Murfreesboro · Rutherford County
Affordable Housing Assistance
Forgivable loan · 80% of area median income
Programs by loan typePrograms by loan type · Tennessee
Down payment assistance you can pair with a VA loan in Tennessee
21 programs name VA loans: 9 city, 6 county or regional, 6 statewide.21 programs in Tennessee name VA loans among the first mortgages they can be paired with: 9 run by a city, 6 by a county or regional agency and 6 open statewide.
Two approvals, made separately. The lender underwrites the VA loan; the program reviews its own application, and the lender must also accept the assistance. The loan type is one rule among several.The lender underwrites the VA loan; the assistance program reviews its own application. A program naming VA means the two can be combined, and the lender must also accept the assistance as a source of funds. The loan type is one rule among several.
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The 21 programs, closest first
From one city out to the whole state
Listed A–Z within each group, not ranked.A city program covers homes inside that city; a county or regional program, homes in its area; a statewide program, an eligible home anywhere in Tennessee. Listed A–Z within each group, not ranked.
In a Tennessee city 9 programs
For homes inside that city’s limits onlyChattanooga · Hamilton County
City Down Payment Assistance
Forgivable loan · 80% of area median income
Chattanooga · Hamilton County
City of Chattanooga Down Payment Assistance Program
Forgivable loan · 120% of area median income
Memphis · Shelby County
Citywide DPA (CWDPA)
Forgivable loan · 80% of area median income
Knoxville · Knox County
Downpayment Assistance Program
Forgivable loan · 80% of area median income
Clarksville · Montgomery County
First-Time Homebuyer Program
Forgivable loan · 80% of area median income
Memphis · Shelby County
Memphis Housing Authority (MHA)
Forgivable loan · 80% of area median income
Memphis · Shelby County
Section 8 Homeownership Program (SHAPE)
Assistance grant · 80% of area median income
In a county or region 6 programs
For homes anywhere in the county or the counties namedCarter|Greene|Hawkins|Johnson|Sullivan|Unicoi|Washington County
Affordable Homeownership Program
Forgivable loan · 80% of area median income
Hamilton County
CNE Down Payment Assistance
Forgivable loan · 80% of area median income
Hamilton County
CNE Down Payment Assistance (Regional)
Second mortgage
Shelby County
Down Payment Assistance Program
Forgivable loan · 120% of area median income
Washington County
HomeWorks Community Lending Down Payment Assistance (Eastern Eight CDC)
Second mortgage · 80% of area median income
Shelby County
Shelby County Down Payment Assistance Program
Repayable second loan
Anywhere in Tennessee 6 programs
Can sit alongside a city or county program where both allow it- Down Payment AssistanceDeferred second loan
- FHLB Cincinnati Welcome Home Program (TN)Up to $20,000 · Assistance grant
- Great Choice Plus - AmortizingUp to $15,000 · Repayable second loan · First-time homebuyers
- Great Choice Plus - DeferredUp to $15,000 · Deferred second loan · First-time homebuyers
- THDA Great ChoiceUp to $7,500 · Forgivable loan · First-time homebuyers
- THDA Homeownership for HeroesUp to $15,000 · Second mortgage
Nationwide 27 programs · not in the 21
Nationwide: 27 more, not in the 2127 nationwide programs that also name VA loans, each with its own area and eligibility rules
- American Pacific Mortgage Pathway DPA
- Chase Bank Homebuyer Grant
- Chico Rancheria Housing Corporation Homebuyer Assistance
- Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Down Payment Assistance
- Essex Mortgage 10 Year Amortized 2 Plus
- Essex Mortgage Forgivable/Deferred Program
- Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation Affordable Housing
- Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation HOPER's Incentive Program
- Flagstar - Flagstar Gift Program
- Great Nevada Mortgage Middle-Income Downpayment Assistance Grants
- Land Home Financial Services, Inc. House2Home Program
- Lennar Mortgage Advantage Plus Program
- MEP Advantage DPA Program
- National Homebuyers Fund (NHF) - Data Mortgage, Inc. dba Essex Mortgage Deferred Down Payment Assistance Program
- North Fork Rancheria Indian Housing Authority Down Payment Assistance Program
- Northern Circle Indian Housing Authority Down Payment Assistance
- Primary Residential Mortgage Down Payment Program
- Primary Residential Mortgage Inc. Welcome Home Down Payment Assistance Program
- Siletz Tribal Housing Department Down Payment Assistance
- Susan's Savings First Time Home Buyers Program
- Tyndall Federal Credit Union $1,000 Off Closing Cost
- Tyndall Federal Credit Union $450 Closing Cost
- U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development HCV Homeownership Program
- U.S. Department of the Interior Indian Affairs Down Payment Assistance
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Native American Direct Loan
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) Grant
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs VA-backed Purchase Loan
- All nationwide programs →
What to know
What the 21 records say
From each program’s own record. The agency decides who can use it.Counted from each program’s own record. A program’s agency decides who can use it.
- 20 of 21
ask for a homebuyer education class.
- 15 of 21
are limited to first-time homebuyers, as each program defines it.
- 12 · 3 · 2
are forgivable loans, second mortgages and assistance grants. The other 4 are 2 deferred second loans and 2 repayable second loans.
Free help in TennesseeFree help in Tennessee
29 HUD-approved counseling agencies in Tennessee29 HUD-approved housing counseling agencies in Tennessee
20 of 21 of these programs ask for a homebuyer class. A HUD-approved counselor teaches it and can explain how the assistance and a VA loan fit together.20 of 21 of these programs ask for a homebuyer class. A HUD-approved counselor teaches it and can explain how an assistance program and a first mortgage fit together, before you talk to a lender. Create a free account to see who’s near you.
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Questions, answered
Can down payment assistance be used with a VA loan in Tennessee?
21 programs in Tennessee name VA loans among the loan types they can be paired with. The assistance program and the first-mortgage lender underwrite separately, so a lender must also be willing to accept the assistance as a source of funds.
Does naming VA loans mean a program is open to everyone using one?
No. The loan type is one eligibility rule among several — income limits, purchase price caps, credit requirements and occupancy rules all still apply, and each program sets its own.
Is Hey Prescott a lender?
No. Hey Prescott is an educational directory of down payment assistance programs. We list programs and link to official sources; we do not make loans or give individualized lending advice.
Programs and counts: Hey Prescott program records, each verified with its administering agency (July 2026). Counselors: HUD housing counseling agency list. Hey Prescott is not a lender.