Financial Help for Grandparents Raising Grandchildren in Minnesota

The Benefits Minnesota Doesn't Advertise

A child lands in your care — maybe because of addiction, maybe incarceration, maybe something you don't talk about at dinner. Suddenly you're buying school clothes, packing lunches, and wondering how your fixed income stretches to cover another person. Minnesota actually has several programs designed for exactly this situation. The problem is that nobody hands you a list.

Here's what's available, starting with the one most grandparents don't know about.

MFIP Child-Only Cash Grant

The Minnesota Family Investment Program has a child-only track for non-parental relative caregivers. Your income — your pension, your Social Security, your savings — is completely excluded from the eligibility calculation. Only the child's own income counts. For most kinship families, the child has no income at all.

A single grandchild with zero income qualifies for $697/month ($443 cash deposited to your account plus $254 in food support loaded onto an EBT card). Two grandchildren: $1,145/month. Three: $1,470/month. No time limits, no work requirements.

Apply through MNbenefits (mnbenefits.mn.gov) or paper Form DHS-5223 at your county office.

Northstar Kinship Assistance

If the child entered foster care through a court order or voluntary placement agreement, was placed with you as a licensed relative foster parent, and later received a Transfer of Permanent Legal and Physical Custody (TPLPC), the case may qualify for Northstar. Ordinarily, the child must live with you for at least six consecutive months, though the commissioner may grant a limited statutory exemption for an expedited move to permanency. Northstar pays monthly maintenance based on the child's age. Ages 0–5: roughly $712/month. Ages 6–12: $797/month. Ages 13–17: $941/month. Additional supplemental payments apply for children with higher medical or behavioral needs.

Northstar also offers up to $2,000 in legal expense reimbursement and provides automatic Medical Assistance for the child. This is the highest-paying track, but it requires formal child welfare involvement. Informal caregivers cannot access it.

Medical Assistance (No Cost to the Child)

Children living with a relative caregiver may qualify for Medical Assistance — Minnesota's Medicaid — with no cost-sharing for covered services. Under tax non-filer rules, your income is excluded when determining the child's eligibility. The income limit is 283% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines for children under age 2 and 275% for children ages 2–18; since only the child's own income counts under these rules, virtually every kinship child qualifies.

Apply through MNsure (mnsure.org) or at your county office. Coverage can be retroactive up to three months for unpaid medical bills.

SNAP Food Support

Unlike MFIP, SNAP uses the income of the SNAP household. If you and the child customarily purchase and prepare food together, your income is included. Minnesota's Broad-Based Categorical Eligibility sets the gross income limit at 200% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines. A two-person SNAP household (you and one grandchild, if you are in the same food household) qualifies with gross income under $3,607/month. A three-person household: under $4,554/month.

If you qualify for MFIP child-only, you already receive a food portion through that grant. But SNAP may provide additional food support depending on your total household situation.

Child Care Assistance (CCAP)

Working or going to school? Minnesota's CCAP program subsidizes child care costs. There are two tracks: MFIP Child Care (if you're receiving MFIP) and Basic Sliding Fee (if you're not). CCAP does count your income for the sliding-fee calculation, but the thresholds are generous for a household with children. BSF has county waiting lists in some areas, so apply early.

Emergency Assistance

When a child first arrives and you need immediate help with rent, utilities, or emergency supplies, county emergency assistance programs can cover crisis expenses. Apply through MNbenefits or in person at your county office. You'll need to show the emergency is real and the payment will resolve it.

What Ties It All Together

Each program has different income rules, different forms, and different deadlines. Our Minnesota Kinship Financial Help Guide maps every benefit to your specific legal situation — informal care, DOPA, guardianship, or Northstar — with the exact forms, documents to bring, and worked dollar-amount examples showing what a family like yours actually receives.

See more Minnesota guides →