MODEST NEEDS FOUNDATION | MODEST NEEDS FOUNDATION

* Offers grants to working individuals and families who are ineligible for most types of conventional social assistance. Unexpected or emergency expenses that an individual or family living paycheck-to-paycheck could not possibly afford without a short-term hand-up. Examples of expenses of this type with which Modest Needs has helped in the past include everything from the cost of medical care not covered by insurance to the cost of repairing or replacing a major appliance to the cost of required work tools or uniforms to the cost of legal fees to complete an adoption to - tragically - the cost of burying a family member that has unexpectedly passed away. Monthly bills that an individual or family living paycheck-to-paycheck cannot afford to pay at the time of their application because of a documentable extenuating circumstance. For example, if you were required to take unpaid leave from work because your child was ill and now cannot afford the cost of your auto insurance, or if you were in an auto accident and cannot afford this month's rent or mortgage payment because you had to pay a deductible to repair your car - under these kinds of documentable emergency situations, Modest Needs would consider paying a regular monthly bill on behalf of your household on a one-time basis.

Data provided by

211 Life Line Finger Lakes

Physical Address

33 Irving Place, New York, NY 10003

Hours

M-F 9:00AM-3:00PM for toll free phone number.

Application process

Complete online application.

Fee

No fee for service.

Eligibility

18 years of age or older.Legal resident of the United States or Canada.Applying for assistance either for self or for a person living in the household.At least one person is employed (full-time if there is a dependent in the house). Household has at least one active bank account OR has filed a Federal Tax Return within in the past two years.Access to personal email and Modest Needs website daily for the entire time that application is active.Access a scanner or a fax machine to scan and upload or fax the documentation to support the application that Modest Needs will request during the grant application process.If renting (rather than owning) a home, household must have a legal lease that the landlord and a member of the household both have signed. This lease must show the monthly cost of the rental, whether or not the applicant pays all of this amount themselves.Household passes 'income' and 'employment' tests, which are explained in the application process.

Service area

New York

Agency info

MODEST NEEDS FOUNDATION

Modest Needs Foundation is a national nonprofit providing small, emergency grants to low-income workers who are at risk of slipping into poverty.