Last year, we awarded £2,984,122.31 in grants
Last year, we awarded almost £3 million in grants to over 3,000 people in financial need living in the UK and Ireland as well as British and Irish citizens residing in other countries.
Grants exist to help people in financial need and are usually one-off awards. However, in some situations, they can be recurring.
The grants we have awarded have assisted people in many ways, including helping them:
- To move into more affordable accommodation
- To replace essential household items
- With general living costs
- With funds to enable them to get their life back on track with debt solutions.
One recipient, Jennifer, said: “I’ve been through a rough time these past couple of years from having my own place, a great job and good health, to falling ill, losing my job and then my home.
“But the help the charity has given me has restored my faith in human kindness.”
33% of the people we helped were aged 35-54, 69% were female and 14% lived in London.
Elizabeth Finn Fund
The most common grant we gave was a flexible grant through our Elizabeth Finn Fund. This accounted for 56% of all the money we gave.
The Elizabeth Finn Fund has been giving direct grants for over a century to people living in financial difficulty who meet our eligibility criteria.
Dougal, who was helped by the Elizabeth Finn Fund, said: “I was very emotional because I didn’t expect that kind of help. The grant allowed us to get back on our feet, pay off the critical priority bills and allowed me time to sort things out so we could have a peaceful existence.”
Through the Elizabeth Finn Fund, we also awarded £16,220 to help people buy white goods, £25,929 to aid in covering care home costs, and £109,953 to assist in transport expenses.
In total, £2,465,032 was awarded in grants from the Elizabeth Finn Fund last year.
Edinburgh Trust
In addition to the Elizabeth Finn Fund, we also have the Edinburgh Trust to help people resident in the City of Edinburgh.
Last year, we awarded £354,451 through the Edinburgh Trust to 1,081 people.
Mike, a social worker who processed a grant, said: “Thank you for processing the grant so speedily. It has enabled Steven to leave a psychiatric hospital ward and set up his own supported tenancy for the first time in his life. I have visited him at home and seen the difference this award has made.”
With funding from the Edinburgh Trust, Sally was able to buy warm clothes, Mark could buy his own washing machine, and Louise could replace her fridge-freezer.
The next £3 million
Since we were founded 120 years ago, we have given away millions to help people in need. Yet over 13 million people still remain in poverty.
As well as the Elizabeth Finn Fund and the Edinburgh Trust, we administer several other funds with very specific eligibility criteria.
We also have an interactive Grants Search tool that lists thousands of charitable funds that may be able to help you, if you are in financial need, depending on your circumstances, background and needs.