Minnesota Postsecondary Child Care Grant Program Now at Saint Mary’s

Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota is pleased to announce our first year of participation in the Minnesota Postsecondary Child Care Grant program and invite eligible students with families to apply!  The Postsecondary Child Care Grant Program helps low-income students who have young children pay for child care while the student attends classes.

Please review all the program requirements and exclusions below prior to submitting your completed application.  

We anticipate a large volume of students eager to participate. Depending on the number of awards and fund availability, some students may be waitlisted if funds run out.

The financial aid office will review all complete applications for eligibility. With this being the first year of participation, reviews may be slower to ensure compliance and proper management is upheld. We appreciate your understanding as we work through this new program.

 

Fall 2025 Application Deadline is September 5, 2025

 

Who is Eligible

Minnesota residents who have a child 12 years old or younger (or 14 or younger if the child is handicapped) and whose family size and income qualify for the program. To qualify, students also must:

• Be Minnesota residents.
• Be enrolled 1-12 credits or more per term (undergraduates) or 1-6 credits or more per term (graduates).
• Have not received child care grant funds for a period of ten semesters or the equivalent.
• Not have defaulted on a student loan.
• The student must not be receiving assistance from the Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP).
• Saint Mary’s students in the following programs are not eligible to apply:
  • Graduate Certificate in Catholic School Educator
  • Graduate Certificate in Catholic School Leadership
  • Masters of Science in Clinical Psychology

Summary of Application Process:

1. If you meet the qualifications, you can complete the application on the MNAID Website
2. Print the completed application and have your child care provider fully complete their section/s.
3. Once your child care provider has completed their section/s, submit your form to the financial aid office via one of the following methods, where it will be placed in queue for review:
   1. Drop off on campus at:   Student Central or Cardinal Central
   2. Email all pages in full to the Financial Aid Office: financialaid@smumn.edu
   3. Mail to Campus:

      Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota

      ATTENTION: Financial Aid Office

      2500 Park Ave S

      Minneapolis, MN 55404

   4. The Financial Aid Office will be in contact with your provider to conduct a verification of your application. Let your provider know we will be contacting them and you approve Saint Mary’s to speak to them about your children’s care.
   5. If verified, an award calculation will be conducted. Awards will be placed on accounts when normal financial aid disbursements are processed.
   6. All applicants will receive an email with either an approval, denial, or waitlist notification.
   7. A refund specifically for the MN Child Care will be issued to you to allocate (pay) to your child care provider. Here is info on Direct Deposit.

How to Apply

Eligible students should complete the Postsecondary Child Care Grant application below.

Students also must complete the FAFSA or MN Dream Act application.

Apply Online Now: Postsecondary Child Care Grant Student Application

Instructions Guide: Creating a MNAid Student Portal Account/Applying for Postsecondary Child Care Grant

If you have additional questions, please email the Financial Aid Office directly at financialaid@smumn.edu.