TFA grants care for veterans with minor children in the home

For active-duty military and  American Legion members with minor children in the home, keeping your child(ren) in a stable environment is important. Therefore, whether it’s meeting daily financial demands after a job loss, needing temporary housing after devastation caused to a home after a tornado or severe storm, or keeping the lights on after facing a hardship, The American Legion can help. 

Through its Temporary Financial Assistance (TFA) program, The American Legion has awarded over $16 million in non-repayable grants since 1925 to eligible applicants.

TFA grants are available to minor children of eligible active-duty servicemembers and current American Legion members in need. The TFA program distributes one-time grants of up to $1,500. Grantees must have minor children in the home and the funds are designed to help meet the cost of shelter, food, utilities and health expenses so that children have a stable environment during a time of hardship.

No child can be considered eligible until a complete investigation is conducted at the post or department level, a legitimate family need is determined, and all other available assistance resources have been utilized or exhausted.

The TFA program is outlined in Resolution No. 5 (Spring 2022), titled:  The Statement of Policy and Procedures for the Temporary Financial Assistance grant program. To qualify, a veteran must:

• Be a veteran with an up-to-date membership in The American Legion or a United States Armed Forces member serving on federal orders under Title 10 of the United States Code, inclusive of all its components.
• Have minor child(ren) that must be the biological child, stepchild, legally adopted or in legal custody, and living in the home of the veteran or active-duty servicemember full-time, no older than the age of 17, or may be up to 20 years old if still in high school.
• Have exhausted all other forms of assistance that has been sought after, applied for, or denied.

TFA grant s are applied for by contacting your local American Legion post or department. For more information, please visit legion.org/financialassistance.

The American Legion Temporary Financial Assistance program is funded through the generosity of donations made by American Legion members and the public to The American Legion Veterans and Children Foundation (VCF). Donations to VCF are tax deductible and can be made online at legion.org/donate.