Find grants, rebates, forgivable loans, and free programs for Columbus, OH, filtered to your situation.
As of June 2026, 50 home improvement grant, rebate, and forgivable loan programs are open to homeowners in Columbus, OH, with individual awards up to $126,526. 13 programs target seniors, 10 serve veterans, and 21 require no income limit.
Data last verified 2026-04-03. How we verify our data.
| Funding type | Programs | Repaid? | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grants | 37 | Never repaid | Income-qualified homeowners |
| Forgivable loans | 6 | Forgiven after a residency period | Larger repairs with no money down |
| Rebates | 1 | Refunded to you after purchase | Energy-efficiency upgrades |
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City-funded grants to help low- and moderate-income Columbus homeowners make critical repairs. Covers roofs, furnaces, h...
Emergency grants for Columbus homeowners facing imminent health or safety hazards. Covers loss of heat, inoperable hot w...
HUD-funded program providing grants for lead-based paint hazard control and healthy homes improvements in Columbus. Elig...
Free exterior home repair grants for homeowners in Healthy Homes impact areas (South Side, Linden, and other designated ...
Home repair program for owner-occupants in Franklin, Licking, and Madison counties. Helps families maintain safe, decent...
Free emergency repairs and home modifications for vulnerable senior, disabled, and veteran homeowners in Franklin County...
Minor home repair services for Franklin County older adult homeowners who meet program eligibility through the Office on...
Free weatherization and home energy efficiency services for income-eligible Franklin County residents. Includes furnace/...
Free home weatherization for income-eligible residents in specific Columbus zip codes. Services include energy audits, i...
AEP Ohio customers can receive rebates for energy-efficient upgrades including heat pumps, smart thermostats, efficient ...
The High Efficiency for Low-Income Program (HELP) provides free energy-efficient products and services for income-eligib...
Free home weatherization for income-eligible Columbia Gas customers. Includes home energy inspection with safety checks,...
Ohio homeowners age 65+ or permanently and totally disabled can reduce their home's taxable value by $26,200, saving rou...
Ohio veterans with a 100% service-connected disability rating can reduce their home's taxable value by $52,300 with no i...
OHFA provides 30-year fixed-rate FHA, VA, USDA, and conventional mortgages with competitive rates for first-time homebuy...
Discounted mortgage rate for Ohio public servants including veterans, military, police, firefighters, EMTs, nurses, and ...
Federal tax credit equal to 40% of annual mortgage interest paid (up to $2,000/year) when coupled with OHFA first-time h...
Discounted mortgage rate and down payment assistance for recent college graduates (within 48 months). Provides 2.5% or 5...
OHFA's program for non-first-time homebuyers who need down payment assistance. Provides 30-year fixed-rate conventional,...
State-backed enhanced savings account for prospective homebuyers. Contributions up to $5,000/person ($10,000/couple) per...
Ohio state tax credit of 25% of qualified rehabilitation expenditures for certified historic structures (Columbus is 300...
Lifetime grant for veterans with qualifying service-connected disabilities to build, buy, or modify a home for wheelchai...
Lifetime grant for veterans with specific service-connected disabilities (blindness, loss of hands, severe respiratory i...
Grant for medically necessary home modifications prescribed by a VA physician. Up to $6,800 for service-connected disabi...
Grant for SAH/SHA-eligible veterans temporarily living in a family member's home. Allows accessibility modifications to ...
Federal loans up to $40,000 (1% interest, 20-year term) and grants up to $10,000 for very-low-income homeowners in eligi...
FHA-insured loan for home improvements that protect or improve the livability or utility of a property. Up to $25,000 fo...
FHA-insured mortgage that lets you finance both the purchase and renovation of a home in a single loan. Standard 203(k) ...
Federal LIHEAP funding distributed through Ohio's HEAP program helps low-income households pay heating bills. PIPP Plus ...
Federal tax credit of 30% of costs for solar panels, solar water heaters, geothermal heat pumps, small wind turbines, ba...
Annual federal tax credit of 30% for energy-efficient improvements: up to $1,200/year for insulation, windows, doors, an...
Free tax preparation services to help low- and moderate-income residents claim home-related tax credits like the 25C and...
HMGP provides funding after a presidentially declared disaster to help communities reduce future disaster losses. Homeow...
ICC coverage is built into every National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) policy and pays up to $30,000 to help bring a s...
WAP provides free energy efficiency improvements to low-income households across all 50 states, DC, and territories. Eli...
HUD funds state, county, and city governments to identify and fix lead-based paint hazards and other health hazards (mol...
EPA's WIIN Act grants and the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) fund lead service line replacement programs in...
HUD's Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program provides annual funding to cities, counties, and states to fund l...
The American Red Cross installs free smoke alarms and creates home fire escape plans through their nationwide Home Fire ...
Rebuilding Together's Safe at Home program provides free preventive home modifications to help older adults and people w...
EPA provides State and Tribal Indoor Radon Grants (SIRG) to every state to fund radon risk reduction programs. While the...
NeighborWorks America supports a network of nearly 250 local nonprofit housing organizations across every state, DC, and...
Owners of historic homes may access funding through their State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), which distributes H...
The Section 184 Indian Home Loan Guarantee Program provides HUD-guaranteed mortgage financing for American Indian and Al...
Ohio HWAP provides free energy efficiency improvements to income-eligible households statewide, delivered through a netw...
Ohio EPA's WPCLF program provides principal forgiveness loans to Local Health Districts, which pass savings to homeowner...
Ohio Residential PACE allows homeowners to finance energy efficiency and renewable energy improvements through a volunta...
Welcome Home Ohio provides grants up to $100,000 per property to developers, nonprofits, and local governments to purcha...
The Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) program provides rental assistance to eligible low-income families, seniors, and ...
The SBA Columbus District Office supports central Ohio small businesses through the Microloan Program, 7(a) loans, and 5...
ECDI (Economic and Community Development Institute) is an SBA-approved nonprofit microlender headquartered in Columbus, ...
Ohio's Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) helps eligible low-income families pay for child care while parents work, lo...
Many of these programs can be combined. For example, you can use a city repair grant for the work, a utility rebate for the energy savings, and a federal tax credit on top, all for the same project.
Pick a project to see how much funding could stack on it from multiple programs in this city.
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50 programs are currently listed for Columbus, including Critical Home Repair Program, Emergency Repair Program, Lead Safe Columbus.
Grants do not have to be repaid. Forgivable loans are forgiven over a residency period, and rebates refund your money after the purchase. In Columbus, 37 programs do not require repayment, 6 are forgivable loans, and 1 is rebate.
Every program listing carries the official application link and phone number for the administering agency. Homeowners apply directly with that agency; there is no middleman and no fee.