Grants and No Recourse to Public Funds
If you cannot claim welfare benefits because of your status in the UK this does not stop you from applying for a charitable fund. This is because most funds help people who cannot claim benefits.
Grants
What is a grant?
A grant is financial assistance given by charitable organisations (also known as grant-giving funds) or the government to people in need.
Grants can be given as money, products or services that don't have to be paid back.
Do I qualify?
Charitable funds
In general, you will have to be in financial need or on a low income. This may differ depending on the fund or charity providing the grant.
Other conditions to get a grant from a fund might depend on things such as:
- Having particular disabilities or illnesses
- Working or previously having worked in specific jobs or industries
- Living in a particular area
- Being of a particular age group
- Claiming any welfare benefits that you're entitled to. This means that if you might qualify for a benefit (Universal Credit, for example) but have chosen not to claim it for some reason, you could be turned down because of this.
Some funds also help the dependants of people their fund supports – e.g. their partners, ex-partners or dependant children.
Healthy Start and Sure Start maternity grants
If you’re more than 10 weeks pregnant or have a child under 4, you may be entitled to a Healthy Start Grant get help to buy healthy food and milk. If you’re eligible, you’ll be sent a Healthy Start card with money on it that you can use in some UK shops.
You may be entitled to get a one-off payment of £500 to help towards the costs of having a child. This is known as a Sure Start Maternity Grant.
How do I find a grant?
Charitable funds
Turn2us, a national charity which aims to end financial insecurity in the UK, has kindly provided material for this page.
Turn2us provides an online grants search tool. You'll be asked a number of questions about your and your family's circumstances to match you with charities who may be able to help. All the information you give is anonymous and Turn2us do not share this with anyone.
Click the button below to start your search.
Use the Turn2us grants search tool now
Healthy Start and Sure Start maternity grants
To get help in applying for these grants, you can access the Hope4U financial advice service.
As well as being able to check your entitlement and supplying you forms to apply for these grants, Hope4U can:
- check to see you're getting all the benefits you're entitled to
- check your bills to see if you could be paying less for your gas and electricity
- check your entitlement to a Warm Home Discount
- check your eligibility to other grants
- check your entitlement and register you on the Energy PSR (Priority Services Register), giving you priority support in an emergency such as a power cut