GrantRadar

Family Fund

Family Fund grants

These grants are for families, not organisations: parents or carers on a low income raising a disabled or seriously ill child can apply. Grants are for items or experiences, such as kitchen appliances, clothing, bedding, tablets and laptops, sensory and play equipment, days out and family breaks. Eligibility depends on household income and on the child needing a high level of support in at least three of seven areas, not on a diagnosis. Programmes are open in England (Support for Families with Disabled Children, funded by the Department for Education), Scotland and Northern Ireland; Wales is closed.

Apply on the funder’s site
You could get
Amount not specified
no fixed round
Deadline
Rolling
apply any time
Effort
Moderate
full application with documents

Who can apply

  • The parent or main carer of a disabled or seriously ill child aged 17 or under (England, Scotland and Northern Ireland programmes)
  • The child must need a high level of support in at least three of seven areas: personal care, social activities, education, communication, supervision, medical or therapeutic treatment, and physical environment or specialist resources
  • Receiving DLA, PIP, CDP or ADP does not by itself make a child eligible
  • The household must be on a low income, from work or benefits; benefits are not required
  • The family must have lived in the UK for the past six months (the Scotland and NI pages say six months' residence in that nation) and must not have had a grant in the last 24 months
  • Families with no recourse to public funds can be considered

What it funds

Grant items to meet a disabled child's additional needs and make family life easier:

  • Family breaks (taken when the child is not required at school)
  • Clothing
  • Computers and tablets
  • Days out
  • Furniture and household items
  • Kitchen appliances (fridge, cooker, washing machine)
  • Beds and bedding
  • Sensory toys
  • Games, books and music
  • Games consoles
  • Outdoor play equipment
  • Specialist trikes and bikes
  • Clubs, hobbies and activities

What it will not fund

  • Items already bought
  • Items a statutory agency such as the local authority or health service should provide after a needs assessment (for example home adaptations, therapies, specialist buggies)
  • Children or young people in local authority care or foster care

Families with significant household income, savings or capital are not usually funded.

Only one application every 24 months.

How to apply

  • Register and apply through the online form, which is available only while funding is open for your nation
  • The form has three parts: the first two must be done in one go, and you have 28 days to finish the third
  • A paper pack can be downloaded or posted to you (allow up to 10 working days)
  • Families with more than one disabled child fill in an additional child form for each sibling

Have ready

  • Proof of income: latest benefit award letter or screenshot, or the last three months' payslips
  • Evidence of the child's needs, for example disability benefit details, an EHCP, IEP, CSP or other support plan, or letters and reports from teachers, SEN staff, therapists or doctors

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