Because we understand the financial challenges of caring for a child or adult with special needs, we have put together a list of some potential resources to obtain money to purchase sensory products. We encourage you to read all the information these organizations offer thoroughly. This is strictly for informational purposes only and we do not endorse or recommend any of these organization or guarantee the award.
Who Pays For What Nationally - This is a downloadable PDF explaining what entities pay for what type of service or equipment in the United States. Sensory equipment is listed under "Therapy Equipment". Click Here to go to webpage.
Kid's Waivers - This list contains all of the Medicaid waivers and other programs, regardless of type, available for children in the United States, ordered alphabetically by state. The list can display up to 100 programs and is sortable by state, program type, ages served, level of care, population served, and income waiver. Click on the state name to access detailed information about that state and its programs. Click Here to go to website.
ACT Today! Stands for Autism Care and Treatment Today! ACT Today! is a national nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to raise awareness and provide treatment services and support to families to help their children with autism achieve their full potential. Our goal is to introduce and help facilitate early and on-going treatment by providing the necessary resources (including referrals, funding and guidance) to individuals with autism and their families. Studies demonstrate that early and intense intervention is important when treating individuals with autism, yet sadly very few of the effective treatments are covered by medical insurance and families are often delegated to piece together a treatment program for their child via multiple funding sources. Often, the child with autism must go without vital interventions due to financial restraints. ACT Today! strives to provide necessary services so that each child with autism can reach his or her highest potential. For more information, please visit https://www.act-today.org/.
Administration for Children and Families Grants Over 1,000 federal grants for special needs kids. For more information, please visit https://www.acf.hhs.gov/
Autism Speaks was founded in February 2005 by Bob and Suzanne Wright, grandparents of a child with autism. Their longtime friend Bernie Marcus donated $25 million to help financially launch the organization. Since then, Autism Speaks has grown into the world's leading autism science and advocacy organization, dedicated to funding research into the causes, prevention, treatments and a cure for autism; increasing awareness of autism spectrum disorders; and advocating for the needs of individuals with autism and their families. We are proud of what we've been able to accomplish and look forward to continued successes in the years ahead. For more information please visit https://www.autismspeaks.org/. Please take some time to visit our new and revamped searchable Community Autism Speaks Grants Database to learn more about grants we have funded!
The Children's Dream Fund was founded in 1981 with the single purpose of fulfilling dreams for children ages 3-18 who have been diagnosed with a life-threatening illness.Referrals are received from several hospitals on Florida's west coast. Dreams vary greatly - from trips to Disney World, meetings with celebrities, computers, play sets, cruises and shopping sprees. Every child deserves hope and a dream! For more information, please visit https://childrensdreamfund.org/.
Children's Wish Foundation has continued to expand its programs to enhance the lives of children with life-threatening illnesses. Recognizing our families' needs outside of the scope of wish fulfillment, we stepped up our commitment to the children by developing a hospital enrichment program wherein we place educational and entertainment materials in children's hospitals throughout the world. We also created a Family Focus program that allows our Wish Families a respite from hospital or treatment life. Children's Wish Foundation is dedicated to bringing joy and happiness to children with life-threatening illness around the world. This dedication has created memorable experiences in 53 countries. For more information, please visit http://childrenswish.org/.
Children's Wish Foundation has continued to expand its programs to enhance the lives of children with life-threatening illnesses. Recognizing our families' needs outside of the scope of wish fulfillment, we stepped up our commitment to the children by developing a hospital enrichment program wherein we place educational and entertainment materials in children's hospitals throughout the world. We also created a Family Focus program that allows our Wish Families a respite from hospital or treatment life. Children's Wish Foundation is dedicated to bringing joy and happiness to children with life-threatening illness around the world. This dedication has created memorable experiences in 53 countries. For more information, please visit http://childrenswish.org/.
Christopher Douglas Hidden Angel Foundation - The Christopher Douglas Hidden Angel Foundation (CDHAF) was created in honor and recognition of Christopher Douglas Fornes and Joyce Baye. CDHAF enriches the lives, health, and social well-being of people with cognitive, emotional, and physical challenges through the use of our Multi Sensory Environments™ (MSE). Our focus is on the design, development, implementation and education of our Multi Sensory Environments™ with the aim to enable productivity, inclusion, independence, and self-determination. https://www.cdhaf.org/.
Different Needz Foundation offers special needs families a one-stop shop to buy and sell their gently used medical and special needs equipment and adaptive toys. They also have a grant available to purchase such items as well. For more information, please visit http://www.differentneedzfoundation.org/.
Division of Specialized Care for Children offers care coordination and cost-supported diagnosis and treatment for children with chronic health impairments determined eligible for program support. For more information, please visit https://dscc.uic.edu/.
The Dream Factory is the only children’s wish-granting organization that does not limit its mission to children who have life-threatening illness. The organization believes children with chronic illnesses and disorders also suffer from substantial emotional and physical pain. We strive to provide hope and relief from the trauma and corresponding stress and depression that both the children and their families can endure on a day-to-day basis. Doctors agree that providing a dream can improve the quality of life for these children and extend the life of a critically ill child. For more information, please visit http://dreamfactoryinc.org/.
Easter Seals provides exceptional services, education, outreach, and advocacy so that people living with autism and other disabilities can live, learn, work and play in our communities. Easter Seals has been helping individuals with disabilities and special needs, and their families, live better lives for more than 90 years. From child development centers to physical rehabilitation and job training for people with disabilities, Easter Seals offers a variety of services to help people with disabilities address life's challenges and achieve personal goals. For more information please visit http://www.easterseals.com/.
Elks is a fraternal order with nearly a million members and a 141-year history, a network of more than 2000 lodges in communities all over the country, a generous charitable foundation that each year gives millions in scholarships, an inspiration to youth, a friend to veterans and more. To inculcate the principles of Charity, Justice, Brotherly Love and Fidelity; to recognize a belief in God; to promote the welfare and enhance the happiness of its Members; to quicken the spirit of American patriotism; to cultivate good fellowship; to perpetuate itself as a fraternal organization, and to provide for its government, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks of the United States of America will serve the people and communities through benevolent programs, demonstrating that Elks Care and Elks Share. For more information, please visit https://www.elks.org/.
First Hand Foundation is a nonprofit organization that helps children with health-related needs when insurance and other financial resources have been exhausted. Our mission is to directly impact the health status of a young life. Since our inception in 1995, First Hand has assisted more than 93,000 children in 73 countries around the world. For more information, please visit https://www.firsthandfoundation.org/.
Foundation Directory Online (FDO) makes your foundation fundraising easier — and more effective. FDO makes it easy to turn foundations into funders. It’s the only resource you need to search for the foundations most likely to give you grants and manage your prospects through to funding. For more information, please visithttps://fdo.foundationcenter.org/.
Friends of Man provides grants for therapy, equipment and other needs. You must have a sponsor such as an agency or social worker to apply. For more information, please visit http://www.friendsofman.org/.
Fund It Forward is a volunteer run non-profit organization which believes that parents of children with special needs are strong, willing and able to endure daily struggles. They advocate every day to help their children gain independence. Many things do not come easily for these families; they fight insurance companies to approve equipment, pay expensive medical bills, and sometimes even battle with medical professionals to get their children the excellent care they deserve.Because of the constant battles to provide the best quality of life for their children, Fund It Forward believes these families deserve help in addressing their concerns: We help them obtain expensive medical and adaptive equipment such as augmentative communication devices, bathing and feeding chairs, enclosed beds or sensory equipment. These devices can dramatically aid a family struggling to meet the needs of a disabled child. For more information please go to https://www.funditfwd.org/.
George S. Weeks Trust Financial assistance to needy, legally blind individuals of Fayette and Bourbon Counties, KY, for equipment, supplies, and training.c/o Bank On Trust Co., N.A., P.O. Box 1308, Milwaukee, WI 53201
The Gia Nicole Angel Foundation enhances the daily functioning of a child with special needs and his or her family by awarding assistance through the purchase of a specific item or items. For more information, please visit https://givingangelsfoundation.org/.
Helping From Heaven - The Lexi Kazian Foundation is a non-profit foundation dedicated to improving the comfort and quality of life for children with special needs. This is accomplished by providing education, therapy and playground equipment, therapy toys, resources and scholarships for families and therapists in need of financial assistance and/or community support. For more information, please visithttp://www.helpingfromheaven.org/.
Division of Specialized Care for Children offers care coordination and cost-supported diagnosis and treatment for children with chronic health impairments determined eligible for program support. For more information, please visit https://dscc.uic.edu/.
The Dream Factory is the only children’s wish-granting organization that does not limit its mission to children who have life-threatening illness. The organization believes children with chronic illnesses and disorders also suffer from substantial emotional and physical pain. We strive to provide hope and relief from the trauma and corresponding stress and depression that both the children and their families can endure on a day-to-day basis. Doctors agree that providing a dream can improve the quality of life for these children and extend the life of a critically ill child. For more information, please visit http://dreamfactoryinc.org/.
Easter Seals provides exceptional services, education, outreach, and advocacy so that people living with autism and other disabilities can live, learn, work and play in our communities. Easter Seals has been helping individuals with disabilities and special needs, and their families, live better lives for more than 90 years. From child development centers to physical rehabilitation and job training for people with disabilities, Easter Seals offers a variety of services to help people with disabilities address life's challenges and achieve personal goals. For more information please visit http://www.easterseals.com/.
Elks is a fraternal order with nearly a million members and a 141-year history, a network of more than 2000 lodges in communities all over the country, a generous charitable foundation that each year gives millions in scholarships, an inspiration to youth, a friend to veterans and more. To inculcate the principles of Charity, Justice, Brotherly Love and Fidelity; to recognize a belief in God; to promote the welfare and enhance the happiness of its Members; to quicken the spirit of American patriotism; to cultivate good fellowship; to perpetuate itself as a fraternal organization, and to provide for its government, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks of the United States of America will serve the people and communities through benevolent programs, demonstrating that Elks Care and Elks Share. For more information, please visit https://www.elks.org/.
First Hand Foundation is a nonprofit organization that helps children with health-related needs when insurance and other financial resources have been exhausted. Our mission is to directly impact the health status of a young life. Since our inception in 1995, First Hand has assisted more than 93,000 children in 73 countries around the world. For more information, please visit https://www.firsthandfoundation.org/.
Foundation Directory Online (FDO) makes your foundation fundraising easier — and more effective. FDO makes it easy to turn foundations into funders. It’s the only resource you need to search for the foundations most likely to give you grants and manage your prospects through to funding. For more information, please visithttps://fdo.foundationcenter.org/.
Friends of Man provides grants for therapy, equipment and other needs. You must have a sponsor such as an agency or social worker to apply. For more information, please visit http://www.friendsofman.org/.
Fund It Forward is a volunteer run non-profit organization which believes that parents of children with special needs are strong, willing and able to endure daily struggles. They advocate every day to help their children gain independence. Many things do not come easily for these families; they fight insurance companies to approve equipment, pay expensive medical bills, and sometimes even battle with medical professionals to get their children the excellent care they deserve.Because of the constant battles to provide the best quality of life for their children, Fund It Forward believes these families deserve help in addressing their concerns: We help them obtain expensive medical and adaptive equipment such as augmentative communication devices, bathing and feeding chairs, enclosed beds or sensory equipment. These devices can dramatically aid a family struggling to meet the needs of a disabled child. For more information please go to https://www.funditfwd.org/.
George S. Weeks Trust Financial assistance to needy, legally blind individuals of Fayette and Bourbon Counties, KY, for equipment, supplies, and training.c/o Bank On Trust Co., N.A., P.O. Box 1308, Milwaukee, WI 53201
The Gia Nicole Angel Foundation enhances the daily functioning of a child with special needs and his or her family by awarding assistance through the purchase of a specific item or items. For more information, please visit https://givingangelsfoundation.org/.
Helping From Heaven - The Lexi Kazian Foundation is a non-profit foundation dedicated to improving the comfort and quality of life for children with special needs. This is accomplished by providing education, therapy and playground equipment, therapy toys, resources and scholarships for families and therapists in need of financial assistance and/or community support. For more information, please visithttp://www.helpingfromheaven.org/.
Jack's Place helps families with children affected by autism afford the support they need for a variety of programs. For more information, please visit https://www.jacksplaceforautism.org/.
Joni and Friends International Disability Center has a Wheels for the World program that provides wheelchairs to children and adults affected by disability worldwide. 21 offices nationwide. International offices in Europe, Pacific Rim, Africa and Asia. For more information, please visit https://www.joniandfriends.org/.
Since 1997, Kids Wish Network has been making dreams come true for thousands of children all over the country. The charity started out with the single purpose of granting wishes to children suffering with life-threatening conditions. Since then we have created numerous programs benefiting kids nationwide. The catalyst for launching these programs began when it became clear to us that the children we serve demonstrated needs above and beyond the extent of wishes. For more information, please visit https://www.kidswishnetwork.org/.
Kiwanis International was founded in 1915 in Detroit, Michigan. Kiwanis helps kids around the world. Local clubs look out for our communities and the international organization takes on large-scale challenges, such as fighting disease and poverty. We are generous with our time. We are creative with our ideas. We are passionate about making a difference. And we have fun along the way. For more information, please visit https://www.kiwanis.org/.
The Knights of Columbus organization was formed in 1882 to render financial aid to members and their families. Mutual aid and assistance are offered to sick, disabled and needy members and their families. Social and intellectual fellowship is promoted among members and their families through educational, charitable, religious, social welfare, war relief and public relief works. The Knights of Columbus has grown from several members in one council to more than 13,000 councils and 1.7 million members throughout the United States, Canada, the Philippines, Mexico, Poland, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Panama, the Bahamas, the Virgin Islands, Cuba, Guatemala, Guam and Saipan. For more information, please visit https://www.kofc.org/en/.
Louis S. Oppenheim Trust provides medical and living support to financially needy, blind residents of Peoria County, IL. To contact this trust, please call (309) 655-5385.
Make-A-Wish® grants the wish of a child diagnosed with a life-threatening medical condition in the United States and its territories, on average, every 38 minutes. We believe that a wish experience can be a game-changer. This one belief guides us. It inspires us to grant wishes that change the lives of the kids we serve. For more information please visit https://wish.org/.
The Marty Lyons Foundation's Wish program for any child between the ages of three (3) and seventeen (17) inclusive who has been diagnosed as having a terminal or life threatening illness by their attending physician and confirmed by the Foundation’s medical advisors shall be eligible. OPerates 9 chapters throughout the U.S. For more information, please visit https://martylyonsfoundation.org/.
Muscular Dystrophy Family Foundation's No Boundaries exists to provide resources, services, and adaptive equipment to enable patients with muscular dystrophy and their family members to live independent and productive lives. For more information, please visit http://mdff.org/.
The National Multiple Sclerosis Society's Direct Assistance program relieves some of the financial burden that comes with purchasing the goods and services needed to manage MS when other resources (private insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, or other personal/community resources) aren't available. The Society helps people affected by MS by funding cutting-edge research, driving change through advocacy, facilitating professional education, and providing programs and services that help people with MS and their families move their lives forward. For more information, please visit https://www.nationalmssociety.org/.
Founded in 1948, The National Spinal Cord Injury Association is the nation's oldest and largest civilian organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for hundreds of thousands of Americans living with the results of spinal cord injury and disease (SCI/D) and their families. This number grows by thirty newly-injured people each day. For more information, please visit https://unitedspinal.org/.
Pennsylvania Assistive Technology Foundation. Pennsylvania Assistive Technology Foundation (PATF) is a statewide, non-profit organization that helps individuals with disabilities and older Pennsylvanians acquire the assistive technology devices and services they want. PATF is a state and federally-certified Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) and is the Commonwealth’s designated Alternative Financing Program (AFP) under the federal Assistive Technology Act. PATF is one of 42 AFPs and state financing entities in the U.S. and territories. Click here to learn more.
Pinterest has tons of fundraising ideas for really fun money earning ideas for toys and equipment for your school. For more information, please visit here https://www.pinterest.com/.
The mission of The Rainbow Connection is to grant wishes to Michigan children with life threatening or terminal illnesses. A child must be between the ages of 2 ½ and 18 years old and be diagnosed with a life threatening illness. A licensed physician will verify the illness and refer the child for a wish. The child must not have received a wish previously from any wish-granting organization. The child must lives in the state of Michigan. For more information, please visit https://www.rainbowconnection.org/.
Reagan's Journey. Reagan's Journey Inc exists to make life better for children with special needs through special events, a lending closet of equipment that family's can't afford or insurance won't pay for, and raising awareness and improving our communities in ways that make them a better place for children with special needs to live. http://www.reagansjourney.org/.
Rest Haven Children's Help Fund is a California 501 c (3) nonprofit corporation dedicated to addressing the health needs of children. Rest Haven’s mission is to provide funds for health related services for children in San Diego and Imperial counties when no other funds are available. To fulfill this mission Rest Haven Children’s Health Fund provides one time or short term funding for health related needs for individual children who meet our eligibility requirements. Funds are also provided to assist health care development and to purchase needed services. For more information, please visit https://resthavenchf.org/.
Scott Rose Foundation provides support only to disabled, disadvantaged young residents of southeastern KY. To contact this foundation, please call (606) 862-4221.
SKIP of New York is the way home for chronically ill and developmentally disabled children. Each child is partnered with a service coordinator and a supervisor. Each service coordinator supports about 20-25 families per month. Those families can be with them for a short period of time or for a lifetime. They are called upon to reach out and assist with every aspect of the child’s life. Service coordinators are involved with educational systems, medical emergencies, appeals processes, anything and everything that touches a family’s life. For more information, please visit http://skipofny.org/.
The Special Kids Therapy scholarship focuses on therapies or activities that are not funded by public or private insurance, other charities or government agencies. For more information, please visit http://specialkidstherapy.org/.
Sunshine Foundation's sole purpose is to answer the dreams of chronically ill, seriously ill, physically challenged and abused children, ages three to eighteen, whose families cannot fulfill their requests due to the financial strain that child's illness may cause. Sunshine's mission is to answer the dreams of chronically ill, seriously ill, physically challenged and abused children between the ages of 3 and 18. All children need something to believe in, to know dreams can come true. Whether the dream is a visit with a celebrity hero, a family outing, a trip to Orlando, or a special gift, Sunshine Foundation has granted over 34,500 dreams to these special children. Sunshine Foundation, the original wish-granting organization, is one of the few charities that makes dreams come true not only terminally ill children, but chronically ill and abused children as well. For more information, please visit https://www.sunshinefoundation.org/.
The Travis Roy Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the life of spinal cord injured individuals and families by providing adaptive equipment and to finding a cure through increased funding of research, resulting in self-reliance and the ability to be as independent as possible. For more information, please visit https://www.travisroyfoundation.org/.
U.S. Department of Education and Department of Special Education offer OSEP Grant Opportunities and Funding. Information on grant opportunities and funding from the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP). For more information, please visit https://www2.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/osep/index.htm.
Variety Club has been helping children in need since 1927, and it all begins with people like you. At the heart of Variety's achievements are the remarkable contributions of people in the community, and it is only through their time and effort that we are able to do so much for special children everywhere. Variety's impact is felt year round in the lives of children of each community where we have a local chapter. Each Board of Directors is made up of altruistic business men and women working at the grassroots level to bring money and assistance where it is needed the most. Because each chapter is the best judge of the needs in its own community, Variety encourages local chapters to create their own fundraising events and decide how to spend the money raised. https://usvariety.org/.
The Wegman Family Charitable Foundation (formerly Robert B. Wegman Charitable Foundation), 1500 Brooks Ave., P.O., Box 30844, Rochester, NY United States 14603-0844. Telephone: (585) 328-2550For more information, please visit here https://www.wegmans.com/about-us/making-a-difference.html.
The WHAS Crusade for Children, Inc. established in 1954 by WHAS-TV, raises money for agencies, schools and hospitals to make life better for children with special needs.for more information, please visit https://whascrusade.org/
The Wheel to Walk Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to making a difference in the lives of children age 21 and younger with special needs. We are a 100 percent volunteer organization with no paid employees. We help children who experience difficulty obtaining funding from their insurance companies. To date, we have helped over 625 children obtain essential equipment or services that they needed to make their day to day lives just a little easier. If you need financial assistance with anything from leg braces, bath chairs, gait trainers to therapy tricycles and wheelchairs, please contact us at the phone number on the left or email us so we can email you an application. For more information, please visit http://www.wheeltowalk.com/.
The mission of Zane’s Foundation Inc. is to provide financial support to families of special needs children through funds designated for respite care, therapies, or other assistive equipment. Zane’s Foundation will help families attain some of those unique things that the special needs child should have to allow for a more productive life. Through fund-raising efforts and grants, Zane’s Foundation will provide financial assistance to families. Funding for families with special needs children is the cornerstone of Zane’s Foundation. Visit https://zanesinc.org/mission/.