U.S.-Based Grief Support Organizations & Networks

These organizations provide a wide range of resources, including educational materials, support group directories, and professional training.
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• National  Alliance for Children's Grief (NACG) A leading professional organization dedicated to supporting grieving children. They offer extensive resources, educational materials, and a nationwide directory to find local support providers. https://nacg.org/
• The Dougy Center A national leader in childhood bereavement support. They provide a safe place for children, teens, and families to share their experiences and offer a worldwide directory of peer support programs. https://www.dougy.org/
• The Compassionate Friends An organization that supports families following the death of a child of any age. They offer online support communities and over 600 local chapters for bereaved parents, grandparents, and siblings.     https://www.compassionatefriends.org/
• Eluna Network Runs Camp Erin, the largest network of free bereavement camps for children and teens, and provides a comprehensive online resource center with articles, activities, and videos. https://elunanetwork.org/
• Good Grief Provides free and unlimited peer support programs for children, teens, and families at their centers in New Jersey. They also offer school-based programs and professional development to help communities respond to loss. https://good-grief.org/
• The Children's Room The largest independent non-profit in Massachusetts dedicated to supporting grieving children, teens, and families through peer support groups, teen programs, and educational series. https://childrensroom.org/
• The MISS Foundation An international nonprofit providing Counseling, Advocacy, Research, Education, and Support (C.A.R.E.S.) services to families experiencing the death of a child. They offer online forums, mentorship, and support groups. https://www.missfoundation.org/
• Journey of Hope A non-profit organization based in the Dallas, TX area dedicated to providing free peer grief support groups to children, adolescents, and their parents or adult caregivers who have experienced a death. https://johgriefsupport.org/

U.S.-Based Financial & Practical Support

These organizations and government programs offer financial coaching, direct assistance, and guidance on navigating the administrative tasks that follow a loss.

• Wings for Widows The only nonprofit in the U.S. that provides free, one-on-one financial coaching with Certified Financial Planning™ professionals to help widowed individuals navigate financial disruption and regain stability. https://www.wingsforwidows.org/
• Social Security Administration (SSA) Provides several potential benefits for surviving spouses and dependent children, including Survivor Benefits, Child's Benefits, and a Lump-Sum Death Payment. It is a critical first point of contact for financial assistance. https://www.ssa.gov/
• USAGov A government portal that provides information on programs that may help with food, housing, health care, and other basic living expenses. Their Benefit Finder tool helps identify relevant survivor benefits. https://www.usa.gov/benefits
• The Liz Logelin Foundation A nonprofit organization that provides financial assistance through grants to young widows and widowers with dependent children to help with immediate needs in the first year after a loss. https://thelizlogelinfoundation.org/
• Hope for Widows Foundation A charitable organization developed by widowed women that provides financial assistance through its "Restoring Hope and Peace Grant" program and builds community among widowed women.     https://hopeforwidows.org/
• Savvy Ladies A nonprofit offering free financial education and a confidential financial helpline that matches women with volunteer financial advisors for private, one-on-one consultations. https://www.savvyladies.org/
• National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC) The largest and longest-serving nonprofit financial counseling organization in the U.S., offering consultations with certified credit counselors to help consumers manage and reduce debt. https://www.nfcc.org/
• 211 A nationwide referral service that connects individuals to local resources for food, housing, financial insecurity, and other essential services. https://www.211.org/
• Findhelp A comprehensive search engine that connects users with local, free, or reduced-cost social care programs provided by government agencies, health systems, and nonprofits across the U.S. https://www.findhelp.org/
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U.S.-Based Online Support Groups & Communities

These platforms offer peer-to-peer connection for both parents and children.

• GriefShare Offers Christian-based grief support groups, both in-person and online, at thousands of locations. The 13-week program is for anyone grieving the death of a loved one. https://www.griefshare.org/
• HealGrief  & Actively Moving Forward (AMF) A national network that supports, connects, and empowers grieving adults through an app and virtual support groups, with distinct communities for young adults (18-30) and those over 30. https://healgrief.org/
• The Dinner Party A community for people ages 21-45 who have experienced significant loss. It organizes potluck dinners and virtual "Tables" to create a peer-led support system that fosters connection and candid conversation. https://www.thedinnerparty.org/
• Modern Widows Club A women's health organization that empowers widows to thrive through mentoring, awareness, and advocacy. They offer local and online communities, special interest clubs, and a "Widow Empowerment Quiz." https://modernwidowsclub.org/
• Widow Connection Provides spiritually-based and practical resources to inform, encourage, and equip widows for economic independence through books, podcasts, and other tools. https://widowconnection.com/
• American Widow Project A nonprofit organization that focuses on helping military widows cope with their loss through peer-to-peer support, community service, and healing events. https://americanwidowproject.org/
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Recommended Books for Grieving Children & Teens

For Ages 0–5 (Preschoolers & Toddlers)

• The Goodbye Book by Todd Parr  
• The Invisible String by Patrice Karst  
• Lifetimes: The Beautiful Way to Explain Death to Children by Bryan Mellonie & Robert Ingpen  
• I Miss You: A First Look at Death by Pat Thomas  
• Something Very Sad Happened: A Toddler's Guide to Understanding Death by Bonnie Zucker  
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For Ages 6–12 (School-Aged & Pre-Adolescent)

• When Dinosaurs Die: A Guide to Understanding Death by Laurie Krasny Brown & Marc Brown  
• The Memory Box: A Book About Grief by Joanna Rowland  
• Tear Soup: A Recipe for Healing After Loss by Pat Schwiebert & Chuck DeKlyen  
• Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson  
• A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness  
• Badger's Parting Gifts by Susan Varley  
• What on Earth Do You Do When Someone Dies? by Trevor Romain
   

For Ages 13–18 (Teens)

• The Grieving Teen: A Guide for Teenagers and Their Friends by Helen Fitzgerald  
• Healing Your Grieving Heart for Teens: 100 Practical Ideas by Alan D. Wolfelt, PhD  
• Crying in H Mart: A Memoir by Michelle Zauner  
• Fire in my Heart, Ice in my Veins: A Journal for Teens Experiencing a Loss by Enid Samuel Traisman  
• Hurt Help Hope: A Real Conversation about Teen Grief and Life After Loss by Clarissa & Fiona Moll  
  

Top Articles on Grief, Parenting, and Financial Hardship

This collection of articles provides practical advice and deeper insights into the complex issues faced by grieving families.
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Parenting Through Grief

• Grieving While Parenting: 8 Tips for Juggling Heartbreak, Loss and Raising Children (Care.com) Offers expert advice on prioritizing self-care, sharing grief in age-appropriate ways, and seeking support to maintain the ability to care for children.   https://www.care.com/c/grieving-while-parenting-tips-for-coping/

• Navigating  Grief as a Single Parent: Practical Tips for Coping and Healing (Single Parents Well-Being) Provides real-life tips from single parents on self-care, getting schools involved, and connecting with others who understand the unique challenges of solo parenting after a loss.  https://www.singleparentswellbeing.com/blog/navigating-grief-as-a-single-parent-practical-tips-for-coping-and-healing

• Parenting Alone: Managing Grief While Raising Children (GriefShare) Explores the feeling of "role overload" for single parents and offers strategies for acknowledging limits, processing emotions through journaling, and finding relational support.  https://articles.griefshare.org/grieving-with-hope/parenting-alone-managing-grief-while-raising-children

• Adjusting To Being A Single Parent (Wings for Widows) Presents ten practical tips for making the adjustment to single parenting easier, including asking for help, creating routines, and joining support groups.   https://www.wingsforwidows.org/popular-articles/adjusting-to-being-a-single-parent

• Three Helpful Tips for Grieving While Parenting (Wendt Center for Loss & Healing) Discusses the dual role of being a griever and a supporter, emphasizing the need for parents to have their own space to grieve, maintain connections with other adults, and find ways to move in and out of intense emotion.   https://www.wendtcenter.org/three-helpful-tips-for-grieving-while-parenting/
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Communicating with Grieving Children

• Helping  Children Deal With Grief (Child Mind Institute) A comprehensive guide on how to help children feel safe and build healthy coping skills by encouraging expression, being direct, and maintaining routines.   https://childmind.org/article/helping-children-deal-grief/
• When a Loved One Dies: How to Help Your Child (Nemours KidsHealth) Offers parents concrete steps for helping a child, including using simple words, putting feelings into language, explaining upcoming events like funerals, and giving the child a role to help them cope.  https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/death.html

• Helping Toddlers Cope with Grief and Death (ZERO TO THREE) Explains the unique fears and confusion toddlers face and provides specific scripts for answering their difficult questions about death in a simple, truthful way.   https://www.zerotothree.org/resource/helping-toddlers-cope-with-grief-and-death/

• Supporting a Grieving Preschooler (3-5 Years) (University of Rochester Medical Center) Details a preschooler's limited concept of death and offers practical advice on maintaining routines, reassuring the child they aren't at fault, and using play as a healing tool.  https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/childrens-hospital/bereavement/helping-children-cope/grieving-preschooler.aspx

• Supporting a Grieving School-Age Child (6-12 Years) (University of Rochester Medical Center) Addresses the needs of school-aged children, who begin to understand the finality of death, by emphasizing honest answers, patience with behavioral changes, and the importance of memory-making.  https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/childrens-hospital/bereavement/helping-children-cope/grieving-school-age-child.aspx

• How to Communicate with your Grieving Teen (AuthoraCare Collective) Explores how a teen's grief is complicated by their developmental stage and provides tactics like giving them choices, encouraging peer support, and being honest about future plans to help them feel secure.  https://www.authoracare.org/how-to-communicate-with-your-grieving-teen

• How to Help a Grieving Teenager: 10 Tips for Handling Teen Grief (Full Circle Grief Center) Provides ten key insights, including normalizing difficult feelings, understanding the importance of peer support, and recognizing when professional help is needed for a grieving teen.  https://fullcirclegc.org/2022/01/26/how-to-help-a-grieving-teenager-10-tips-for-handling-teen-grief/
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Financial Hardship & Secondary Loss

• Financial Distress & the Family (American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy) Details the devastating effects of financial hardship on families, including the common psychological responses and the ways therapy can help address financial, mental health, and relational issues.       https://www.aamft.org/AAMFT/Consumer_Updates/Financial_Distress.aspx

• The  Financial Challenges of Widows with Children (Advisorpedia) Highlights the unique financial burdens on widows with children, the danger of making rash decisions while grieving, and the importance of creating a financial plan that accounts for long-term goals like college and retirement. https://www.advisorpedia.com/viewpoints/the-financial-challenges-of-widows-with-children/
• Understanding Secondary Loss (TAPS - Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors) Defines and provides examples of secondary losses that follow a death, such as the loss of family structure, financial security, and support systems, emphasizing the need to grieve these subsequent losses. https://www.taps.org/articles/19-1/secondaryloss
• Secondary  Losses (Speaking of Grief) Explains how secondary losses, like a change in financial resources or the need to move, can become the most immediate crisis for a family, often requiring more attention than the primary loss itself. https://speakinggrief.org/get-better-at-grief/understanding-grief/secondary-losses
• How Families Can Cope with Financial Stress (American Psychological Association) Offers psychologist-backed advice on supporting kids through financial hardship by being proactive, discussing emotions, explaining the family's plan, and involving them in solutions. https://www.apa.org/topics/money/family-financial-strain
• 9  Ways to Talk to Kids About Your Family's Financial Struggles (Experian) Provides a step-by-step guide for parents on how to discuss financial problems with children of different ages, emphasizing the need for a plan, a positive tone, and making it a teaching opportunity. https://www.experian.com/blogs/ask-experian/ways-to-talk-to-kids-about-familys-financial-struggles/
• Bereaved  Families Face Serious Health, Financial Hardships (Hospice News) Summarizes a report on the "Cost of Dying," detailing the significant mental, physical, and financial toll on grieving families, including the hundreds of hours spent on administrative tasks. https://hospicenews.com/2024/01/17/bereaved-families-face-serious-health-financial-hardships/
• Coping Financially with the Loss of a Loved One (Association of Community Cancer Centers) A practical guide written from the perspective of someone who has gone through the process, outlining the immediate financial and legal matters that must be handled after a death.   https://www.accc-cancer.org/docs/projects/financial-advocacy/fan-coping-financially-with-the-loss-of-a-loved-one.pdf

• The Long-Term Impact of Early Parental Death: Lessons From a Cohort Study (National Library of Medicine) An academic article reviewing the negative outcomes associated with childhood bereavement, including an increased risk for depression, substance abuse, and underachievement.   https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3569022/

• Psychological Functioning of Widowed Parents: A Focus on Complicated Grief and  Depression (National Library of Medicine) A research article exploring how the psychological distress of a surviving parent can impact their ability to care for their children and maintain a stable home environment, which is critical for a child's healthy coping. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6886257/