Charities That Help With Funeral Costs (2026 List)

If the funeral home is waiting on you right now: tell them what you can pay today and ask what they can hold. Most funeral homes have seen this many times and can delay, reduce, or restructure — and several of the programs below reimburse you afterwards rather than paying up front, so the bill has to be settled somehow first.

Federal programs — the largest amounts, and the least known

These three are open to people in every state. The first is the biggest single source of funeral money in the country and is missing from most lists of this kind.

1. FEMA COVID-19 Funeral Assistance

Up to $9,000 per person who died — the largest funeral benefit available to most families, and still open in 2026.

Covers: funeral services, cremation, burial, caskets and urns, clergy fees, transportation of remains, and death certificates.

Who qualifies: anyone who paid for a funeral where the death was attributed to COVID-19. There is no income test, and no deadline has been announced — but the national emergency has ended and FEMA has said the program could close at any time.

How to apply: by phone only, on 844-684-6333. There is no online application. This is a reimbursement — you apply after the costs have been paid, with receipts and the death certificate.

fema.gov · 844-684-6333

2. VA burial allowance

For veterans, paid to whoever covered the costs.

Covers: for a non-service-connected death, $1,002 toward burial and funeral costs plus a separate $1,002 plot allowance, for deaths on or after 1 October 2025. Where the death was service-connected, up to $2,000. Burial in a national cemetery is free, in which case the plot allowance does not apply.

Who qualifies: veterans discharged under conditions other than dishonourable. The claim is made by the surviving spouse, next of kin, or whoever paid.

How to apply: VA form 21P-530EZ.

va.gov · form 21P-530EZ

3. Social Security lump-sum death payment

A one-time payment of $255. Small, but almost nobody claims it and it takes one phone call.

Who qualifies: a surviving spouse who was living with the person who died — or, if living apart, one already receiving benefits on their record. If there is no eligible spouse, a dependent child may claim instead.

How to apply: call 1-800-772-1213 or visit a local office. It cannot be done online. You have two years from the date of death.

ssa.gov · 1-800-772-1213

Charities and nonprofits

Most funeral charities are narrow — a child, a faith, a region. That is not a flaw; it is how small organisations make a real difference to the families they can reach. Read the eligibility line before you apply.

4. The TEARS Foundation

For families who have lost a baby or a child. The most established organisation of its kind, running several programs by age.

Covers: funeral and memorial costs, grave markers, and grief counselling. The infant program provides up to $500.

Who qualifies: infant program — babies from 20 weeks gestation to one year. Child program — ages 1 to 12, where death was from an external cause such as an accident or sudden unexplained death. Cali's Gift — ages 13 to 22, for deaths related to drugs or suicide. Assistance is based on financial need and depends on funds being available.

Where: AK, AZ, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, MA, MI, NC, NJ, NV, NY, PA, SC, VT, WA and WY.

How to apply: apply on their site, or call (253) 200-0944 to ask about your area or to have an application expedited.

thetearsfoundation.org · (253) 200-0944

5. Kaden's Cause

For families of very young children, anywhere in the country.

Covers: funeral funding, cremation and burial assistance, and free urns.

Who qualifies: families of children aged 5 and under, in all 50 states.

How to apply: the "Request Assistance" form on their site, or call 859-533-4335.

If you were looking for Final Farewell, that organisation's families are now served here — its old web address redirects to Kaden's Cause.

kadenscause.org · 859-533-4335

6. Hebrew Free Burial Association

Has provided free Jewish burial since the 1880s, and has buried more than 65,000 people who could not otherwise have been laid to rest properly.

Covers: the full funeral and burial, at no cost to the family.

Who qualifies: in their words, "every Jew, regardless of financial means or religious affiliation, receives a dignified, traditional Jewish funeral and burial." For families without sufficient resources, in the greater New York metropolitan area.

How to apply: call 212-239-1662 or email info@hebrewfreeburial.org. There is no online form — this is a phone call to a person.

hebrewfreeburial.org · 212-239-1662

7. Catholic Charities — your local diocese

Burial help is common in the Catholic Charities network and open to people of all faiths, but it is worth being clear about how it works.

There is no national funeral program. Catholic Charities is 170 independent agencies, and the national office states plainly that it "does not provide direct services to clients." What is offered — and whether burial help exists at all — is decided locally and depends on that diocese's funding this year.

You may see lists quoting a single figure, often "up to $5,000". That is one diocese's program, not a national entitlement. Do not travel or plan around it.

How to apply: find your nearest agency with the locator at catholiccharitiesusa.org/about-us/find-a-local-agency/ and ask directly about burial assistance. If the first agency cannot help, ask them who locally does — they usually know.

catholiccharitiesusa.org/about-us/find-a-local-agency/

Your county — the safety net nobody mentions

8. State and county indigent burial programs

Every state has some provision for burying or cremating someone whose family cannot pay. It is the least discussed option and often the one that actually applies.

Covers: typically a basic burial or cremation, sometimes including a plot.

Who qualifies: low-income residents. Rules, amounts and even the name of the program are set at county level, so there is no national figure and anyone quoting one is guessing.

How to apply: call your county social services, human services, or coroner's office and ask about indigent burial or cremation assistance. Ask before you sign anything with a funeral home — some programs require approval first, and will not reimburse afterwards.

Advice, not money

9. Funeral Consumers Alliance

This organisation does not give financial assistance, and we have listed it separately so nobody applies expecting money.

What it does is arguably more useful: it publishes what funerals actually cost in your area and what you are and are not legally required to buy. Funeral prices for the same service vary enormously between homes a few miles apart, and knowing that is often worth more than a grant.

funerals.org

When none of these covers the gap

A pattern shows up in the list. Most of it is narrow — a child, a veteran, a faith, one county. Much of it is slow. And the largest, including FEMA, are reimbursements: you pay first.

So a gap is often left. People usually close it the oldest way — those who knew the person contribute toward the cost.

A Better Gift is built for that: a private request shared only with people you choose, funds in your bank in 2-3 business days, no public page, and you keep 100%.

Use the programs above first. If your child has died, apply to TEARS or Kaden's Cause — that is money you do not have to ask anyone for. If the person was a veteran, claim the VA allowance.

Start a private request

Frequently asked questions

What if I cannot afford a funeral at all?

Tell the funeral home before you arrange anything. You are not required to hold a funeral, and direct cremation is legal in every state and costs a fraction of a full service. Then call your county about indigent burial — in most places the county will not leave someone unburied, though the process is not quick and the options are basic.

Is FEMA's funeral assistance still available in 2026?

Yes. As of 2026 the program remains open and no closing date has been announced, though FEMA has said it could close at any time now the national emergency has ended. More than 506,000 applications have been approved. Apply on 844-684-6333 — by phone only, and after the costs have been paid.

Can I get help if the death was not COVID-related and the person was not a veteran?

Then your realistic options are the Social Security $255 payment if you are the surviving spouse, your county's indigent burial program, and any local charity that fits — a diocese, a faith burial society, or a child-specific fund. This is the situation the last section of this page is about.

Do these programs pay the funeral home directly?

It varies, and it matters. Some county programs pay the funeral home directly and require approval before you sign. FEMA reimburses you afterwards. The VA allowance is paid to whoever covered the cost. Ask each one which it is before you commit to anything.

How current is this list?

Every entry was checked in August 2026 against the organisation's own site or a government source. We removed one charity that other lists still carry: its web address now redirects elsewhere and its families are served by Kaden's Cause. Programs do change, so confirm before you rely on any figure here.

Charities That Help With Funeral Costs