Updated 10/26/2026

These programs can only be handled by approved lenders. If you would like help from a local realtor familiar with the programs and lenders, fill out this form here and I will connect you with one.

I've included all of the links and contact info needed to do this on your own, the form is meant to make it easier.

Connect with a DPA team

How Down Payment Assistance Works

I need to give a quick overview of how down payment assistance works. After that, the programs are listed.

With down payment assistance, you'll run into two different types:

• A grant
• A loan

A Grant

If we meet the qualifications up front, then it's money that does not need to be repaid.

A Loan

If the down payment assistance comes in the form of a loan, then pay attention to the three different types:

• Repayable
• Deferred
• Forgivable

Repayable is just as most imagine. It charges interest over a certain amount of time, with monthly payments until it's paid off.

Deferred loans usually don't require a monthly payment, and typically don't charge interest. It's due in full when you refinance, sell the home, or when it ceases to be your primary residence.

Forgivable loans will disappear if you meet the criteria, which usually comes down to keeping the home as your primary residence for a specific amount of time.

Okay with that, here are the programs!

Ohio 

OHFA Down Payment Assistance

• Assistance: Provides 3% (for Conventional loans) or 3.5% (for FHA, VA, USDA loans) of the purchase price.
• Terms: Forgivable second mortgage with a 7-year term. It is forgiven after 7 years. If you sell your home within 7 years, the full amount must be repaid.
• Eligibility: Homebuyers meeting OHFA income and purchase price limits, using an OHFA 30-year fixed loan. Credit score of 640 or higher (650 for FHA loans).
• More Information: OHFA Down Payment Assistance

Grants for Grads Program

• Assistance: Provides 3% or 3.5% down payment assistance (depending on loan type) plus a potentially discounted interest rate.
• Terms: Forgivable after 5 years. You must reside in the home and remain in Ohio. 20% is forgiven each year.
• Eligibility: Recent graduates who have earned an associate, bachelor's, master's, or doctorate degree within the past 18 months, and who have not owned a home in the last 3 years. Single-unit homes only.
• More Information: https://myohiohome.org/grantsforgrads.aspx

Ohio Heroes Program

• Assistance: Offers a 0.25% interest rate reduction on the first mortgage. This can often be combined with the standard Down Payment Assistance program.
• Eligibility: Veterans, active-duty military, police, fire, EMTs, paramedics, physicians, nurses, teachers, and administrators.
• More Information: https://myohiohome.org/ohioheroes.aspx

Communities First Ohio Down Payment Assistance

• Assistance: Provides a grant of 3% to 5% of the purchase price.
• Terms: True Grant (Gift). There is no repayment required, and no second mortgage lien is placed on the property. (Note: This option usually comes with a slightly higher interest rate on the first mortgage).
• Eligibility: Available statewide through 30+ participating lenders. Income limits apply, based only on the borrower's income, not the household. No first-time buyer requirement and no minimum occupancy period.
• https://www.cincinnatiport.org/communities-first/

Cuyahoga County Down Payment Assistance Program

• Administered by: Believe Mortgage, part of CHN Housing Partners. (855) 764-5626.
• Assistance: Up to 10% of the purchase price, or up to $20,900, toward down payment and eligible closing costs. The same program also serves the City of Parma.
• Terms: Deferred, subordinated loan. Ask Believe Mortgage when it must be repaid.
• Eligibility: Buyers who have not owned a home in 3 years, buying an owner-occupied single-family home in Cuyahoga County, under the income limits. First mortgage at or under 80% LTV; housing ratio up to 28% and total debt ratio up to 43%.
• More Information: Cuyahoga County Assistance

FHLB Cincinnati Welcome Home Program

• Status: Applications closed as of 10/26/2026. FHLB Cincinnati says the 2026 Welcome Home Program is closed; the 2026 round opened April 6.
• Assistance: Grants of up to $20,000 for down payment and closing costs.
• Terms: Grant, with a 5-year retention agreement recorded on the deed. FHLB Cincinnati must be told of a sale or refinance in those 5 years. Reserved first-come, first-served through member banks and credit unions.
• Eligibility: Household income at or below 80% of the county's Mortgage Revenue Bond limit, a signed purchase contract, and at least $500 of your own funds. You do not have to be a first-time buyer; first-time buyers complete counseling.
• More Information: FHLB Cincinnati Welcome Home

City of Toledo Home At Last Program

• Assistance: Provides up to $12,500 for general purchases, or up to $20,000 for purchases in targeted revitalization neighborhoods (NRSAs).
• Terms: Grant — no repayment required.
• Eligibility: First-time homebuyers purchasing within Toledo city limits; income must be at or below 80% AMI.
• https://toledo.oh.gov/residents/landlord-tenant-resources/down-payment-assistance

City of Columbus American Dream Down Payment Initiative (ADDI)

• Assistance: Provides up to 6% of the purchase price, with a maximum loan of $14,999, for down payment and closing costs.
• Terms: Deferred, forgivable loan. You must live in the home for 5 years after closing — during which it cannot be sold, rented, or transferred — after which the mortgage and restrictive covenant are released and the loan is forgiven. Selling within those 5 years means repaying the City from the sale proceeds.
• Status: Applications closed as of 10/26/2026. The city stopped taking applications on August 8, 2026; new applications go on a waitlist.
• Eligibility: First-time homebuyers (no ownership in the past 3 years) purchasing a single-family home or condo within Columbus city limits. Household income must be at or below 120% AMI. Buyers must contribute $500 of their own funds (cannot be gifted), complete homebuyer education through a HUD-certified agency, use a City-certified lender, and fall within 35% housing and 45% total debt-to-income ratios. Minimum 6 months of Ohio residency required.
• More Information: Columbus Homebuyer Assistance

Summit County First Home First Loan

• Assistance: Provides a 3-to-1 matching loan up to $12,000.
• Terms: Deferred 0% interest loan. Repayable only when the home is sold, transferred, or no longer owner-occupied.
• Eligibility: Low-to-moderate income first-time buyers in Summit County (excluding Akron, Barberton, and Cuyahoga Falls, which have their own funds). Purchase price up to $163,000; single-family homes, condos and townhomes. First-come, first-served.
• More Information: Summit County First Home

City of Akron Akron Dreams Down Payment Assistance

• Assistance: A forgivable $7,500 toward down payment and closing costs.
• Terms: Forgivable assistance funded by the federal HOME program. Run by the East Akron Neighborhood Development Corporation (EANDC). Funds go out first-come, first-served; the City expects to help about 35 families with this round.
• Eligibility: First-time buyers (no home owned in 3 years) buying a home to live in within Akron city limits, under the income limits (for example $77,701 for 4 people). Homebuyer education required; no bankruptcy or foreclosure in 2 years.
• More Information: Akron Dreams (EANDC) | 330-773-6838

City of Dayton Down Payment Assistance Program

• Assistance: Up to 10% of the purchase price of a home in the city of Dayton.
• Terms: You must live in the home as your primary residence for at least 5 years. Funds are limited and first-come, first-served. Ask the Home Ownership Center of Greater Dayton for repayment terms.
• Eligibility: Household income under 80% of area median income. Existing homes valued up to $105,000, or new construction up to $195,000. Put in at least $500 and complete a homebuyer class with the Home Ownership Center.
• More Information: Dayton Home-Buyer Assistance | 937-853-1600

City of Canton Down Payment Assistance

• Assistance: Up to $5,000 toward down payment and closing costs.
• Terms: 0% interest deferred loan, forgiven at the end of 5 years. You put in at least $500.
• Eligibility: First-time, low-to-moderate income homebuyers buying within Canton city limits. Start with a HUD-certified counselor at Community Building Partnership, 330-458-0962.
• More Information: Canton Down Payment Assistance

Butler County, Hamilton and Middletown Down Payment Assistance

• Assistance: $1,000 to $7,500 toward down payment and closing costs. In Butler County and Middletown it also cannot exceed 6% of the purchase price.
• Terms: A 5-year forgivable loan, with 20% forgiven each year you live in the home. Sell or move out sooner and you repay a prorated share. Funds go first-come, first-served.
• Eligibility: Household income at or below 80% of area median income ($87,900 for 4 people). In Middletown you do not have to be a first-time buyer. Put in at least $500 of your own money and complete a HUD-approved homebuyer class.
• Price Limits: $277,000 for an existing home and $330,000 for new construction. Run by Neighborhood Housing Services of Hamilton (NHS).
• More Information: Middletown HOME Program (NHS of Hamilton) | 513-737-9301

City of Lorain HOME Down Payment Assistance Loan Program

• Assistance: Up to $14,900 toward the purchase and closing costs of a single-family home in the City of Lorain.
• Terms: 0% interest, deferred loan, forgiven after 5 years. Funded by the federal HOME program.
• Eligibility: Household income at or below 80% of area median income under the 2026 HUD limits ($84,000 for 4 people). You put in a 3% down payment from your own funds and keep at least 2 months of living expenses in savings after closing.
• More Information: Lorain Down Payment Assistance Program | 440-204-2085

$0 Down Options

While this isn't down payment assistance, these options may provide you with a program that does not require a down payment. USDA and VA loans are government-backed loans, while others may be portfolio loans from local financial institutions, which have their own unique rules.

Checked 10/26/2026 against each program's own pages. Rates are not listed here on purpose; every one of these is quoted by the lender, and portfolio lenders rarely publish theirs.

Homeland Credit Union Dream Home Mortgage

• Assistance: No down payment and no private mortgage insurance for qualified borrowers, per Homeland's own page. You pay your own closing costs.
• Terms:
  • Terms up to 30 years. Credit score minimum and loan maximum are not published; mortgages are by appointment, call 740-775-3331.
• Eligibility:
  • Homeland membership: live, work, attend school or worship in Ross, Pickaway, Fayette, Highland, Pike, Jackson, Vinton, Hocking or Fairfield County, or be related to a member.
• More Information: Homeland CU mortgage lending | 740-775-3331

Peoples Bank Dreams2Keys Residential Home Loan Program

• Assistance: Up to 100% financing with no private mortgage insurance, per Peoples Bank's own page. No bank origination fee, and a rate discount on homes in qualifying census tracts.
• Terms:
  • Fixed rate up to 30 years.
  • Up to $5,000 of repairs can be built into the loan, as long as the total stays within 100% of the home's value.
• Eligibility:
  • Household income at or below 80% of the area median income, or a home in a low-to-moderate-income or majority-minority census tract. First-time buyers and repeat buyers both welcome.
  • Available in Peoples Bank's service area, which includes Ohio.
• More Information: Peoples Bank Dreams2Keys

KeyBank Key Community Mortgage

• Assistance: 0% down on a 1-unit home, up to 100% loan-to-value on purchases, and private mortgage insurance not required, per KeyBank's own page.
• Terms:
  • Fixed rate. No minimum loan amount. The seller can pay up to 4% toward closing costs or prepaid items. A 2-unit home needs 5% down.
  • A homebuyer education workshop may be required before closing.
• Eligibility:
  • The home must be in a KeyBank Assessment Area. No income limit in a low-to-moderate-income census tract; anywhere else, income must be under 80% of the area median family income.
  • Owner-occupied 1 to 2 unit homes, including condos and planned unit developments. You cannot own any other real estate at closing.
• More Information: Key Community Mortgage | 1-888-KEY-0018

USDA Guaranteed Loan (Section 502)

• Assistance: 100% financing. No down payment and no monthly mortgage insurance.
• Terms:
  • 30-year fixed only, made by an approved lender with a USDA guarantee.
  • A one-time guarantee fee of 1% and an annual fee of 0.35% in place of mortgage insurance.
• Eligibility:
  • The home must be in a USDA-eligible area. 49 of Ohio's 88 counties have no excluded area at all.
  • Excluded: the Cleveland, Akron, Columbus, Cincinnati, Dayton, Toledo, Youngstown and Canton metros, plus Mansfield, Lima, Springfield, Zanesville, Newark, Lancaster, Chillicothe, Athens, Findlay, Marion, Marysville, Sandusky, Steubenville and Ironton.
  • Eligible examples in the north and west: Ashtabula, Conneaut, Salem, East Liverpool, Port Clinton, Norwalk, Fremont, Tiffin, Wauseon, Napoleon, Bryan, Defiance, Van Wert, Celina, Wapakoneta, Sidney, Bellefontaine, Urbana and Greenville.
  • In the center and south: Mount Vernon, Sunbury, Pataskala, Coshocton, New Philadelphia, Cambridge, Marietta, Logan, Waverly, Jackson, Gallipolis, Portsmouth, Hillsboro and Wilmington.
  • Check the exact address. Portsmouth is in while Ironton, a smaller city down the Ohio River, is out.
  • Adjusted household income at or below $122,800 for one to four people in 75 of 88 counties. $128,250 in the Columbus-area counties, $128,600 in Hamilton, Butler, Clermont and Warren, $125,150 in Putnam and $153,550 in Union.
  • Every adult in the household counts, on the loan or not.
• More Information: USDA property and income eligibility (check the exact address)

VA Home Loan

• Assistance: No down payment and no monthly mortgage insurance at any loan size. No VA loan limit with full entitlement.
• Terms:
  • A one-time funding fee, 2.15% of the loan on first use with nothing down and 3.30% on later use, which can be financed.
  • No funding fee for veterans receiving VA disability compensation and for certain surviving spouses.
  • Rural Ohio homes on a private well need a water test, and a shared well needs a recorded easement and a well-sharing agreement. Septic rules are set by the local health district, so call it before you write an offer.
• Eligibility:
  • Veterans, active-duty service members, and National Guard and Reserve members who meet the service minimums.
  • Eligible surviving spouses.
  • Guard members with 90 cumulative days of full-time Title 32 duty qualify under a 2020 law, even if told otherwise before.
  • Proof is the Certificate of Eligibility, which most lenders can pull in minutes.
• More Information: VA Home Loans

Updated 10/26/2026

These programs can only be handled by approved lenders. If you would like help from a local realtor familiar with the programs and lenders, fill out this form here and I will connect you with one.

I've included all of the links and contact info needed to do this on your own, the form is meant to make it easier.