Important change to grant reapplication timescale in England
What is changing
With immediate effect, the reapplication timescale for our main grant programme in England will change from 15 months to 24 months.
This means that families in England who have applied for a grant from us before, will need to wait 24 months before they can apply for another grant.
Why Family Fund is making this change
Family Fund is a charity, and all grants are discretionary. The number of grants we can provide depends on the amount of funding we have available.
Based on recent trends, we have calculated that we will receive more grant applications for our main programme in England than our funding can support. A high number of those applications will come from families who are asking for help for the first time. We won’t be able to help everyone who applies, so we have had to make a difficult decision about how to prioritise our grants.
By changing the reapplication timescale to 24 months we will direct our funding to eligible families who haven’t had a grant before, and families who haven’t had a grant recently.
Family Fund would like to thank all families for their understanding at this difficult time.
Questions and answers
I’ve never applied to Family Fund before. Does this affect me?
No. You can make your first application at any time.
Does this apply to all of Family Fund’s grant programmes?
No. The 24 month reapplication timescale only applies to our main grant programme in England. If you live in England you can still apply for Your Opportunity (18-24 year olds) and Family Fund Mobility Support (under three years old). Grant programmes in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland are not affected.
How can I find out when I can next apply?
If you are unsure when you can next apply, please use our application date checker to find out your next application date.
What other help is available if I can’t apply for a grant?
Our website provides a grant checker, where you can find out about grants from other organisations that you might be eligible for. We also provide information on benefits, money and other support.
See our resources and supportMy child will turn 18 before I can next apply for the main England grant programme – what can I do?
The Your Opportunity is aimed at young people aged 18-24 years old and is open to applications.
I reapplied for a grant before 12 April. Will my grant application be considered?
Yes. If we received your application before we made the change to the 24 month reapplication date, it will be considered as normal.
If I can’t apply for another two years, can I change my mind about the grant I’ve applied for?
You can change your grant request if you have applied for a grant but have not yet been awarded one, or if you have had a grant awarded in the last three months but not yet bought any items with your grant. Check the change my grant request page for information on what to do.
Will the 24 month reapplication deadline reduce again soon?
No. We expect to stay at 24 months unless there is a significant change in circumstances.
Are you doing anything to get more funding?
Yes. We are doing all we can to raise additional funding so we can support more families. You can find out about this in the get involved section of our website.
I have another question, not covered here.
Email our team at [email protected]