Here is the fully researched and formatted blog post:
—
If your family is facing a financial crisis, you are not alone. Thousands of Minnesota families struggle each month to cover rent, groceries, and basic necessities. The good news is that a powerful program exists specifically to help — the Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP). Whether you’ve lost a job, experienced a sudden hardship, or are simply trying to get back on your feet, MFIP may be able to provide meaningful cash and food support while you work toward stability.
This guide breaks down everything you need to know about MFIP in 2025 — who qualifies, how much you can receive, how to apply in Minneapolis and the Twin Cities area, and what other resources can help.
What Is MFIP?
The Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP) is a cash assistance program for low-income children and families. It is Minnesota’s version of the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. The program uses the state’s annual federal TANF block grant and state appropriations to provide income assistance, employment and training services, and support services to eligible Minnesota families.
MFIP helps families with children meet their basic needs, while helping caregivers move to financial stability through work. Caregivers are expected to work and are supported with both cash and food assistance.
Who Qualifies for MFIP?
A family must have income and assets below the program’s limits. The income limit increases with family size. Families do not exit MFIP until their income reaches about 135 percent of the federal poverty guidelines (FPG). The 2025 FPG for a family of three is $26,650 (135 percent of FPG for a family of three equals $35,978).
Assets are limited to $10,000 for applicants and participants, excluding certain items. In addition, families must meet all of the following eligibility requirements:
- Have a minor child or pregnant woman in the home
- Be a resident of Minnesota
- Be a U.S. citizen, qualified noncitizen, or noncitizen otherwise lawfully residing in the United States
- Assign rights to child support to the state
- Have received fewer than 60 months of assistance total from any state
Two thirds of MFIP families have a child younger than six. Families most commonly turn to MFIP when they are low-wage workers, parents with significant impairments to work, or recently arrived refugees with children.
How Much Money Can Your Family Receive?
The MFIP grant is based on a transitional standard that increases with family size. For example, a family of three’s standard benefit in 2025 is $1,394 per month; a family of four’s monthly standard is $1,675.
MFIP benefits are based on family size, with the MFIP grant composed of a cash portion and a food portion. Counties issue both the cash and the food portion of an MFIP family’s grant in EBT form. MFIP families receive the food portion of assistance as a part of the MFIP grant, instead of receiving a separate benefit payment through the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
The MFIP Housing Assistance Grant is an additional cash benefit to the rest of the MFIP grant. Not all families qualify for the MFIP Housing Assistance Grant. Beginning October 1, 2024, the MFIP housing assistance grant must be adjusted for inflation each October 1.
Working Families Earn More
One of MFIP’s most important features is that going to work always pays off. When you get a job, the first $65 you earn does not count. After that, half of the rest of your earnings do not count in deciding the amount of your benefits. This means your family keeps more money as your income grows.
The Work Benefit Program provides a monthly cash grant incentive of $50 to employed families for up to 24 consecutive months after exiting the MFIP cash and food portions, or the Diversionary Work Program.
What About the Time Limit?
Most families have a lifetime limit of 60 months on MFIP. Some families may be eligible for assistance extensions past the 60-month limit if they meet specific criteria for one of the following extension categories: ill or incapacitated, hard-to-employ, and employed participants.
Additional Benefits Available Through MFIP
MFIP is more than just a monthly check. The program provides help with child care costs and medical coverage, in some cases as long as a year after the family transitions out of the program. MFIP participants may be eligible for other benefits such as child care assistance and Medical Assistance.
Minnesota’s Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) helps make child care affordable for income-eligible families. Families will have a copayment based on their gross income and family size, and most families on MFIP child care have a copayment of $0.
These supports make a real difference — helping families stay housed and healthy while pursuing work. Be sure to also explore our Health Care, Food Resources, and Housing pages for additional local supports.
Employment Support: A Key Part of MFIP
For most participants, program expectations include developing an employment plan with an employment services counselor. This is designed to help you find stable, long-term work — not just get by.
In Hennepin County, several local organizations provide MFIP Employment Service Provider (ESP) support. For example, the Somali Success School (1545 E Lake Street, Minneapolis) is designed to increase the literacy, math, living skills, and wage potential of local Somalis enrolled in MFIP. For more information or to refer, call Bobette Beckford or Abdinur Ali at (612) 338-3153.
Refugee Employment Services helps