Financial Help for Teenagers With No Children

Even with the financial support of a family, teenagers may have trouble paying for expenses such as college or covering the costs of living on their own. While many grants and subsidies apply only to financially independent teenagers with children for which to care, others are available to teens on a more general basis.

Many different organizations and agencies offer financial help to teenagers without children. Private organizations that do so include businesses with community outreach programs, local nonprofit organizations and religious or educational institutions. Government agencies are another source of help with grants from departments that target the needs of teens, such as the U.S. Department of Education and state workforce development departments that train new workers to prepare them for careers.

Education is a major subject of financial help for teenagers without children, since a strong educational foundation can establish a young person in the workforce and lead to ongoing financial success. Need-based government loans and college grants help teenagers complete their high school educations or equivalency programs and cover the high costs of tuition for college or vocational schools. Private initiatives such as the Diversity Scholars Fund help pay for higher education for minority teens.

Other financial assistance for teens without children focuses on lifestyles and meeting basic needs. This type of assistance includes programs available to individuals of all ages, including those with children. Others focus specifically on teens and their financial needs. For example, The Ludcke Foundation offers Adolescent Consultation Services grants to help teenagers with legal troubles, Web of Benefit grants for teenagers who are survivors of domestic abuse and grants for teens in foster care.

Teenagers without children who need financial help to achieve their goals or meet their basic needs can begin the search in a variety of ways. Local public libraries are useful starting points, as they may house information about local grant opportunities or education initiatives. They also include computers with Internet access, which allows teens to find financial help from even more sources. For independent teens who receive welfare, case workers are another source of help in identifying financial assistance opportunities.