Charitable funds and grants

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 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.

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.

Do I have to be getting benefits to qualify for a grant?

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.

Can I get a grant if I am working?

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.

Can I apply 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.

How quickly can I get a grant?

Most grant applications take several weeks to process and depend on the particular procedures that each charitable fund follows.

With some charitable funds, your case for support will be considered by a committee, which may meet once a month or even less frequently. Others employ caseworkers who visit potential beneficiaries in their own home to offer support and assess their application for help. If a charitable fund has received a large number of enquiries, a case worker may not be able to visit you for several weeks.

Charitable funds do usually try to reply as quickly as possible to applicants. However, a lot depends on the resources they have available, in terms of staff and funding, and the necessary checks they need to make in order to consider your request for help. For example, the person managing your case needs to confirm the details you have given about yourself, such as the benefits you are receiving and the amount of Council Tax you pay. If they have to contact you or someone else to get missing details, this may cause delays. Therefore, the more information you give, the quicker your application will be dealt with.
Grant-giving charities usually try to reply as quickly as possible to applicants. A lot depends on the resources they have available, in terms of staff and funding, and the necessary checks they need to make in order to consider your request for help. For example, the person managing your case needs to confirm the details you have given about yourself, such as the benefits you are receiving and the amount of Council Tax you pay. If they have to contact you or someone else to get missing details, this may cause delays. Therefore, the more information you give, the quicker your application will be dealt with.

We are often contacted by people hoping to get a grant at very short notice, especially to help pay for costs relating to education courses. Unfortunately in most cases this is not possible unless emergency help to cope with a crisis such as homelessness or domestic violence (see next section for more information about this).

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.

Turn2us - to access benefits & grants.