Incorporated in 1942, the Air and Space Forces Aid Society (AFAS) embodies the great 5-Star General Henry “Hap” Arnold’s vision of an organization that supports Airmen, Guardians, and their families.

When unexpected emergencies arise, there is a financial need and help is needed, AFAS provides no-interest loans and/or grants to help meet immediate needs and make a positive step towards a lasting financial solution.

AFAS financial assistance is intended for a variety of unexpected emergency financial situations that any Airman or Guardian could face. Financial assistance comes in two forms, AFAS Standard Assistance and AFAS Falcon Assistance.

AFAS education support provides assistance for dependent children and spouses of Airmen and Guardians. Education support includes: the General Henry H. Arnold Education Grant, the AFAS Merit & Grit Scholarship, the AFAS Supplemental Education Loan Program, the “Bee” Arnold Spouse Tuition Program, and the Columbia Southern University Scholarship.

AFAS community programs offer programs to help make everyday life on base a little easier and help take care of military families. Programs vary, but some examples include Bundles for Babies, Give Parents a Break, Education Childcare Grant (for spouses who are approved for the “Bee” Arnold Spouse Tuition Program) and Child Care for PCS.

The Air and Space Forces Aid Society (AFAS) offers many different types of support. AFAS is open to all service members, although specific eligibility depends on the type of aid the service member applies for.

Emergency Financial Needs

AFAS offers two distinct interest free loans to help service members and their families when unexpected financial emergencies arise. Before deciding which loan to apply for, take a moment to compare details for both AFAS Standard Assistance and AFAS Falcon Assistance.

Standard Assistance is available to service members, along with their eligible family members, to meet immediate needs in an emergency. AFAS provides interest-free loans and grants based on the individual situation for needs such as:

• Basic Living Expenses
• Adoption Expenses
• Medical or Dental Care
• Car Seats & Booster Seats
• Funeral Expenses
• Furniture Costs
• Vehicle Repairs
• Home Repairs
• Emergency Travel
• Immigration Expenses
• PCS Pet Transportation to/from an OCONUS Assignment
• Mental Health Support
• Special Needs (Exceptional Family Members Program)
• Domestic Violence Support
• Pet Emergency Surgery or Treatment
• Overseas Car Rentals
• Cranial Helmets
• Vehicle Shipment Costs (for PCS moves)
• Pay/Allotment Problems
• Assistance to Surviving Dependents

Standard Assistance Eligibility:

• Active-Duty Air Force and Space Force Members and their eligible family members. (Spouses will need POA and be enrolled in DEERS with a valid military dependent ID card).
• Guard and Reserve Air Force and Space Force members (regardless of duty status) and their eligible family members.
• Retired (including medically retired) Air Force and Space Force members receiving retirement pay and their eligible family members (limited assist)
• Dependent-aged children of deceased Air Force and Space Force personnel (who died on active duty or in retired status).
• Widow/Widower
• Air Force Academy Cadets & Preparatory School Students (limited to emergency travel situations when serious illness or death of an immediate family member).
• Basic Military Training School (Basic Military Training School students are only eligible for emergency travel assistance when there is serious illness or death of immediate family member. Commander must confirm the student will return to complete BMTS).

Standard Assistance Repayment: Assistance is repaid by allotment with consideration given to the individual’s financial situation, as well as time remaining on current enlistment. Traditional Guard and Reserve members will be required to complete an AFAS Paymatic Authorization Form to allow withdrawal of repayment amount from bank account. Loans are usually repaid within 12 months and do not exceed 24 months. All loan repayment is to be completed within the member’s current enlistment.

Falcon Assistance is a streamlined process to provide Active Duty, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve service members an expedited financial assistance process whereby a budget is usually not required, and the assistance amount cannot exceed $1,500.

Falcon Assistance Eligibility: Active Duty Air and Space Force personnel (including spouses with a valid Power of Attorney when service member is away from duty base), Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard personnel actively participating in AFRES/ANG

Falcon Assistance Repayment: Falcon Assistance is repaid within 2-15 months and is repaid within member’s current ETS. All Active-duty personnel will repay Falcon Assistance by allotment. Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve members will repay loans through ACH Authorization directly from their bank account and Title 10 USC AFRES/ANG personnel will also complete the ACH Authorization Form in the event an allotment cannot be started.

Financial Lift-Off Program: Financial literacy is essential for mission readiness, personal well-being, and long-term career success. Developed in partnership with the USAA Educational Foundation, this free-online program will help improve the financial readiness of Airmen, Guardians, and their families. The course is self-paced and provides practical financial education delivered through a series of engaging modules covering budgeting, saving, investing, and debt management. Participants will improve their ability to manage money wisely and reduce financial stress.

Upon completing the course, participants will receive a Certificate of Completion and qualify for a credit toward a current AFAS Loan, based on when the loan was issued:

• $250 loan credit for AFAS loans received between May 1, 2025, and December 31, 2025
• $500 loan credit for AFAS loans received on or after January 1, 2026

This is a one-time credit and does not apply to Government Shutdown related loans or AFAS loans issued prior to May 1, 2025.

If the outstanding loan balance is less than $500, that remaining balance will be converted to a grant. No refund or additional credit will be issued.

Important Note: The name and personal email that was used for the AFAS loan assistance must be the same name and email used to register for the Financial Lift-Off course to receive the loan credit.

Loan Credit Eligibility - To qualify for the loan credit, participants must:

• Be an Active-Duty, Guard, or Reserve Airmen/Guardian
• Have received a new AFAS loan on or after May 1, 2025
  (Note: Loan-to grant conversions are not available for Government Shutdown related loans or AFAS loans issued prior to May 1, 2025)

Education Assistance

The General Henry H. Arnold Education Grant Program - Provides grants based on need are awarded to eligible Air Force dependents each year. The specific amount awarded correlates to a student’s particular level of financial need. Eligible dependents are full-time college undergraduates who are dependent children of:

• Active duty
• Title 10 Guard/Reserve members on extended active duty
• Title 32 Guard members performing full-time active duty
• Retired Service members due to length of active duty service or disability
• Retired AGR/Reserve with 20+ satisfactory service years creditable for retired pay and placed on the Air Force or Space Force Reserve Retired List
• Deceased service members who died while on active duty or in retired status.

Spouses of active-duty members, Title 10 Guard/Reserve on extended active duty, Title 32 Guard performing full-time active duty, and Surviving Spouses of service members who died on active duty or in retired status are also eligible to compete for these grants.

Air and Space Forces Aid Society Merit & Grit Scholarship - A $5,000 scholarship, available to dependent children and spouses of active duty; Title 10 Guard/Reserve on extended active duty; Title 32 Guard performing full-time active duty; retired; and deceased Air Force members who demonstrate outstanding academic potential based on GPA, or used Grit (Growth, Resilience, Integrity and Tenacity) in overcoming a specific challenge in their academic journey. Students who have already been vetted through the HAP Arnold Grant application process will be evaluated based on cumulative GPA, high school transcripts and an essay written on a specified topic.

Students chosen to receive a Merit or Grit Scholarship are announced in June. Funds are disbursed directly to their college or university in August and limited to use for tuition, fees, books and curriculum-required materials.

A minimum of 20 scholarships are awarded annually.

AFAS Supplemental Education Loan - A zero-interest loan to help meet college expenses such as books, fees and supplies. Maximum loan amount for each eligible student is $1,000 distributed from Zelle or direct Bank ACH and repaid by allotment taken over 12 months directly from a member’s military/retired pay or bank account. Supplemental education loans are only available to dependents who have already successfully completed both parts of the Henry “Hap” Arnold Education Grant application.

The same eligibility criteria required for the HAP Arnold Grant are required for the supplemental education loan.

Receiving an HAP Arnold Grant is not a pre-requisite to receipt of a Supplemental Loan. A student can receive a Supplemental Education Loan without receiving the needs-based HAP Arnold Grant.

“Bee” Arnold Spouse Tuition Program - This program provides funding for spouses to pursue entry-level job training to help secure immediate, viable employment through short term programs/certifications (3-12 weeks) or spouses pursuing a PART-TIME undergraduate degree at an accredited 2-4 year college, university or vocational/trade school approved by the U.S. Department of Education for participation in federal aid programs.  Some examples of programs/certifications include but are not limited to: Medical Billing and Coding/Transcription, Medical Office Administration, Dental Assistant, Nursing Assistant/Aide, Mental Health, Medical Lab/Phlebotomy, Physical Therapy Aide, Pharmacy Technician, Veterinary Assistant, Basic Computer Skills, IT Leadership and Business Development, Graphic Design, Leadership Skills, Human Resource Management, Socia Media Marketing Program, Real Estate License, and Digital Photography. Students awarded this grant can receive up to $2,500.

“Bee” Arnold Eligibility
Spouses of:

• S. Air Force and Space Force members on active duty
• Title 10 Reserve and Guard on extended active duty
• Title 32 Guard performing full-time active duty
• Military members must be on active duty orders at the time the spouse’s program/certification or class starts.

Columbia Southern University Scholarship for Spouses - Columbia Southern University is partnering with Air & Space Forces Aid Society to offer one 60 credit hour scholarship to a U.S. Air Force Airman or U.S. Space Force Guardian spouse who is interested in attending CSU.

For more information on CSU please visit their website: https://www.columbiasouthern.edu/tuition-financing/scholarships/military/air-space-forces-aid-society-afas/

CSU Eligibility: Spouses of enlisted Airmen or Guardians on active duty, Title 10 Reserve and Guard on extended active duty, and Title 32 Guard performing full-time active duty can apply for the scholarship each year, which can be used toward obtaining an associate, bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degree.

• Eligible candidates must have a high school transcript or equivalent (GED)
• Scholarship applicants must be available to begin their coursework within 90 days of receiving the award
• Current students much maintain a 2.0 undergraduate GPA or 3.0 graduate GPA
• Students who have previous college experience must meet CSU’s academic requirements for admission to the university
• Students must remain in good standing with CSU throughout his or her degree program and maintain continuous enrollment in their degree program.

Application Requirements

• Copy of Air Force or Space Force member’s active-duty orders through 1 December 2026 with all PII blacked out (e.g. SSN, DOB)
• Front and back copies of the spouse’s military ID card [DODI-1000.13 permits cardholder to photocopy IDs to “administer military ­related benefits to eligible beneficiaries”]
• A 2-3 minute video – “If you are awarded this scholarship how will you help your community upon graduation?”

Submission

Please submit all required documents to education@afas-hq.org no later than March 31, 2026, with the email Subject stating, “Columbia Southern University Scholarship”. We encourage past applicants to apply; however a new video must be submitted.

Earn Your GED - Spouses and dependents of Airmen and Guardians can earn their GED at no cost, removing financial and academic barriers to completing their education. Offered in partnership with GEDWorks, this self-paced, online program provides comprehensive support from enrollment through testing. Students receive:

• Dedicated Academic Advisor: Students receive personalized guidance from enrollment through GED completion
• 24/7 Online Tutoring: Students have access to online tutoring anytime, so help is available when they need it
• Study Materials and Practice Tests: Students have access to all course work, study materials, and practice tests designed to build confidence and prepare them for the GED exam
• GED Exam Vouchers: Students who need to take their GED exam outside the U.S. can receive exam vouchers to help cover the cost of taking the exam.

Email education@afas-hq.org with your interest in earning your GED. An AFAS Education Team Member will contact you with next steps and help guide you through the process.

Earn Your GED Eligibility - Spouses and dependent children of U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force members in the following categories:

• Active-Duty
• Air Force Reserve & Air National Guard Members on Title 10 extended active-duty orders (15+ days)
• ANG Title 32 Active Guard Reserve on initial or continuation orders
• Traditional Guard and Reserve Members
• Retired Air Force & Space Force Members

Community Programs

Community programs offered by AFAS vary between installations. Visit your local Military & Family Readiness Center for a complete list of services available. Services available may include:

• Bundles for Babies
• Child Care Programs
  • Give Parents a Break
  • Child Care for PCS
• “Bee” Arnold Spouse Tuition Program
  • Education Childcare Grant
• Spouse Employment Program

Applying:
Service members, along with eligible family members, who have an emergency need and are at an Air Force base may apply online at https://portal.afas.org/SignIn or in person at the Air Force Aid office in the Military and Family Readiness Center. Service members, along with eligible family members, who have an emergency and are not near an Air Force base may apply for Air Force Aid assistance through any of the following agencies:

Army Emergency Relief (located at Army installations, worldwide)

Coast Guard Mutual Assistance (located at Coast Guard installations, worldwide)

Navy - Marine Corps Relief Society (located at Navy installations, worldwide)

If there is no military installation within 50 miles of you, please contact the American Red Cross at 1-877-272-7337

For more information contact the Air and Space Forces Aid Society at 703-972-2650 or visit their website at:
https://afas.org/