Grants for Maternity Homes 2026: Funding Sources

Maternity home source review, Grantsights, October 30, 2026: Grantsights checked the Family and Youth Services Bureau Maternity Group Homes page (opens in a new tab), its Transitional Living Program page (opens in a new tab), the Continuum of Care rule at 24 CFR part 578 (opens in a new tab) and IRS Form 990-PF (opens in a new tab) filings. Where official sources stop: none of them explains how a home should budget for a resident whose stay starts in pregnancy and runs past the baby's first birthday.

3 Maternity Home Models and How Each Is Funded

Maternity homes vary by who they serve and how long residents stay. The 3 models below shape which grants you can reach, so name yours in the first paragraph of every request.

Homes that take young mothers leaving foster care should also read grants for foster care programs. Homes that accept young women who aren't pregnant may find more funders in grants for homeless youth programs.

Grants for Maternity Homes Through the Federal Maternity Group Homes Program

According to the Maternity Group Homes program page, the program supports homeless pregnant or parenting young people and their dependent children, and youth must be between 16 and 22 to enter. It's a branch of the Transitional Living Program, so funded homes deliver standard transitional living services plus 4 areas of teaching:

1. Parenting skills
2. Child development
3. Family budgeting
4. Health and nutrition

The page lists the services funded projects deliver: child-safe transitional and independent living accommodations; education in parenting, child discipline and safety; mental, physical and reproductive health care; help finding reliable, affordable child care; money management and credit; and education such as GED preparation, post-secondary training and vocational education. Projects are expected to follow Positive Youth Development principles.

Who this fits, and who it doesn't

The age limit is the first filter. A home whose residents are mostly women in their late 20s and 30s won't fit, however strong its program. A home serving teens and young adults should look up current grantees on the Family and Youth Services Bureau map, linked from the program page, and read the next notice of funding opportunity on Grants.gov before it opens.

The Transitional Living Program connection

According to the Transitional Living Program page, accommodations in that program may include host-family homes, group homes, maternity group homes or supervised apartments. A youth program that already runs transitional living can add a maternity wing within the same model. Youth programs should also read grants for homeless youth programs for related federal routes.

Continuum of Care Money for Maternity Homes Serving Adults

Per HUD regulations, a maternity residence for adults has 1 realistic federal housing route: the transitional housing component of the Continuum of Care program, listed in 24 CFR 578.37. A maternity residence that serves pregnant women who meet HUD's homelessness definition can apply as transitional housing if its local Continuum of Care designates it.

The rule brings 2 conditions. Under 24 CFR 578.3, each resident signs a lease or occupancy agreement for at least 1 month that ends within 24 months. Under 578.79, HUD may stop funding a project if more than half of its residents stay longer than 24 months. Most maternity residences fit inside that window, but a home that keeps mothers until a child starts preschool won't.

Homes that are also open to women who aren't pregnant should compare this route with grants for transitional housing programs, which covers the Continuum of Care process in more detail.

Which Foundations Fund Maternity Homes: What 990-PF Filings Show

Private foundations that file Form 990-PF are a real but narrow source for maternity homes. Grantsights searched human services grants for maternity homes, maternity shelters and Crittenton agencies and found fewer than 30 foundations nationwide, so most homes lean just as hard on churches, individual donors and community events. These are actual grants from the filings.

Patterns in these gifts

Repeat funders are the norm. The McBeth Foundation gave Casa Teresa $100,000 in 2023 and $125,000 in 2024. The J. J. Keller Foundation gave Vida $25,000 in both 2024 and 2025. The Canda Charitable Trust gave Good Shepherd $20,000 in 2023 and $50,000 in 2024. Once a family foundation funds a maternity home, it tends to stay.

Health funders show up. PacificSource's health foundation, the Healthcare Initiative Foundation in Maryland and the Healthcare Foundation for Orange County, which gave Casa Teresa $15,000 in 2024, all treat a maternity home as a maternal health investment. Frame prenatal care and healthy births as outcomes.

Corporate foundations give smaller, steady gifts. Wells Fargo Foundation gave $15,000 in 2024 and again in 2025 to Florence Crittenton Services in Charlotte for its Gateway to Housing work, and Edwards Lifesciences Foundation gave Casa Teresa $10,000 in 2023 and 2024.

For example, one organization in Missouri, Good Shepherd Children and Family Services in St. Louis, drew maternity shelter gifts from at least 4 foundations in 2 years: the Canda Charitable Trust, the Raskob Foundation for Catholic Activities ($25,000), the Norman J. Stupp Foundation ($7,500) and the Webb Foundation ($5,000 each year).

Finding funders the filings miss

Because so few foundations write "maternity" in a purpose line, most of a home's future funders are hiding under broader labels. Search the filings of foundations in your county for 4 kinds of grantees instead:

1. Women's shelters and family shelters. A foundation that funds housing for women and children already understands a residential program for mothers.
2. Prenatal and pediatric clinics. Health funders that back healthy births can see a maternity home as the housing half of the same goal.
3. Pregnancy and parenting programs. Funders of home visiting, parenting classes or early childhood programs often welcome a residential partner.
4. Your own past donors' foundations. Many family foundations start because a donor already gives personally. Ask major donors whether they give through a foundation or donor-advised fund.

Read each candidate's last 2 years of grants before you call. A foundation that gave $5,000 to 30 groups is a different prospect from one that gave $50,000 to 4, and the 990-PF shows which kind it is. Keep notes on every funder that declines: a decline with a reason ("we don't fund residential programs") saves you a second try, while a decline for timing is an invitation to apply next cycle.

Typical grant sizes by state

Where the funder list helps

Few foundations name maternity homes, so the useful question is which foundations in your state already fund housing for women and families. The food, shelter and housing funder list answers that with a free state preview, sorted so foundations that accept requests come first. It's a partial fit: health foundations that fund maternal care may be filed under health instead. A single state's list is $29 and a year of every cause is $99, with a 30-day refund window on both.

What a Resident Costs: Framing Requests by Stay

Maternity homes carry costs most housing programs don't: prenatal visits, baby supplies, infant-safe rooms and, after the birth, child care. The table is illustrative, not data; your numbers depend on staffing, licensing and local rent.

Diaper costs alone can run high for a home with several infants, so grants for diaper banks lists funders and partners worth contacting. For residents who return to work or school, grants for child care centers shows where infant care money comes from.

What the Family and Youth Services Bureau Doesn't Tell You About Maternity Home Funding

These 4 points come from reading the federal pages next to the 990-PF filings.

1. The federal program skips most adult residents. The age 16 to 22 entry rule leaves out homes that serve women in their mid-20s and older, and those homes depend almost entirely on private money and, sometimes, the Continuum of Care.
2. The private pool is small, so retention matters more than prospecting. Fewer than 30 foundations named maternity homes in their filings. Contrary to popular belief, a home's best grant strategy is often keeping 5 loyal funders, not finding 20 new ones.
3. Some funders filter by religion in either direction. Some homes are run by religious charities. A few foundations limit gifts to faith-based groups and others exclude them, so read each funder's guidelines before you apply.
4. Licensing can change your budget overnight. States may license maternity group homes as child care or residential facilities when they serve minors. Check your state's rules before you promise a funder a start date.

Grantsights' honest take: a maternity home serving youth under 22 should apply for the federal program when a notice opens and build foundation support around the gaps. A home serving adult women should expect foundations, congregations and individual gifts to carry most of the budget, and should ask health funders as well as housing funders.

5 Maternity Home Projects Funders Understand

1. A bed for 1 year. Price the full cost of 1 resident and her baby for 12 months.
2. Infant room setup. Cribs, car seats and safety equipment for a set number of rooms.
3. Parenting and life skills classes. Name the curriculum, hours and number of mothers.
4. Move-out fund. Deposits and first month's rent for graduating mothers.
5. Capital repairs. Roof, kitchen or accessibility work on the house, with contractor bids.

Common Mistakes in Maternity Home Grant Requests

Many of these mistakes come from writing to a housing funder as if it were a church congregation, or the reverse.

• Applying to the federal program with adult residents. The age 16 to 22 entry rule is firm, and an ineligible application fails.
• Ignoring the 24-month limit. A Continuum of Care application for a home with 3-year stays will score poorly.
• Reporting beds, not outcomes. Funders want healthy births, completed schooling and moves into stable housing.
• Underestimating post-birth costs. Infant supplies and child care often double a resident's monthly cost.
• Sizing asks without research. Read how to read a 990-PF before setting an amount for any foundation.

A Maternity Home's Funding Calendar

This calendar spreads foundation, federal and donor work across the year.

The Grantsights grant database tracks open federal and state notices for housing and family programs.

FAQ: Common Questions

Is there a federal grant for maternity homes? Yes, for youth: the Maternity Group Homes program serves ages 16 to 22 at entry.

What does the Maternity Group Homes program pay for? Transitional living services plus parenting, child development, budgeting and nutrition teaching.

Do private foundations fund maternity homes? Yes, but fewer than 30 foundations named maternity homes in their filings.

Can a maternity home use Continuum of Care funds? Yes, if residents qualify as homeless and the local Continuum designates the home.

What's a typical foundation grant for human services groups? Medians of $5,000 to $7,000 in the states shown.

Sources

• ACF Family and Youth Services Bureau: Maternity Group Homes for Pregnant and Parenting Youth (opens in a new tab)
• ACF Family and Youth Services Bureau: Transitional Living Program (opens in a new tab)
• eCFR: 24 CFR part 578, Continuum of Care Program (opens in a new tab)
• IRS: About Form 990-PF (opens in a new tab)