Find the funding your child may qualify for.

Regional centers are California's front door to developmental services. There are 21, each serving certain counties. They offer a free eligibility assessment and, if your child is eligible, an Individual Program Plan (IPP) within 60 days and services the center pays for. There's no income test. They serve developmental disabilities that began before age 18, such as autism, intellectual disability, cerebral palsy or epilepsy, and any developmental delay from birth to 3 through Early Start.

Often, yes, through In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS). A county social worker approves monthly hours, and a parent can usually be the paid caregiver. Children who need constant supervision can be approved for Protective Supervision, up to about 195 hours a month. Your child needs Medi-Cal, which children with disabilities can often get even when family income is above normal limits.

A regional center option that turns your child's services into an individual budget you control, with typical budgets of about $15,000 to $50,000 a year. You choose the providers, and a Financial Management Service pays them. Your child needs to be eligible for regional center services first.

Not for everything. Regional centers, special education and most tax-advantaged accounts have no income test. IHSS, the Medi-Cal waivers and Medi-Cal's children's benefit (EPSDT) do need Medi-Cal, and children with disabilities can often qualify through the disability pathway regardless of parent income.

Supplemental Security Income pays up to about $967 a month (2024 federal maximum) to children who meet Social Security's childhood disability definition, in households under the income and resource limits. Decisions usually take 3 to 6 months, and many child claims are approved on appeal.

Yes. Private grants include ACT Today! (about $100 to $5,000, quarterly), the UnitedHealthcare Children's Foundation (up to about $5,000 a year for children with commercial insurance), First Hand Foundation, the National Autism Association's Helping Hand program and MyGOAL. Most have income guidelines and application windows.

No. California Funding Finder is a free tool from Parenting NeuroKids. If you ask for help, our partner application agency, an independent agency rather than a government office, checks your eligibility with each office and helps you file. Applying for these programs is free, and you can always apply directly using the official links.

The finder runs in your browser, so your answers aren't sent anywhere unless you request help applying. Your income is never saved.