Remaining funding for a government program that helps more than 100,000 Oklahoma families with economic assistance in heating and cooling programs was released this week by the federal government.
The $20 million increase in funding was for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, better known as LIHEAP, and went to Oklahoma and other states to be administered to support families in need of energy help.
The funding includes a $20 million increase to funding levels to help meet the needs of more American families as affordability continues to be a leading issue nationwide. The $20 million funding increase in the FY2026 appropriations to LIHEAP brought the total to $4.045 billion.
The American Gas Association, in a press release said the $20 million boost in funds for LIHEAP represents the first funding increase for the federal block grant program since 2024. In total, over $421,540,000 in funding was released to states, tribes and territories in the final installment for FY26 out of $4.045 billion appropriated.
Nearly 6 million households across the U.S. will be served through the funding, helping to lift 57,000 children and 78,000 seniors out of poverty according to the National Energy and Utility Affordability Coalition. Beyond providing financial assistance to low and fixed-income individuals for fuel and utility bills, the program helped to weatherize nearly 50,000 homes in 2024, making them safer and more energy efficient and helping to lower future energy bills.
A state-by-state resource directory created as a joint effort between the American Gas Association and the National Energy and Utility Affordability Coalition is available to help customers in need find assistance programs that may be available to them. It showed that in 2024, at least 103,353 such households were served in Oklahoma.
The breakdown included 56,204 households that received heating assistance with an average $279 benefit. Another 47,200 households were given cooling assistance at an average of $436 per household. LIHEAP also provided crisis assistance to 8,652 households and weatherization to 131 households in Oklahoma.
- Total Funding: The FY2026 Labor, HHS, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill includes $4.045 billion for LIHEAP.
- Increase Amount: The legislation provides a $20 million increase over the previous year’s funding levels.
- Context: This increase follows bipartisan efforts to bolster funding, with officials noting the importance of assisting vulnerable households with high energy bills.
- Impact on Programs: The funds are expected to support both direct energy assistance and weatherization efforts, as shown in the LIHEAP Clearinghouse data.