Overview
Family Grants are made available to the membership of the Down Syndrome Association of Northeast Ohio to provide financial assistance which directly improves the life of the individual with Down syndrome. The funding for Family Grants comes from donations and fundraisers. Grants are awarded based on the availability of funds. Changes are being made to the Family Grants program in 2025. Please read on for more information.
Eligibility
Grants are not based on the financial status of the family and will be awarded once per calendar year per individual with Down syndrome. Receipt of a grant in one year does not guarantee receipt of a grant the following year. Applicants must be a a resident of Ashland, Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Erie, Geauga, Holmes, Huron, Lake, Lorain, Medina, Portage, Richland, Stark, Summit, Tuscarawas or Wayne counties.
Grant Amounts
Financial assistance is awarded for expenses that directly improve the life of the individual with Down syndrome and can include non-medical recreational activities such as dance classes, athletic activities or summer camps or direct medical expenses. Grant awards will be made up to a maximum of $400 per individual with Down syndrome for any approved application while funding remains available. This will streamline the application process for families and allow DSANEO to support as many families as possible this year. DSANEO has a 2025 budget of $10,000 to distribute to families in 2025. All grants are awarded in the form of a check payable only to the service provider (e.g. summer camp, speech therapist, medical supply store, etc.). Supporting documentation is required to consider the grant request (i.e. medical bill, EOB, invoice from service provider, camp application, etc.) and submissions will not be accepted without uploading this information as part of your application.
Application Process
The DSANEO Family Grant application will open on Tuesday, April 15th. Grant requests will be reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis. Once grant funds have been expended, the application will close for the year unless additional funds become available. Grant applications will only be accepted through the online application portal on this page.
Please note: If you do not receive a confirmation email upon submission of your application, it has not been received by DSANEO.
Application
4/18/2025 Update: The Family Grant Application is currently paused so that we may evaluate the submissions received to date. We will post updates as we have them. Thank you.