Our impact in 2023-2024

2023 was the year in which we celebrated our milestone 50th birthday. Over that period, we have awarded over 1.5 million grants to families. Building on this history we launched our new five-year strategy ‘Being there for Families’, which sets out how we will continue our support to families raising disabled and seriously ill children. There are four key elements: 

• Deliver essential help to families. 
• Grow our support – to do more, for more families. 
• Partner with families and others, to create positive change. 
• Enable our team to work at their best. 

Our 2023/2024 key highlights: 

Deliver 

• In 2023-24 we awarded over 84,000 grants across 12 different programmes. 
• We provided families with over 69,000 instances of information and support, including specialist digital support services through our vibrant Discover Digital Summer festival. 
• We secured a contract with the Department for Education to deliver the Support for Disabled Children fund in England, and maintained our grants and contracts with other funders. 
• We also launched an online webchat, enabling us to offer family help in real time. 

Grow 

• Our trading subsidiary  Family Fund Business Services (FFBS) had a record-breaking year- generating over £3 million profit. All taxable profit generated by FFBS is gifted to Family Fund. 
• Our corporate partner McCain committed to providing a further £1m of income over three years, to help make teatimes  easier to enjoy for families raising disabled and seriously ill children. 

Partner 

• We published our flagship research, Window to our world, which was presented across all four nations of the UK to elected representatives. We also published My kids need what they need, focusing on the additional costs of meeting the everyday needs of autistic children.  
• Our research once again ensured that the voices and lived experiences of the families we support are heard by those with the power to help. 
• We supported 23 young disabled people to meet with Members of the House of Lords to share their experiences of seeking employment. 
• 88 families raising disabled or seriously ill children shared their personal stories including the impact our grants have made in their lives. 

Enable 

• We launched a new fully accessible website, and improved our application process. 
• We developed our Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) strategy. 
• We produced our first Carbon Footprint report, allowing us to better understand our environmental impact, and took first steps to reduce it. 
• Working to be a Disability Confident Employer, we ensured our induction and work materials were accessible to all. 
• We welcomed a new supported intern, and further enabled a previous supported intern on a post-internship placement. 
• We committed to the Armed Forces Covenant at the Bronze award level. We also committed to the Scottish Government’s Fair Work First statement. 
• We continued to deliver value for money, with 94p of charitable expenditure in every £1 spent. 
• Finally, we reviewed our online application process to ensure more families could receive their grant faster 

While we’re proud of all the families we have supported and everything we’ve achieved throughout the year, we do not underestimate the challenges of the future. Over half a million families living on a low income are raising a disabled or seriously ill child. To reach even more families, and deliver more support, we need more funding. 

Together, we can ensure families receive more of the help and support they need most. Visit our website to learn more about how you can get involved and make a lasting impact.