The National Benevolent Charity

The National Benevolent Charity is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (charity number 212450).

The National Benevolent Charity exists for the relief of qualifying people who need assistance by reason of old age, infirmity, sickness or economic circumstances. It supports people through individual grants and grants to organisations, the latter channelled mainly through its Improving Lives Fund. According to the annual report, it paid £537,020 in total, of which £307,335 went to individuals.

Priority Areas

The National Benevolent Charity makes individual hardship grants and grants to organisations working to relieve poverty. Its Improving Lives Fund supports organisations delivering work in Bristol, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Swindon, where their primary service users experience poverty and the funded activity aims to alleviate it. It is principally interested in frontline organisations working with marginalised people and grassroots community organisations, with preference for local organisations. Its organisational priorities are supporting people in destitution or crisis, opportunities for employment, education and training, strengthening families or communities, and financial resilience. It favours flexible, unrestricted funding, trusting organisations to use it in the most valuable way for their service users. Individual welfare grants meet essential costs and hardship.

Themes

• Poverty relief
• Destitution and crisis
• Employment, education and training
• Family and community support
• Financial resilience

Geographic Focus

Bristol; Gloucestershire; Wiltshire; Swindon; UK.

Organisations can apply through the Improving Lives Fund’s larger-grant and small-grant routes. Larger applications start with an online expression of interest; applicants who meet the criteria are invited to a virtual meeting and to submit a full application for the Grants Panel. Small-grant applications are submitted by email and awarded by staff.

Deadlines: Each application round has a published closing deadline.

Application windows:

• Hardship Grants for Individuals: Closes at 4pm on 30 October

Who can apply:

• Improving Lives Fund
  • Organisations do not have to be registered charities to apply, but they need to be not-for-profit organisations with an agreed constitution.
  • Organisations must deliver work in at least one of Bristol, Gloucestershire, and Wiltshire & Swindon.

What to send:

• Hardship Grants for Individuals
  • An advice or support worker statement written to support the application.
  • Medical evidence confirming diagnosis, when relevant, in the form of a statement from a doctor, hospital or other medical professional confirming the condition.
  • For priority debts: the most recent statement showing the amount owed and payments made, and details of debt advice received.
  • For bankruptcy: evidence of debt advice confirming bankruptcy as the best course of action.
  • For flooring: images of the priority room or area, a formal estimate from a supplier or fitter, and relevant medical evidence where applicable.
  • For training and tools: details of the tools or training course.
  • For a disability aid: details of the disability aid.
  • For minor home repairs or garden improvement: a formal estimate of repair costs and images of the proposed repair.
  • For rent arrears: a rent account statement for the previous six months showing arrears, tenancy agreement, evidence of debt advice, and evidence of legal action by the landlord.
  • Financial information: connect safely and securely to the bank account, or upload a PDF of a full month's bank statement no older than two months showing income and expenditure; screenshots are not accepted.

Applying again: Improving Lives Fund: Where organisations have had two consecutive years of funding, they are asked to wait 12 months from the end of their grant period before reapplying.

What the charity says:

• The charity favours frontline organisations working with marginalised people and grassroots community groups, and prefers local organisations to national charities.
• For main grants, it assesses an organisation’s purpose, finances and people, including its skills and capacity to deliver effectively.
• At the virtual meeting, it considers alignment with its objectives and priorities, collaboration, the geographical areas served and how lived experience informs the work.
• It prefers to provide unrestricted funding and trusts organisations to use it in the most valuable way for their service users.
• It aims to keep monitoring and reporting proportionate and light touch, often using an organisation’s annual or impact report instead of a formal written report.
• Applicants who remain unsure after reading the guidelines are encouraged to discuss a proposed application with the charity.