Family Action’s grants programmes complement and enhance our mission of helping families to find solutions to problems; supporting them to become safer, stronger and more optimistic about their future.
Poverty remains a fact of life in modern Britain. For many families and individuals the struggle to meet basic needs and to pursue educational and employment ambitions remains a live and pressing issue, particularly during the current economic downturn.
Our grants programmes help to address the real needs of disadvantaged families and individuals, both those facing an immediate domestic need and those seeking to improve their educational and employment prospects.
Our small grants help families and individuals to quickly remedy their immediate problems. A family fleeing domestic abuse may receive a grant for household goods and a grant for a student towards the cost of their college fees may help them to continue their studies.
With a UK-wide remit, we distribute funds from over 70 diverse trusts; managing funds or acting as Charitable Trustee. In 2009/10, Family Action made 4218 grants totalling over £1,104,883 to families and individuals in need.
Welfare Grants for families and individuals
Those living in poverty face real and persistent challenges affecting all aspects of their daily lives, as well as their longer term prospects. As part of a package of support, our small grants can help to prevent an immediate crisis from spiraling and threatening the stability of families and individuals. Even where families and individuals are tackling complex and difficult issues, a small grant can make a big difference. By carefully targeting our grants, and working alongside a broad range of support agencies from across the UK, we help to create a safety net for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged members of our society.
In 2009/10, Family Action gave 2975 welfare grants totalling £544,164 to families and individuals in need.
Read some of the ‘thank you’ letters and case studies we have received from our welfare grant recipients and referral agencies
Educational Grants
Measures to widen and increase participation in education help to improve access to paid employment, the key factor in reducing poverty, as well as opening up choice in employment opportunities. Family Action’s educational grants help to unlock post-16 educational opportunities for under-represented and disadvantaged groups. We assist those participating in further and higher education, those wishing to study very specific, vocational courses and those developing skills and confidence to enable them to go on to progress through the education system. Our grants help individuals to begin their studies as well as supporting existing students to continue and complete their studies.
In 2009/10 we gave 1243 education grants totalling £560,719 to disadvantaged students.
Read some of the ‘thank you’ letters and case studies we have received from our educational grants recipients and referral agencies
Our approach to grant making
Funders and support agencies recognise Family Action as experts in grant making to families and individuals. Drawing on the knowledge and understanding housed within the whole of Family Action, our grants programmes are flexible and responsive. We recognise that those applying for grants need quick decisions and a supportive, clear and streamlined application process. If you would like to find out more about our grants work and opportunities for working in partnership with us, please contact: fiona.macgillivray@family-action.org.uk
"Meeting individual need is perhaps the most effective and the most difficult form of grant-making. The LankellyChase Foundation has been making significant funds available for many years for Family Action to disburse to needy families and individuals. We do this because Family Action has long experience; they can act speedily and yet still base their decisions on personal knowledge and professional experience. Deliberately, the funds we make available are flexible so that Family Action can use them to help meet any personal need and match other funds they administer which may be restricted in some way."Peter Kilgarriff, Chief Executive, LankellyChase Foundation
With varied backgrounds and skill sets, Family Action’s Grants Panel is a lively forum. Panel members assess grant applications and contribute to the development and implementation of our grants programmes. The Panel members’ roles are worthwhile, challenging and interesting; offering opportunities to tangibly benefit thousands of families and individuals. If you are interested in becoming a Family Action Grants Panel Member, please contact: kay.cameron@family-action.org.uk
"After each Grants Panel meeting you have the satisfaction of knowing that you have made some difference to the lives of individuals and families affected by poverty, abuse, illness or disability. You also contribute to Family Action’s campaigning work by highlighting cases which reveal failures and injustices in the social support systems for vulnerable members of our society. Panel members have a variety of skills so we learn from each other’s experience, as well as through regular training sessions."Sally Simpson, Chair of the Grants Panel 2008-2009