Funeral Assistance Programs

Are you looking for help with funeral costs?  Some charities and organizations can help with funeral and burial expenses. A funeral is a way to honor the last journey of your loved ones.

While grieving an emotional loss, it is impossible to plan the funeral. You might not understand expenses and processes related to it. One option for families of disasters like floods, fires, and earthquakes is to receive FEMA funeral assistance.

Also, many federal programs, state policies, nonprofit organizations, and charities can come to your rescue. They can help you to manage your financial emergency.  

Many charities also help with funeral costs. Instead of losing your home, you must look for available funeral assistance. It is not necessary to wait to research the organizations that can support you and manage the funeral costs of your loved ones.

Charities That Help with Funeral Costs

If you find funeral costs hard to manage, contact some nonprofit organizations that help deal with such financial burdens. You can contact many support systems ranging from churches to charities.  

1.  Final Farewell

This nonprofit organization can support a funeral when you cannot afford it. It can be the best help for all those who look for funerals for children. The organization offers guidance and emergency financial support to grieving families, making it possible to mourn and say goodbye without worrying about funeral costs.  (215) 870-8110.

2.  Children Burial Assistance

It is another nonprofit organization established by a Georgia couple. The couple took this initiative once they realized how difficult it is for parents to arrange funeral costs while grieving such a loss. It comes to the rescue of those parents and assists with vaults, burial plots, grave fees, and cremation costs. Georgia, (404) 507-6310.

• The TEARS Foundation: Offers financial assistance for funeral expenses for families who have lost a baby.  (253) 200-0944.

3.  Funeral Homes

Funeral homes can help with funeral costs. You will find many funeral homes throughout the country that help people with discounted services. Your community has many benefits, including discounted and free funerals or flexible payments. Inquire about the benefits before considering your community funeral homes.

4.  Churches

Religious organizations are another source of funeral assistance during difficult times. You can contact the fundraising service to help with funeral costs if you are a church member. They might arrange money for the funeral of your loved one.

5.  State Help with Funerals

Your federal and state governments provide financial help to families to deal with funeral costs. Here are some charities and programs you can check out to find relief after losing a family member.

6.  Monthly Survivor Benefits

You can visit the Social Security Administration information sheet to know the benefits you can get after the death of a family member.

The benefits will vary based on the deceased’s relationship and earnings. However, you might get monthly payments if you meet the eligibility requirements.

You can get survivor benefits if you are a widow or widower and sixty or above. But if you have some disability, you can get this benefit at fifty. Any unmarried children below 18 will get this benefit. Moreover, a divorced spouse with ten years of marriage can benefit.

7.  Burial Allowance for Veterans

The VA offers funeral help to veterans and their family members. It provides funeral assistance to minor children and spouses of veterans.

The surviving family members will receive a tax-free burial allowance of between $300 and $2,000. Moreover, they can bury their loved ones at a state or national military cemetery.

8.  Social Security One-Time Payment

The family members can receive a one-time payment if the deceased has social security benefits. Social Security will pay a death settlement of $255 to the direct family, including the children or spouse of the dead.

The amount might not cover all the funeral costs. However, you can use it for an obituary that might cost between $200 and $500.

9.  FEMA Benefits

FEMA will help with funeral costs when someone passes away during a disaster. If the President declares an area as a disaster zone, then the direct family members of the deceased will get help with funeral costs.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency will cover some funeral costs of those who died due to the indirect and indirect impact of the disaster.

The direct impact includes death by drowning in a flood or similar conditions. The indirect result relates to the demise of a pre-existing condition that aggravates during an emergency or disaster.

For example, a man dies from a heart attack during a disaster.  However, you must provide the desired documents to receive assistance for funerals.

The burial assistance might include mortuary services, an urn or casket costs, a cremation niche or burial certificates, up to five certificates, and a private burial site or headstone in some public cemeteries.

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10.  Memorial Societies

You will find memorial societies in 12 states, and you can consider contacting them to get information on local funeral homes. Some of them might offer you discounted funeral services. You can pay a one-time fee and become a member of these societies. The cost will vary based on the state, but you can expect many benefits.

For example, you can join the Cleveland Memorial Society for $25 for a lifetime and get a burial of $895. The burial will be simple and cheaper compared to a traditional funeral service.

You can visit Funeral Consumers to learn more about these societies and find a suitable one. It works as a parent organization for all the local services, and you find funeral help.

11.  United Tissue Network

It is a charity organization that will facilitate body donation and cover all the costs associated with transportation. You will get copies of the cremation and death certificate, and they will return the cremated remains within four to six weeks.  (877) 738-6111.

12.  The Hebrew Free Burial Association

The Jewish Free Funeral Association (HFBA) provides the Chesed Shel Emet (the final act of lovingkindness — to a dead person who cannot repay that favor). It is the only organization in the New York Metropolitan Area to provide dignified, traditional funerals and burials to Jews from every financial background and religious denomination. The Jewish Free Funeral Association, founded in the 1880s, has provided burials to over 65,000 poor Jews. From hospitals to nursing homes to solitary apartments, poor Jews can wind up anywhere, and the Hebrew Free Burial Association is there to provide the funeral. (212) 239-1662.

13.  The Tears Foundation

The Tears Foundation is dedicated to compassionately relieving financial burdens on grieving families by providing funds to cover the costs of funeral or cremation services. In addition to grief support groups and peer companions, they provide full-service grief support.  (253) 200-0944.

14.  Create a GoFundMe Page

You would be surprised how much money you can raise with a GFM page.  People are compassionate and willing to give.  Make sure your story is compelling, and don’t forget tasteful pictures.

15.  Consumer Advocate Organizations

You can get a free membership to the Funeral policy once you buy a Consumer Advocate policy. It is a charity organization that helps family members to save money on funerals. Moreover, their representatives will help you to arrange funerals. You can save around $1,800 on traditional funerals or $600 on cremation.

16. Covid-19 Funeral Assistance

FEMA started offering financial support for COVID-19 funerals on January 20, 2020. It assists with the burden of funeral costs during this ongoing pandemic. You might get funeral assistance for up to $9,000. However, you will have to meet the following eligibility criteria.  (844) 684-6333.

• You are a qualified non-citizen, non-citizen national, or U.S. citizen.
• The death is due to Covid-19.
• When death occurred in the US, including in the District of Columbia and US territories.
• If the deceased passed on or after 20 January 2020.
• The applicant is accountable for funeral expenses.

If you qualify, you can get funeral assistance for cremation, funeral services, interment, casket, clergy, burial costs, death certificate, local government ordinance, transportation, and other expenses.

Documents You Need to Get Help with Funeral Costs.

You must provide a few documents to receive help with funeral costs. Here are a few documents you will have to keep ready while looking for support for funerals.

• Death certificate
• A document that proves the benefits
• Documentation from an authority that shows the cause of death during a disaster
• Proof of funeral costs, including receipts from the service provider
• A document that proves the funeral cost has not been paid for by any other resource

What Do Funerals Cost

According to the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) and other funeral industry reports and studies., as of  April 2023, the average funeral cost in the United States typically ranged between $7,000 and $12,000.

This cost usually includes the essential service fees, charges for a casket, embalming, viewing or visitation, funeral ceremony, and burial. The cost of financial services for a loved one can vary significantly depending on the specific services chosen, the location, and the funeral home.

On the other hand, the average cost of cremation tends to be lower, often between $2,000 and $4,000. This cost typically includes the fees for the cremation process and a basic urn. Prices can be higher if additional services, such as a memorial or viewing, are required.

Please check with the local funeral homes in your state for the most accurate and current pricing.

In Conclusion

Death is unpredictable, and it can cause both material and emotional loss. However, you cannot grieve and make the last journey memorable when you struggle to manage funeral costs.

We all deserve an unforgettable and respectful farewell, which we can achieve with careful planning regardless of financial difficulties.

Know the available support systems and the unique requirements of each. You will find funeral help from different sources, including local religious institutions, governments, and charity organizations. Find the right one based on your condition and make the funeral reverential.