The Scottish Welfare Fund provides a safety net for vulnerable people on low incomes by providing Community Care Grants and Crisis Grants. Scottish Welfare Fund awards are not loans, so you don't need to pay it back. The grants are designed to help people who are on a low income, so you can apply even if you don’t claim benefits.
Community Care Grants are in place to help vulnerable people set up home, or continue to live independently within their community. There must be a severe and immediate need and you would face significant adverse consequences if you were not awarded a grant.
You may be eligible to receive a grant if you meet the fund qualifying conditions:
We need to process all of the applications we received to see whether or not they meet the qualifying conditions. Please only apply if you believe your current circumstances meet these so that we can process applications quicker and help those who really need it.
Crisis Grants are in place to help you cope with the unexpected expenses and disasters that life throws at us when we least expect it.
We can offer help with:
Crisis grants can help keep you and your family safe from harm in a one-off crisis.
You might be able to apply for a crisis grant if you’ve had an emergency, for example, running out of food, might be caused by a sudden loss of income, or if you’ve suffered from a disaster like a serious fire or flood causing substantial damage. If you are awarded we may be able to help you out until you receive your next income.
Anyone who’s suffered an emergency or disaster and is struggling with the expense can apply. It can help pay for the things someone needs to prevent harm to them or their family’s health or safety because of an emergency or disaster.
Applications can be made for living expenses and essential items such as food, heating costs, nappies, toiletries if the applicant is in temporary accommodation.
The grants are designed to help people who are on a low income, so you can apply even if you don’t claim benefits. We give you a grant and not a loan, so you don’t need to pay it back.
If you claimed a benefit from The Department for Working and Pensions or at your Job Centre and you are waiting for your first payment, you should contact them first for a Short Term Benefit Advance.
If you have applied before for the same goods/services, you can only apply again after 28 days of your application, unless there has been a relevant change in your circumstances.
Crisis awards can be made only 3 times within a rolling year, but we can use discretion if your circumstances significantly change after this. However, Crisis grants are not in place to meet ongoing financial need or a continued short-fall in your income.
If you have already claimed a crisis grant please allow 1 working day for us to process your application and call you back.
To be eligible to apply for a Crisis Grant or Community Care Grant through the SWF, you must be aged 16 or over, be on a low income and meet Scottish Welfare Fund criteria.
**Please be aware there is a 1-hour timeout when completing the application, please have all personal and financial details to hand, prior to starting your application.**
Once you’ve applied, Fife Council will contact you within 1 working days if you have applied for a Crisis Grant or up to 15 working days if you have applied for a Community Care Grant. During very busy periods this can be anything up to 20 working days.
Someone coming to us in Crisis due to ongoing need usually has:
Crisis grants are awarded on a priority basis.
We grant the highest priority items to vulnerable people who have an immediate and severe need, or who will face significant adverse consequences if help is not provided urgently.
If you do qualify for a grant, it will be provided in one of three ways:
Community Care grants are in place to help vulnerable people set up home, or continue to live independently within their community. There must be a severe and immediate need and you would face significant adverse consequences if you were not awarded a grant. There are fund qualifying conditions in place that you must meet in order to be awarded a grant.
Anyone who is struggling to live independently can apply. They can help people with the things they need to live independently in the community rather than having to live or stay in care. Applications can be made for essential items such as furniture and household equipment. If furniture or appliances are awarded, products are supplied and installed/fitted by a qualified contractor.
You may be eligible to receive a grant if you meet the fund qualifying conditions:
Here are questions designed to help you under the conditions and establish if you think you meet fund qualifying conditions:.
If you are unable to relate to any of these situations then you may be unlikely to qualify for an award. If you do fit into one of the fund qualifying conditions above, applications are also verified on the following……
You must meet fund qualifying conditions to be awarded.
Further support options are available to you below.
If you have applied before for the same goods/services, you can only apply again after 28 days of your application, unless there has been a relevant change in your circumstances.
If you have already claimed a community care grant please allow up to 15 working days for us to process your application and we will call you back as soon as possible within this timescale. During very busy periods this can be anything up to 20 working days.
If you have already made an application and need to tell us of any changes you can use the Contact us form linked below and we will get back to you as soon as we can.
If you have applied already for a SWF grant and are unhappy with the outcome, you can ask us to look at the decision again.
Fife council, other agencies and local charities are on hand to help and give you advice on anything from budgeting, getting back onto learning, employment, travel costs to energy advice and keeping safe.
Here is a list of Fife Council, local agency support is available to you today
There are items for which an award from the Scottish Welfare Fund cannot be made:
If the item(s) you need is on the fund excluded list, you can see what other alternative support can be provided
You can find out how we manage the personal information you provide by reading the privacy policy
