Home repair grants
Check USDA’s rural repair program and the local examples below for help with an owner-occupied home.
GrantCalendar’s deadline directory focuses on small businesses and nonprofits. This guide covers personal assistance. We do not award money or take applications.
Sources checked
USDA Section 504 Home Repair grants
USDA Section 504 serves eligible rural homeowners who occupy their homes and cannot obtain affordable credit elsewhere. Its grants require age 62 or older and very low household income. Check the address and county income limits with USDA. USDA: Section 504 Home Repair.
Section 504 grants address health and safety hazards. The standard grant has a $10,000 lifetime limit and must be repaid if the home is sold within three years. USDA: Section 504 Home Repair.
Section 504 repair loans
The separate Section 504 loan can fund repairs, improvements or modernization. USDA lists a $40,000 maximum, 1% fixed interest and a 20-year term; eligible borrowers may combine a loan and grant. USDA: Section 504 Home Repair.
How to apply
Applications go through local USDA Rural Development offices year-round. Approval time depends on local funding availability; use the state selector on the official page to find a contact. USDA: Section 504 Home Repair.
State and local home repair programs
Philadelphia’s Basic Systems Repair Program provides free emergency repairs for eligible owner-occupied homes in the city. Household income limits apply. This is a local repair service, not unrestricted cash. City of Philadelphia: emergency home repairs.
Indiana’s Owner Occupied Rehabilitation program awards funds to communities, which run local homeowner repair programs. It is not a direct statewide homeowner application; ask your community whether it has a funded program. Indiana OCRA: Owner Occupied Rehabilitation.
Avoid grant scams
An unsolicited grant offer or a demand to pay an upfront fee is a scam warning. Do not send gift cards, wire transfers or cryptocurrency to collect a supposed government grant. FTC: government grant scams.