Virginia Housing (you may know it as VHDA) runs real grants - including one that never gets repaid. Here's the accurate 2026 list.
Down Payment Assistance Grant - a true grant (never repaid) covering a percentage of your purchase price, for first-time buyers within income limits, paired with a Virginia Housing first mortgage. This is the headline program - free money toward your down payment.
Plus Second Mortgage - for buyers over the grant's limits (or with different needs): a second mortgage that covers the down payment so you can close with minimal cash.
Closing Cost Assistance Grant - designed for VA and USDA loans: a grant toward closing costs that pairs beautifully with $0-down VA financing. If you're military in Hampton Roads or NoVa, see my Virginia VA loan page - this stack is the play.
About the MCC: Virginia Housing's Mortgage Credit Certificate (a federal tax-credit program) has been suspended since 2023. Plenty of websites still advertise it - it is not currently available, and anyone promising it isn't reading the current guidelines. If it ever returns, this page and my clients will know.
Always-current source: Virginia Housing - Loans & Grants
Grant vs. Plus Second vs. the VA-loan stack - one free call tells you which Virginia Housing path fits your income and timeline.