens of states based on their particular condition.Many of the grant programs were initiated during the Johnson Administration and initially targeted people with disabilities or could not work due to varying reasons, including pregnant women.
By providing easy access to gran applications to low-income, pregnant women, the government is uplifting the general health and wellness of both mother and newborn. In addition, these grants also solve the financial shortcomings of mothers by providing them with financial assistance. With ample cash to get by, single mothers can proceed with their pregnancy without having to worry about the future after their delivery. Just like any other financial assistance program by the government, grants are short-term solutions that pregnant women can take advantage of. The pursuit for a better quality of life will always come from within. The willingness to change their economic status is something that no grant or financial assistance program can ever give.
Federal and state government has made their own improvements and changes allowing benefits to be delivered more expediently. Some of the potential grants for pregnant women are:
1.Adolescent Family Life
Handled by the Department of Health and Human Services, this grants program is designed to create complete, integrated, and novel approaches that will be able to help improve the delivery system for social and healthcare services to potential mothers.
Those who can qualify for this program are pregnant women who are below 17 years old, who are intended beneficiaries of support for parenting adolescents. The program is also designed to help minimize the instances of teen pregnancy.
2.Pregnancy Assistance Fund Program
This is another one of the grants for pregnant women that fall under the jurisdiction of the Department of Health and Human Services. This federal grant program is intended to help deliver assistance to various states to allow them to initiate support facilities to pregnant women and teens. The eligibility requirements are focused on teens and women who are undergoing pregnancy.
However, it should be clearly understood that the approval period for the grants application can be as long as 60 days after submission. The type of support or assistance facility that will be extended to qualified applicants will be determined through the evaluation of the state. All pregnant women seeking to qualify for the federal grant should remember to register with the state to become eligible.
3.Temporary Assistance For Needy Families
The Temporary Assistance For Needy Families is a type of federal grant program that obviously caters to families that are experiencing financial difficulties. However, aside from this obvious goal, there are other objectives that people should be completely aware of. Some of the objectives that can have potential benefit for pregnant women can include:
- Delivery of support and assistance to various states, territories, federally recognized Indian tribes, and the District of Columbia
- Focuses on the prioritization of child care within their own homes
- Reducing potential dependencies by providing assistance in the form of job placement and couple’s weddings
- Prevent and reduce the increasing and alarming rate of pregnancies out-of-wedlock
- Promotion of the concept of two-parent families This program does not require any pre-application and is overseen and evaluated by the Department of Health and Human Services.
4.Special Supplemental Nutrition Program For Women, Children, and Infants
The Department of Agriculture is tasked with the implementation of this grant program with the intention of supporting pregnant women who are breastfeeding or are charged with caring with their children up to five years old.The eligibility requirement of the program states that it is open to all pregnant women and those with young children if it is established that they are facing a nutritional risk.
The income bracket of the applicant will also be evaluated by the Department of Agriculture before any applicant is allowed to receive benefits in the form of Medicaid, food stamps, or through the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program. This is one of the grants for pregnant women that are designed to deliver nutritious food as well as make it easier to access social and healthcare services through referral programs.Nutrition education is part of the program to create a more sustainable healthy environment. The regular processing period can take up to 30 days per application.
5.Support For Pregnant And Parenting Teens And Women
This is one of the grants for pregnant women, which is specifically run by the Office of Adolescent Health under the Department of Health and Human Services. This funding opportunity is considered as a type of competitive grant that can only be applied for by states. This means that it is not open to CBOs (Community Based Organizations) or other non-state agencies.
Based on the initial budget, a maximum of 25 grants will be awarded every fiscal year for a period of ten years. The grants will have a minimum amount of $500,000 and will not exceed $2,000,000. It should be understood that this program cannot be used to replace any existing grants that are funded by the state.
The provision is that the funding that will be received by the state can go towards the establishment, operation, or maintenance of support services specifically designed for pregnant and parenting students within institutions of higher learning, community service centers, and high schools in the state.It can also be spent on the improvement of services that cater to pregnant women who have been victimized by domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and sexual violence.
Part of the thrust is to ensure that there is renewed and increased public awareness and education for the services that have been outlined in the funding guide.This grant program actually gives the opportunity to pregnant and parenting teens in low-income communities to receive support that will allow them to finish their education. This can translate to chances for a better future for their children.
6.Children’s Health Insurance Program
This type of grant program is not granted directly to pregnant women, but rather, to the local state agencies for implementation of programs. However, this federal program does benefit pregnant women indirectly by ensuring that their children will be able to receive adequate support to ensure their health.
This program can actually be tied up with the Rural Health Care program that provides women residing in rural areas to receive the necessary prenatal care they need. The benefits are in the form of products and services, which means no actual cash is released to beneficiaries.
These are six extremely useful and valuable grants for pregnant women that can help life a bit easier for them regardless of the economic conditions.
