Applying For A Grant

It may have been suggested that your relative should apply for a grant from a charitable organisation. There are many charities that may offer financial support either by a one-off payment, perhaps for clothing or a piece of equipment such as a type of computer to aid speech or mobility aids.

Finding Charities That May Offer Help

• Set aside a morning or afternoon to do some research armed with an A4 notepad and biros.
• Go to the reference section in the main library in your area.
• Ask the librarian for The Encyclopaedia of Charities UK 2003 Edition 15. This book has 31 sections and 8,000 listed charities.
• Read through the index of each section which might be suitable for your relative’s needs and write down the numbers, eg Diabetes 426; Stroke Association 438; this will help you find them more easily without having to keep referring to the index.
• Check each entry to discover whether your relative might qualify for a grant.
• Jot down the name of all the organisations which you think might offer help. Make a note of each organisation’s name, address, telephone number and person to contact if it is given.
• Take the details of as many as you can including what they appear to be offering.

The Next Step

• Study the list at home.
• Phone the organisation and check the name of the person to whom you should apply.
• Write a letter stating your relative’s circumstances and needs to the three most likely organisations (see Figure 7).
• They will probably send you a formal application form. Fill it in accurately, black biro is best, sign and return it with any required documentation to support the application as soon as possible.
• Keep copies of all correspondence for your reference.
• Wait patiently for their reply.
• If the first three cannot help write to the next three and so on.
• Letters asking for financial assistance usually have to be discussed at a committee meeting and it may take some weeks before you receive an answer.

 

You will find various organisations only apply to a certain group of people, for instance some charities only consider people born and bred in a certain place. If your relative does not fulfil the criteria don’t apply.

Do remember that any grant your relative receives must be declared at their financial assessment.

 

 

Sarah’s Story

Sarah lived alone after the sudden death of her husband, Keith, in 1998. Keith had always kept the garden looking lovely and Sarah had always kept the bungalow in a pristine condition. Now, after four long years, she was struggling. The garden was too much for her, the steps to the front and back doors were steep and difficult.

She decided to sell the bungalow and move into a care home. Her nephew suggested she went to live in the Bourne mouth area, near some of the family.

‘After all,’ he said, ‘your sister lives in Penny Lodge Nursing Home, why don’t you live there?’

He took Sarah to the nursing home to see her sister who was very sick indeed. The proprietor knew the circumstances and offered Sarah a lovely room on the ground floor which she accepted and put down a deposit. Sarah was fine until she was back in her own home again, then she realised she would be living in Bournemouth and all her friends would be living in Eastbourne.

Then the tears flowed, Sarah became more and more depressed.

‘Why don’t you stay up here where all your friends are?’ I asked her one day.

‘Because my sister is ill and I ought to be there with her.’

‘What will you do if your sister doesn’t get better?’

‘I don’t know, she has her own room and she can’t speak very much now, she’s too ill.’

Several people suggested she stayed in the area where she knew so many people.

One day she told me she had changed her mind about going to live in Bournemouth. ‘The only thing is, I’ve got nowhere to live now and the house sale is going through. We exchange contracts in a couple of weeks.’ Sarah thought of one of our mutual friends who lives in a warden controlled flat.

She phoned and asked if there were any flats vacant. There was and Sarah made an appointment to view. In the meantime she met somebody else who told her about a beautiful residential home in Eastbourne. She liked the sound of it. She cancelled the appointment to view the flat.

‘I’m going to live at Birchwood Manor’ Sarah told me the next time I saw her.

‘I thought you were going to live in a warden controlled flat near Elsie.’

‘Oh, I’ve changed my mind. I don’t want to cook any more.’ she explained.

‘Anyway, I’ve seen the room I’m going to have, it’s spacious and on the top floor. There’s a shower and toilet and a sort of mini kitchen. I think I shall be happy there.’

‘When are you moving in?’

‘Next Wednesday,’ Sarah replied. ‘You will come and see me won’t you?’

A few weeks later I visited Sarah in her new home and admired her choice. She seemed to be quite comfortable and happy.

Because her assets were above £19,500 she didn’t need to contact Social Services.