GrantRadar

BBC Children in Need (delivered by Family Fund Business Services)

BBC Children in Need Emergency Essentials Programme

Grants of essential household items, such as cookers, fridges, washing machines, children's beds and furniture, emergency clothing and baby equipment, for children and young people up to age 17 anywhere in the UK who are in crisis. Families cannot apply themselves: a registered referrer from an organisation that supports them (a support worker, social worker or health professional, for example) applies on their behalf. Items are usually delivered directly; cash grants are paid to the referrer's organisation only where there is no alternative. Delivered by Family Fund Business Services for BBC Children in Need.

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

  • Only registered referrers can apply, on behalf of a child, young person or family; parents and carers cannot apply directly and no exceptions are made
  • A referrer must work for an organisation that supports children, young people or families (statutory departments included), be able to assess the family's needs, and the organisation must be able to administer the grant and supervise how it is spent; registration needs an organisational email address and line-manager approval
  • The child must be aged from birth to 17 (16-17 year olds living independently included), live in the UK and meet the programme's residence criteria (people seeking asylum and refugees count), and the family must be in crisis or emergency with insufficient resources, experiencing poverty or destitution or receiving a means-tested benefit (such as Universal Credit or a housing element), and affected by additional issues such as domestic abuse, substance misuse, disability or serious illness, mental health difficulties, abuse or neglect
  • All statutory funding must have been explored first
  • One application per household in 12 months
  • A tiered strategy limits applications by region: from 23 September 2026 England Central and North are tier 4 (up to 4 applications per referrer per month) and London, South East, South West, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales are tier 5 (up to 10); registrations are open to all organisation types

What it funds

Essential items for a child or young person in crisis, typically:

  • Cookers (electric or gas)
  • Fridges, freezers and fridge-freezers
  • Washing machines and tumble dryers
  • Children's beds and bedding (including cots)
  • Kitchen equipment and small appliances (microwave, vacuum cleaner)
  • Furniture (wardrobe, chest of drawers, sofas, table and chairs, desks)
  • Small items (curtains, towels, kitchen pack – crockery, cutlery, pans, tea towels)
  • Emergency clothing (including school uniform), supplied as a clothing card
  • Baby equipment

The list is not exhaustive; other items may be considered based on the child's needs. List items in priority order. All grants are discretionary and funding is limited.

What it will not fund

  • Items solely for the use of parents, such as beds for parents
  • Everyday living costs: food, fuel/utility bills, council tax, mortgage or rent and deposits, general subsistence
  • Household repairs, adaptations or additions
  • Payment of loans or debts, bankruptcy fees
  • Holidays, school trips, play schemes, childcare, childminding or afterschool clubs
  • Specialist medical equipment
  • Technology: televisions, computers, laptops, mobile phones, DVD or other entertainment equipment
  • Funeral costs including headstones
  • Flooring, musical instruments or lessons, driving lessons, toys and Christmas presents
  • Applications based mainly on financial hardship without additional social welfare issues
  • Adults aged 18 and over, unborn children, children under local authority care where the local authority is financially responsible, and care leavers with access to specific statutory provision

How to apply

  1. Read the Referrer Guidelines and check the current Tiered Strategy guidance to confirm applications are being accepted in your region
  2. Register as a referrer online: create an account, verify your email within 24 hours, then give your job, organisation and line manager details
  3. Your line manager approves your access by email and accepts the terms of use; Family Fund Business Services then reviews and confirms your registration
  4. Get the family's written consent (verbal in exceptional cases) and give them the applicant terms and conditions
  5. Log in and complete the online application in one sitting (it cannot be saved), listing items in priority order

Paper applications are accepted only in exceptional circumstances, such as the applicant being in hospital.

If the family is moving home, wait until they are at the new address before applying.

After an award, referrers must keep itemised receipts for cash or voucher awards for 12 months and confirm delivery of direct items, and must gather feedback or case studies from recipients.

Have ready

  • Applicant consent (written consent form kept on file)
  • The child or young person's name, address and date of birth, and the number of children in the household
  • Parent or guardian contact details
  • Confirmation the family live legally in the UK
  • Details of any means-tested benefits, with a supporting statement and documents
  • Why statutory funding options are unavailable or not applicable
  • The items requested, in priority order
  • A statement on the vulnerability and crisis affecting the child or young person

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