Help with heating bills starts Jan. 1 for eligible Marion County residents

INDIANAPOLIS – Marion County residents can get help paying their heating bills starting Jan. 1 through the Winter Assistance Fund.  

The annual program is open to Marion County residents who earn too much to qualify for government energy assistance programs but whose income is up to 225% of the Federal Poverty Level.  

For a one-person household, that’s a gross income between about $8,060 and $8,803 over the last three months. For a family of four, that’s a gross income between about $15,499 and $18,084 for the last three months.    

United Way is encouraging people who think they may qualify to apply starting Jan. 1 by contacting one of 11 sites listed at uwci.org/waf. The program runs through the end of March, or until funds run out. 

United Way of Central Indiana has operated the program for four decades.

There is significant need in the community: More than 78,000 adults in Marion County are at risk of having their heat or electricity shut off, and one in six Hoosier households relies on energy assistance to manage their utility costs, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention PLACES data and the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program Data Warehouse.

Additionally, utility costs for Indiana households increased by 21% from 2024 to 2025, according to the National Energy Assistance Directors Association’s energy price update.

Last year, the Winter Assistance Fund helped 212 households pay more than $127,000 in utility bills. Of those who received assistance, more than a third were age 55 or older, and nearly 17% were individuals with disabilities.  

Since 2021, the fund has helped 1,219 people with $623,000 in utility bills.  

The fund is supported by AES, Citizens Energy Group, the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust and individual donors. To contribute to the fund, visit uwci.org/waf.