How to apply for financial support grants

Tips and advice to help you be successful when applying for financial support grants after receiving a brain tumour diagnosis.

It can be really difficult to know where to start when thinking about applying for financial support grants. It may be something you’ve never had to think about before – so where do you start? We’ve put together this information to help direct you through this process and understand what to do next. 

Searching for grants

Most grants have a strict eligibility criteria so it’s important to pay attention to this before applying. Common examples of eligibility include:

• specific types or stages of illness
• being below a certain level of income
• geographic area
• age group.

Each charity or organisation that offer grants will also have their own application process that you’ll need to follow, whilst others will only accept applications from a professional on your behalf. This may sound confusing, but the process of finding the right grant has been made simpler by grant search tools on sites such as Turn2us and GrantsOnline.

Below you’ll find a few links to grants that you might be eligible for.

• Macmillan Cancer Support Grant
• Clic Sargent Grant
• The Respite Association.

Tips for a successful application

It’s important to note that organisations aren’t able to award grants to everyone who applies. Unfortunately, there will be worthy cases that won’t be awarded assistance through no fault of their own, due to limited funding.

A lot of organisations will have deadlines for new applications as well, so if you’re considering applying for a grant make sure you check the dates you can apply.

To give yourself the best chance of a reply, look through these tips on writing an application.

• Give yourself plenty of time to write your application and be sure to tell your story. It’s up to you to be open about your illness and the challenges it presents. Talk about the days where you particularly struggle and how their support could make a real difference.
• Try your best to be relatively concise, most of these organisations receive a lot of applications. If you can keep within the form boundaries or to a single A4 page this will work in your favour.
• Some grants need a rough estimate of cost. For example, if you have a specific need like a bed or an appliance, remember to include this. Each grant will clearly state whether this is necessary, so do a checklist of items they recommend to include so you don’t forget.
• Ask for help if you can. If you have a family member or friend that can help write or proof-read your application, then make use of this support. Alternatively, if a support worker or professional organisation can write on your behalf, consider asking for their help if you’re uncomfortable with forms.