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Grants for people on a low income
Money you do not pay back. What exists in the UK, who each scheme is for, and the order worth trying them in.
Written by the benefitmoney.co.uk editorial team · Last reviewed 10 September 2026
A grant is money you do not repay. That is the whole reason to start here rather than with credit: a grant leaves nothing behind it, while a loan — even an interest-free one from the DWP — comes back out of a future payment. There is no single national grant that covers everything. What exists is a set of separate schemes, each tied to a particular cost, plus a discretionary fund run by your council.
The order worth trying
Most people arrive looking for one specific thing — a cooker, a school uniform, an energy bill. It is usually worth checking in this order, because the earlier options cost you nothing and do not touch your benefits.
- Your council’s own fund. Every upper-tier council in England runs a discretionary scheme, now usually called the Crisis and Resilience Fund. Awards are grants, and a payment does not reduce your benefits. Find your council’s scheme.
- The national scheme for that specific cost. Several costs have their own scheme with published rules — a funeral, a new baby, energy, a boiler. They are listed below.
- Charitable grants. Turn2us, Buttle UK, Family Fund and hundreds of smaller trusts give grants for particular circumstances. Many need a referral from a support worker or adviser rather than a direct application.
- Only then, interest-free credit. A Budgeting Advance or Budgeting Loan costs nothing in interest but is repaid out of your award. Commercial borrowing comes last.
Every grant guide on this site
White goods
Help replacing a broken washing machine, fridge or cooker on a low income — council schemes, Budgeting Advance and charity grants, in the order worth trying.
White goods grants →Energy bills
Grants and discounts for energy on a low income: Warm Home Discount, Winter Fuel and Cold Weather Payments, supplier trusts, and help clearing arrears.
Help with energy bills →Boiler and insulation
ECO4 still pays for a boiler or insulation on a low income until 31 December 2026. The Great British Insulation Scheme has closed. Who qualifies, and the scams to avoid.
Boiler and insulation grants →A new baby
The Sure Start Maternity Grant in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and Scotland’s larger Best Start Grant — who qualifies, the amounts, and the claim deadline.
Maternity and new baby grants →School uniform
What each UK nation pays towards school uniform, who qualifies, and what to do in England — where there is no national grant.
School uniform grants →A funeral
The Children’s Funeral Fund, which is not means-tested, and the Funeral Expenses Payment for people on qualifying benefits.
Help with funeral costs →Furniture and beds
No single national furniture grant — but council welfare funds, charities such as Turn2us and Buttle UK, and reuse networks all help with beds and sofas.
Furniture and bed grants →Does a grant affect your benefits?
A payment from a council welfare scheme is a grant and does not reduce your benefits. Charitable grants are normally disregarded too, though a large lump sum held as savings can affect a means-tested award once it pushes you over the capital limits. If you are unsure, the safest route is to ask the awarding body what the payment is treated as before you accept it — and to keep the award letter.
If a grant does not cover it
- The Household Support Fund — how the national fund works and what councils do with it.
- Budgeting Advance and Budgeting Loan — interest-free, repaid out of your award.
- Credit union loans — the cheapest borrowing, capped at 3% a month.
- Borrowing while on benefits — what it costs, and what it does to a means-tested award.
- DWP phone numbers — which line to call, and for what.
The nation you live in matters
Several of these schemes stop at the border. The discretionary fund in particular is entirely separate outside England: the Scottish Welfare Fund in Scotland, the Discretionary Assistance Fund in Wales, and Discretionary Support in Northern Ireland. Maternity and school-uniform help also differ by nation, and Scotland is generally the more generous of the four.
Not sure which apply to you?
The eligibility checker asks six questions and points you at the schemes worth applying for. It collects nothing and stores nothing — the answers stay in your browser.
Where you live changes what you can claim
Several of the schemes on this page stop at a border, and the discretionary fund behind them is a different scheme in each nation with its own rules and its own application route. Start from the one that covers you.
| If you live in | The local crisis fund is | Start here |
|---|---|---|
| England | Crisis and Resilience Fund, run by your own council | Find your council — 141 checked so far |
| Scotland | Scottish Welfare Fund | How the Scottish Welfare Fund works |
| Wales | Discretionary Assistance Fund | How the Discretionary Assistance Fund works |
| Northern Ireland | Discretionary Support | How Discretionary Support works |
Charitable funds worth trying
These are the funds named on this page, in one place. Most want a referral from a support worker, an adviser or a social worker rather than an application straight from you — and a charitable grant does not usually affect your benefits, though a large lump sum held as savings can.
- Turn2us grant search↗ — a searchable database of charitable funds, filtered by where you live and your circumstances.
- Family Fund↗ — grants for families raising a disabled or seriously ill child.
- Buttle UK↗ — grants for children and young people, applied for through a support worker rather than directly.
- British Gas Energy Trust↗ — help with energy debt, open to customers of any supplier.
This page is independent. It is not run by the DWP, your council or GOV.UK, and we are not a lender or a credit broker. Scheme rules and amounts change; the official pages linked from each guide are always the current position.