Scottish Welfare Fund

The Scottish Welfare Fund provides financial support if you are facing a crisis or need help to live in the community. This is normally in the form of a one-off grant to help with living costs. The fund does not cover ongoing expenses.

You do not need to pay the money back.

There are two kinds of grants.

Crisis grants - to help meet immediate needs after an emergency or disaster. For example you can apply for things like food, heating costs, nappies, toiletries and travel. Community care grants - to help people to settle in a new home, when moving from an "unsettled way of life" (for example hospital, prison or a homeless accommodation unit). They can also support families who are facing exceptional pressure. For example you can apply for things like furniture or carpets. We award grants based on your situation. We only receive a limited amount of money from the Government each year, so we can only provide small grants. We normally cannot give you more than 3 grants in any 12 month period unless there are exceptional circumstances.

Who can apply for a grant:

You can apply for a grant if you:

• are over 16 years old
• have a low income or do not have access to your money

You can apply for a community care grant if you have savings of less than £700 (£1200 if you're over the age for pension credit).

How to apply:

You can apply online

You can also apply by calling the Scottish Welfare Fund application line on 0800 03 04 713, from 9am to 5pm.

We will ask you for proof of your identity and your circumstances. For this we will check the information held on our records and we may contact other organisations in connection with your circumstances. We will contact you if we need more information.