Massachusetts assistance programs

Massachusetts splits these programs among a handful of state bodies, and several reach you through one statewide channel instead of a county office: MassHousing lends first-time buyers their down payment through approved lenders, the Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA) pays TAFDC cash aid, the Department of Early Education and Care (EEC) keeps a single statewide child care waitlist, and the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC) funds 20 local agencies that run fuel assistance.

Much of the state's help is a loan, not a grant. MassHousing's down payment assistance is a $30,000 second mortgage at 0%, deferred until you sell or refinance, for lower-income Workforce Advantage buyers, or $25,000 repaid over 15 years at 2% or 3% for buyers up to 135% of area median income. The true grants are local: Boston gives city residents up to $50,000, and Springfield and Worcester run smaller programs (Massachusetts homebuyer guide). For businesses, the state's $168.6 million SSBCI allocation goes out as MassDevelopment loans and guarantees and MassVentures equity, and no Massachusetts grant pays to start a business (Massachusetts small business guide).

Qualifying and getting help are not the same thing in child care. Since January 1, 2026 a family can enter Child Care Financial Assistance (CCFA) at up to 85% of state median income, but EEC's statewide Income Eligible waitlist held 31,724 children in July 2026. Families referred by DTA or the Department of Children and Families skip it (Massachusetts child care guide). TAFDC has no asset test, so savings and a car do not count against you, but many parents can receive it for 24 months in any 60-month period (Massachusetts cash assistance guide).

Apply for TAFDC at DTA Connect and join the child care waitlist through the MyChildCareMA Family Portal; Mass 211 helps by phone. Fuel assistance opens each October 1 at toapply.org/MassLIHEAP or your town's agency, and a HEAP-eligible household gets the low-income discount on investor-owned electric and gas bills automatically (Massachusetts energy assistance guide). One FAFSA covers MASSGrant, MASSGrant Plus and MassEducate, which makes tuition and fees free at all 15 community colleges for residents of any age or income (Massachusetts student grants guide).