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he Kinship Navigator Program offers two different types of support: caregiver subsidies and emergency financial assistance. For each resource, you may apply online or contact us directly to work directly with a Kinship team member on your application.

Grandparent Caregiver Program

  • A caregiver may be eligible to receive the GCP subsidy with proof of the following criteria:

    1. The caregiver is the natural, adoptive, or step-grandparent, great-grandparent, great-aunt, or great-uncle. Proof of relationship is two-fold.

      First the caregiver must prove a relationship between themselves and the parent and, second, a relationship between the parent and the child to whom the subsidy will be granted.

      Proof of the relationship is by one or more of the following:


      • Birth certificate or decree of adoption

      • Court determination of paternity

      • Acknowledgement of Paternity (AOP)

      • Child Support Agreement or Court Order

      • Proof that parents were married at time of child’s conception or birth

      • Marriage certificate or proof of common law marriage

      • DNA test results


    1. When applying to the program for the first time, proof of residence is required. The documents listed below must be included with your application. 


      • Driver’s license or Government-issued ID AND

      • A copy of a lease or mortgage 


      For recertification, the following documents are accepted as proof of residence

      • Driver’s license or Government-issued ID AND

      • A copy of a lease or mortgage

      • A current copy of a utility bill 


      If there is a change of address since the original application, a copy of the current lease or mortgage is required. 


    2. The child lives in the caregiver’s home:


      • The caregiver has been the child’s sole or primary caregiver

      • The child’s parent has not lived in the home with the child and caregiver, unless:


        • The caregiver is the child’s standby guardian, or

        • The parent is a minor enrolled in school, or

        • The parent is a minor with a medically verifiable disability which prevents the parent from being able to care for the child.


    3. The household income is below 200 percent of the federal poverty level.


    4. The caregiver has applied for Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) for the child and an eligibility determination has been made.


      • The amount of a subsidy a caregiver is eligible to receive shall be offset by any amount a caregiver receives as TANF for the child.


    5. The caregiver and all adults residing in the home have submitted to both a criminal background and a Child Protection Register check and been “cleared”, or an exception made.

The Grandparent Caregiver Program helps low-income District residents who are raising their grandchildren, great-grandchildren, great-nieces, or great-nephews.

Close Relative Caregiver Program

  • A caregiver may be eligible to receive the CRCP subsidy with proof of the following criteria:

    1. The caregiver is the natural, adoptive brother, sister, aunt, uncle or cousin. Proof of relationship is two-fold. 


      First the caregiver must prove a relationship between themselves and the parent and, second, a relationship between the parent and the child to whom the subsidy will be granted.

      Proof of the relationship is by one or more of the following:


      • Birth certificate or decree of adoption

      • Court determination of paternity

      • Acknowledgement of Paternity (AOP)

      • Child Support Agreement or Court Order

      • Proof that parents were married at time of child’s conception or birth

      • Marriage certificate or proof of common law marriage

      • DNA test results


    2. When applying to the program for the first time, proof of residence is required. The documents listed below must be included with your application. 


      • Driver’s license or Government-issued ID AND

      • A copy of a lease or mortgage 


      For recertification, the following documents are accepted as proof of residence

      • Driver’s license or Government-issued ID AND

      • A copy of a lease or mortgage

      • A current copy of a utility bill 


      If there is a change of address since the original application, a copy of the current lease or mortgage is required. 


    3. The child lives in the caregiver’s home:


      • The caregiver has been the child’s sole or primary caregiver

      • The child’s parent has not lived in the home with the child and caregiver, unless:


        • The caregiver is the child’s standby guardian, or

        • The parent is a minor enrolled in school, or

        • The parent is a minor with a medically verifiable disability which prevents the parent from being able to care for the child.


    4. The household income is below 200 percent of the federal poverty level.


    5. The caregiver has applied for Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) for the child.


      • The amount of a subsidy a caregiver is eligible to receive shall be offset by any amount a caregiver receives as TANF for the child.


    6. The caregiver and all adults residing in the home have submitted to both a criminal background and a Child Protection Register check and been “cleared”, or an exception made.

The Close Relative Caregiver Program provides a monthly subsidy to assist low-income DC residents who are raising their siblings, nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Emergency Financial Assistance

  • To qualify for Emergency Financial Assistance, the following criteria must be met:

    1. Applicant has exhausted all applicable community resources.

    2. Applicant has experienced a hardship that has caused financial burden (i.e. loss of employment, medical)

    3. Kinship family in need of immediate assistance to ensure the safety and well being of the child(ren) (i.e. housing security, heat in the winter, clothing).

    4. Child(ren) at-risk of out-of-home placement.

    5. Child(ren) must be in the physical care of a kin or relative.

    6. Must be a District resident or Has applied and been approved for GCP/CRCP while trying to relocate.

The Emergency Financial Assistance program can provide support for food, clothing, housing, utilities, furniture, pest control, household items, or transportation. Please note, all of the above are short term, one time assistance and are not meant to be ongoing services.