Where To Find Down Payment Assistance Programs
Down payment assistance is administered by state housing finance agencies, cities, counties, Federal Home Loan Banks, nonprofits, employers and lenders — and none of them publish each other's programs. Here is every source worth checking, in the order that finds the most money.
Quick answer: Where do you find legitimate assistance programs?
Legitimate assistance comes from state housing finance agencies, city and county housing departments, HUD-approved nonprofits, and employer or union housing benefits. Every real program publishes its own terms on its own site. If a program asks you for an application fee to be considered, treat that as a warning sign.
TL;DR
- State HFA, city and county housing offices, HUD-approved nonprofits, employers.
- Every real program publishes its terms publicly.
- No legitimate program charges you a fee to find out if you qualify.
Quick questions
- Are there national programs?
- A few nationwide products exist through lender networks, but most assistance is state or locally funded and locally administered.
Published Last updated
- Reviewed September 2026
Assistance comes in four layers
Buyers who only check one source usually find one program. The money is layered, and each layer is administered by a different body that does not advertise the others.
Work outward from the property address: the state agency covers everyone, the county covers a smaller group with a bigger award, the city covers a smaller group still, and employer or lender programs sit on top of all of it.
- State: your housing finance agency, available statewide, largest number of participating lenders.
- County and city: HOME, CDBG and local housing trust funds, often the largest single awards, frequently restricted to specific neighborhoods.
- Federal and quasi-federal: Federal Home Loan Bank set-asides, USDA and VA zero-down financing, and tribal programs through Section 184.
- Private: employer-assisted housing, union benefits, lender-funded grants and nonprofit matched savings accounts.
Where to look, and what each source actually has
These are the public bodies and national networks that either administer assistance directly or maintain the authoritative list for their area. Every link below goes to the administering organization, not to a lead-generation page.
How to verify a program is real and currently funded
Program directories, including ours, go stale the moment an agency changes a limit or pauses a program. Treat any summary as a starting point and verify three things directly with the administrator before you rely on it.
First, that the program is accepting reservations right now. Second, this year's income and purchase-price limits for your county and household size. Third, that the lender you intend to use is a participating originator for that specific program.
- Prefer the agency's own website over any aggregator, including this one.
- Check for a dated funding notice or program bulletin — agencies post these when allocations run out.
- Be wary of any site that asks for payment to access a program list. Every legitimate program is free to look up.
- No one can guarantee you assistance before your income, credit and the property have been reviewed.
Official sources
HUD-approved housing counseling agencies
Free or low-cost counselors, funded by HUD, who know the local programs in their service area and can tell you which ones currently have funds. Counseling from an approved agency also satisfies the education requirement on many programs.
Visit the official siteYour state housing finance agency
The largest and most reliable source of assistance in every state. Agencies publish their own income and purchase-price limit tables by county, list participating lenders and post funding notices when a program pauses.
Visit the official siteNeighborWorks America network
A national network of local nonprofits offering homebuyer education, counseling and, in many markets, their own down payment assistance or matched savings programs.
Visit the official siteHabitat for Humanity affiliates
Affiliate-run homeownership programs including sweat-equity purchases and, in some markets, repair and down payment support. Terms are set locally and vary widely between affiliates.
Visit the official siteFederal Home Loan Bank set-asides
Each of the eleven Federal Home Loan Banks runs an annual affordable housing set-aside distributed through member lenders. Awards can be substantial but open and close on a set calendar each year.
Visit the official siteYour city and county housing department
City and county programs funded by HOME, CDBG and local trust funds are frequently the largest awards available, and the least visible. Search the municipality's own site for its housing or community development office.
Visit the official siteUSDA Rural Development
Not assistance as such, but the Section 502 guaranteed and direct loan programs allow zero down payment in eligible rural areas, which solves the same problem for buyers outside metro boundaries.
Visit the official siteVA home loan benefit
Eligible veterans, service members and surviving spouses can buy with no down payment and no mortgage insurance, and can still layer state or local closing-cost assistance on top.
Visit the official siteReady to see which programs fit you?
Answer 10 quick questions and see the down payment assistance programs worth checking..
September 2026 Down Payment Assistance Program Sources Review
We reviewed HUD counseling agency and state housing finance agency listings, Federal Home Loan Bank set-aside calendars and nonprofit network program availability relevant to this page. No material changes requiring substantive revisions were identified this month. The information and sources shown here remain current as of our latest review.
- Checked: HUD counseling agency and state housing finance agency listings
- Checked: Federal Home Loan Bank set-aside calendars
- Checked: nonprofit network program availability
Current data & page updates
- Page last reviewed
- September 4, 2026
- Page last substantively updated
- September 4, 2026
- Next scheduled review
- October 4, 2026
- Current monthly review
- September 2026
- Live data feed
- No
Licensing & Disclosures
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Simply Approved Mortgages LLC is a mortgage broker and is not a direct lender. We arrange residential mortgage loans in Florida and Colorado.
Eligibility, terms, conditions, and availability vary by borrower, property, lender, loan program, and state. Not all products or programs are available in all states. All loans are subject to lender underwriting and approval. Equal Housing Opportunity.