Are There Grants for Down Payment Assistance? Yes, and Texas Has Plenty
Most people who think they cannot buy a house are not wrong about their income. They are wrong about the down payment. They assume they need 20 percent sitting in savings, and they assume nobody hands out money for this. Both of those beliefs cost families years of rent.
Yes, grants are real, but they are the minority
Down Payment Resource tracked 2,746 homeownership assistance programs across the country in the second quarter of 2026. Roughly 234 of them, about 9 percent, are true grants. That is money that never has to be paid back, ever.
The rest are mostly forgivable loans, and that word scares people off unnecessarily. A forgivable loan is a second lien that sits behind your mortgage with no monthly payment and no interest. Live in the home long enough and it is erased.
Do not skip a program just because the word loan is in the name.
Texas has two statewide options
TSAHC, the Texas State Affordable Housing Corporation, offers help as either a grant you never repay or a deferred forgivable second lien you only repay if you sell or refinance within three years. You will need a 620 credit score, and here is the part people miss, you do not have to be a first time buyer. Their Homes for Texas Heroes program is built for teachers, police officers, firefighters, EMS, corrections officers, veterans, and nursing faculty.
TDHCA's Texas Homebuyer Program offers up to 5 percent in down payment assistance, also with a 620 minimum score. My First Texas Home is for first time buyers, with exceptions for veterans and targeted areas. My Choice Texas Home has no first time buyer requirement at all.
First time buyer programs often are not limited to first time buyers.
DFW cities put serious money on the table
Dallas's Homebuyer Assistance Program goes up to $60,000 in designated High Opportunity Areas and up to $50,000 elsewhere, structured as an interest free forgivable second lien with no monthly payment. The standard track serves households at or below 80 percent of area median income, and the Targeted Occupations track reaches 80 to 120 percent AMI. As of May 2026, BCL of Texas administers the program.
Fort Worth's Homebuyer Assistance Program offers up to $25,000, fully forgiven if you stay in the home ten years, or up to $14,999 on a five year commitment. Household income must be at or below 80 percent AMI, which is $88,250 for a family of four in 2026, and you will complete an eight hour homebuyer education class.
Down payment assistance has several programs to choose from, and our team knows all of them. We walk clients through every option they qualify for. Last month we worked with a client whose credit was excellent and whose income was strong, but who had not had a chance to save for the down payment, the move, and everything else that comes with buying a house. We found assistance that covered the down payment and the closing costs, and they got their slice of the American Dream.
Why this matters at today's rates
Freddie Mac put the 30 year fixed average at 6.66 percent the week of July 30, 2026. When rates sit in that range, every dollar you do not have to pull out of savings matters. Assistance can cover the down payment, the closing costs, or both, and leave your emergency fund where it belongs.
Assistance protects your cushion, not just your down payment.
How to actually get it
These funds are budgeted, and they run out. Programs also require an approved education course and a participating lender, so this is not something you can spring on everyone at the closing table. Start by getting preapproved with a lender who works with these programs, and ask which ones fit your situation before you start touring houses.
Sequence matters, assistance first, house second.
Wondering which of these you would actually qualify for? That is a fifteen minute conversation, not a research project. Call Steve Barton at 214.673.1319 or visit corecommunitymortgage.com, and we will walk through your numbers together. No pressure, no obligation.