Charitable funds and grants
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What is a charitable fund?
Grant-giving charities
generally distribute the grants that they give
through a charitable fund or funds.
Charitable funds make grants to people
in financial need who meet their eligibility criteria, using a sum
of money that the grant-giving charity that has set aside for this
purpose.
Although many grant-giving charities
have only one fund, some run several funds that give money for
different purposes.
In most cases, charitable
funds have been set up to assist people in financial need who
have something in common, such as:
- Particular disabilities or illnesses
- Jobs or industries that a person is currently or was previously
working in
- Faiths
- Nationalities
- Living in a particular area of the UK
- Trying to manage on a low income
- A specific age group, e.g. ‘older people’ or ‘children and
‘young people aged under 18’.
Some will be ‘open to all’. This generally means that the only
qualification you must have to apply for help is that you are in
financial need.
Many funds also help the dependents of people their fund
supports – e.g. their partners, ex-partners or children.
The Turn2us grants database contains
details of about 3,500 charitable
funds that give grants to people who:
- Are in financial need and have welfare needs; and/or
- Require help with the costs associated with education and
training courses.
What is a grant?
A grant is a sum of money that a charitable fund gives
to people in need who qualify for their help. It is given as a gift
or award, so it does not have to be paid back.
Each charitable fund is very individual in the way
that it works and the types of support it gives. Although the
financial help offered is usually through grants, many funds
also give other support in the form of advice and services.
Examples of the help charitable funds may
offer include:
- Regular amounts of money to help you with your
bills and other living expenses. This may be given to you for a
limited time while you are experiencing difficult life changes,
such as bereavement or job loss. It may also be granted as
‘on-going’ support, for example if you have had to retire from work
for medical reasons and need help to pay your bills or to buy
essentials such as food and clothing.
- One-off grants (sometimes called specific
gifts) to help you pay for a specific item you need. This is
often given as money. However, some grant-giving charities buy
certain items, such as furniture, telephones and televisions, on
behalf of their beneficiaries – especially if they can get a better
price because they are a charity or through buying in bulk.
Equipment to help someone who has a disability may also be bought
by grant-giving charities and given as a loan (free of charge or at
a low rental cost) rather than as a gift.
- Educational grants to help with the costs of
educational and training courses. For example, to help
children who require extra help because they have
disabilities/special needs or who might miss out on educational
opportunities because their family is on a low income. These type
of grants might also be given to adults on low incomes who want to
improve their job prospects.
- Vouchers or an amount paid in credit to a shop
to allow you to obtain specific items you need, such as food or
clothing.
- Help with house repairs, adaptations and
decorating.
- Funding to improve your job prospects or quality of
life, e.g. respite breaks and travelling
expenses.
- Financial advice and debt counselling.
- Housing services.
- Information and guidance on managing money and
aspects of daily living.
- Some of the larger organisations may offer some
services themselves, such as holidays, respite care, care
homes and regular visits to people they help, especially if they
are elderly or have a disability.
If the financial support you need exceeds the limits of a
particular charitable fund, they may agree to give you part of the
cost. You may be able to find the rest from another organisation
that you have a connection to. For instance, if you have a
disability and have worked in a particular type of job, you may be
able to get help from a relevant disability charitable fund as
well as one for people who have worked in your occupation or
industry.
Is emergency help available?
Many charitable funds give help in an emergency or crisis. This
may be given as a grant or a loan (usually on an interest-free
basis and paid back at a rate that you can afford). If you qualify,
the charitable fund may be able to
arrange emergency help within a few days.
What is defined as an emergency will vary, but might
include:
- Homelessness because of fire, flood or family breakdown
- Help with respite care costs for an older or disabled person
because a carer has to go into hospital
- Repair or replacement of an item of household goods, such as a
washing machine, if the person who needed it was disabled or
elderly and would be at risk without it
- Vital living costs that you cannot pay because of a sudden job
loss or bereavement.
If you need emergency help, use our Grants
Search to find charitable funds that you have a
connection with. You can then contact them to find out what support
they might be able to offer you.
If you are on a low income and in receipt of benefits, a
Crisis Loan may also
be available from the Social Fund.
Who can apply for help?
The reasons why people experience financial hardship are
complex.
Stressful life situations, such as bereavement, job loss, family
breakdown, ill health, disability and caring for someone, are often
significant factors, especially if these changes mean someone is no
longer able to work. The mounting costs of living and the effects
of the UK’s current economic situation have also had enormous
effects on personal finances, causing many people to struggle to
make ends meet.
Although you usually have to be in financial need to qualify for
a grant, this does not mean you have to be destitute. Most
charitable funds would follow the Charity Commission's (link
opens in a new window) or the Office of the Scottish Charity
Regulator's (link opens in a new window) guidelines that
you are in financial need if you do not have ‘access to the normal
things of life that most people take for granted’, such as adequate
housing, heating, food and clothing.
Each charitable fund listed on the
Turn2us Grants Search will have its own qualifying rules,
such as working or having worked in a particular profession, having
a disability or living in a particular area of the
country.
Benefits and grants
Although many people who qualify for grants
will be getting welfare benefits, you do not have to be getting
them to qualify for a grant. However, charitable
funds have to ensure that you are receiving all the welfare
benefits to which you are entitled before they can help you. They
will ask you to check this if you are unsure. You can do this
using the Turn2us Benefits Checker.
If you are on welfare benefits, these will not be affected by
any grants that you get from a grant-giving charity.
Grants and people who work
You do not have to be out of work to qualify
for a grant. Charitable funds also help individuals who do not
qualify for welfare benefits or who are working if they need
support because of life changes or stressful family situations.
Applying to the same fund more than once
If you receive help from a charitable fund and need further
support at a later date, you may be able to apply to the same
organisation more than once – it depends on their rules. For
instance, if you qualify for a regular grant from an organisation,
they may also be willing to help with a one-off grant to buy a
particular piece of equipment or furniture you need. However,
most charitable funds will only give one-off grants to a
particular individual once a year.
Other sections on grants
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Last updated: 2 August 2010