North Dakota Kinship Care Clothing Allowance and Back-to-School Help

Covering Clothing and School Costs

Children entering kinship care often arrive with very little — sometimes just the clothes they are wearing. A grandparent or relative suddenly needs to buy a winter coat, school uniforms, shoes, backpacks, notebooks, and seasonal clothing for a child they were not budgeting for. North Dakota does not have a general clothing allowance for every kinship caregiver. However, TANF Kinship Care may provide an approved clothing allowance for eligible relatives caring for children under the care, custody, and control of a North Dakota Human Service Zone, Division of Juvenile Services, or Tribal agency. The program requires approval before a purchase.

Kinship-ND Expense Reimbursement

The most direct source is the Kinship-ND expense reimbursement, which covers up to $800 in lifetime expenses per kinship child. Eligible purchases explicitly include clothing and basic child necessities. You can claim expenses incurred up to two months before your application date, so purchases made during the first rush — before you even knew the program existed — still qualify.

To use this:

1. Keep itemized receipts for every clothing and supply purchase.
2. Submit Form SFN 408 to Kinship-ND to begin navigation services.
3. Submit your receipts for reimbursement through your Kinship Navigator.

The $800 limit is a lifetime total per child, not an annual amount. If you have already used some of it for other expenses (bedding, car seats, groceries), the remainder is available for clothing and school supplies.

School District Resources

Many North Dakota school districts offer back-to-school programs, supply drives, or hardship funds that kinship families can access:

• McKinney-Vento Act protections: If the child's living arrangement meets the federal definition of homelessness — for example, the child is sharing housing due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason — the school district's liaison can explain available local supports. Kinship placement by itself does not establish eligibility, and “awaiting foster care placement” was removed from the federal definition in 2016. Eligible homeless students have the right to immediate enrollment and, when required by the Act, transportation to the school of origin. Ask the liaison about school supplies, clothing vouchers, and fee waivers.
• Free school meals: Children receiving SNAP or TANF are directly certified for free school breakfast and lunch without a separate application.
• Title I school supply programs: Some schools in high-poverty areas distribute basic supplies at the start of the school year.

Contact your child's school office or the district's student services department. Ask specifically about kinship care or relative caregiver resources — school staff may not volunteer this information unless asked.

Community Programs

North Dakota has seven Community Action agencies, and their programs vary by region. The Minot agency, for example, accepts winter clothing donations year-round. Ask your regional agency about clothing and school-supply distributions. Local churches, the Salvation Army, Goodwill, and community organizations also run seasonal back-to-school drives.

For winter specifically — North Dakota winters demand quality outerwear — Coats for Kids programs operate in Fargo, Bismarck, Grand Forks, and Minot during October and November.

Tax Season Helps Too

If you claim the kinship child as a dependent on your tax return, the Child Tax Credit (up to $2,200 per qualifying child for tax year 2026) provides a cash infusion that many caregivers use for the next school year's expenses. The refundable Additional Child Tax Credit may provide a refund even if you owe no federal income tax; for 2026, it requires at least $2,500 in earned income and is capped at $1,700 per qualifying child.

Planning Ahead

The first back-to-school season catches most kinship caregivers off guard. After that, the pattern becomes more manageable — especially with child-only TANF providing a monthly cash grant and SNAP covering food costs, which frees up more of your household budget for clothing and supplies.

For a complete system covering every program, document checklist, and a receipt tracker for Kinship-ND reimbursement, the North Dakota Kinship Financial Help Guide walks through it all.

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