Access To Work Funding

If you’re in employment or self-employment, one of the best funding options available to you is Access To Work funding. This Government-run scheme helps to remove barriers to employment by offering funding to people with physical disabilities and/or health conditions. It’s straight-forward to apply and funding can be given for a wide range of equipment including lightweight wheelchairs and electric attachments.

The Steve Morgan Foundation

The Steve Morgan Foundation was founded in 2001 by Steve Morgan CBE to support projects that help children and families, people with physical or learning disabilities, the elderly or those that are socially disadvantaged in North Wales, Merseyside, Cheshire (West of M6) and North Shropshire. In 2017 they launched the Enable fund. This provides support for disabled people who are in financial hardship to obtain specialised equipment that cannot be supplied by the NHS, Education or Social Services. Beneficiaries must live in the Foundation’s geographical area. They provide grants for many items including: Mobility aids, wheelchairs, buggies, hoists, trikes, etc.

Muscular Dystrophy UK

The Joseph Patrick Trust (JPT) is the grant giving arm of Muscular Dystrophy UK. Established in 1986, the aim of the JPT is to promote independence and quality of life for people living with muscle-wasting conditions.   Anyone, of any age, who lives with a muscle-wasting condition, can apply for a grant. They provide part-funding towards equipment including: wheelchairs, mobility scooters and assistive technology. 

Aspire

Aspire Grants are available to anyone living in the UK or Ireland with a spinal cord injury. The grants provided assist with the purchase of much needed equipment, giving those with spinal cord injuries the independence most of us take for granted.   Through their Grants Aspire have helped hundreds of people get the equipment they so desperately needed, from assistive technology to powered wheelchairs, power assisted wheels and lightweight wheelchairs. 

Handicapped Children’s Action Trust

The purpose of Handicapped Children’s Action Group is to be there to provide the funding for all types of specialist equipment that will help to give the disabled child independence and mobility. Any representative of a child who has a disability can apply for necessary equipment. However, they are only able to give assistance to children up to the age of 16 years and the family financial circumstances must be such that they are unable to afford to purchase the equipment themselves.   The equipment they provide includes powered and manual wheelchairs up to a maximum value of £8000. 

Independence at Home

Independence at Home may be able to help you if you, or a member of your family, have a long term illness or disability and need financial help towards the cost of equipment, home adaptations or other essential items to improve your independence, comfort, safety and quality of life at home.   The eligible conditions include: spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease and cerebral Palsy (full list here). Grants are available for a full range of mobility equipment, including manual and powered wheelchairs as well as as for daily living.

The ACT Foundation

The ACT Foundation provides funding of up to £2,500 towards the cost of equipment to support individuals to continue living in their own homes. Their aim is to help as many people as possible and to help achieve this they have selected and provide funding to a number of “partner charities”.   Mobility aids, such as wheelchairs are covered by their criteria

SSAFA – The Armed Forces Charity

SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity, exists to relieve need, suffering and distress amongst the Armed Forces, veterans and their families in order to support their independence and dignity.   They have plenty of experience of successfully finding solutions. Whether your mobility problems are caused by getting older or an existing medical condition, their volunteers are trained to help you get the equipment that you need.   This includes electronically powered vehicles or mobility scooters. 

Brittle Bone Society

The Brittle Bone Society is the national charity that supports individuals and families affected by Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI).   Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI) is a genetic bone disorder characterised by fragile bones that break easily. It is also known as brittle bone disease. A person is born with this disorder and is affected throughout his or her lifetime.   They can fund manual and powered wheelchairs, trikes, buggies and other types of equipment.

Hospital Saturday Fund

The Hospital Saturday Fund is a registered charity whose aims are to provide assistance through its charitable funds for:  

• Individuals with a medical condition or disability who would benefit from assistance with the purchase of specialised equipment or from practical forms of treatment
• Registered health charities such as hospitals, hospices, medical organisations who are in need of grants for medical projects, care, research or support of medical training within the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland.

It will give full or partial grants to individuals for specialised mobility equipment (excluding for sporting purposes), wheelchairs, mobility scooters and car adaptations. 

Friends of Huck

 Friends of Huck is a charity founded by the professional motor-cross Mark ‘Huck’ Hucklebridge and his wife, Emma. This incredible charity support sportspeople who experience hardship due to ill health or serious injury.

Southern Spinal Injuries Trust

The Southern Spinal Injuries Trust assists people with spinal cord injury, enabling independence and quality of life. This can mean anything from funding resources for the spinal centre to funding individual needs in respect of specialist equipment or other assistance.   The grants they make are usually in the range £250 to £3,000, and with lower grants usually approved more quickly.

Regain

Regain aims to help British sports tetraplegics lead independent and fulfilling lives. Money is available for potential REGAINERS to help provide them with the specialist equipment they need to enable them to achieve greater independence and improve their quality of life. Applications are limited to those with a sports related spinal cord injury resulting in tetraplegia. The fund is principally for the provision of specialist equipment, though if funds permit, other requests may be considered. 

Newlife

There are now around one million disabled and terminally ill children in the UK. Thousands of them rely on Newlife to get the equipment they need, equipment that has often been refused by the statutory services or the delays in provision mean that the child will suffer unnecessarily. Newlife runs the only fast track equipment services in the UK helping those children in urgent need.

Blesma

Blesma was founded in the aftermath of the First World War. In the hundred years since the Association and its Members have achieved much.   Their mission is to enable limbless veterans to lead independent and fulfilling lives. They are the only national Service charity that supports limbless veterans for the duration of their lives, offering financial and emotional support to them and their families.   They regularly contribute to the provision of wheelchairs, stair lifts, and home and garden adaptations so that Members can remain as mobile and independent as possible. 

Positive Bones

Following her own fundraising efforts, Positive Bones founder Josephine Bridges decided to pay-it-forward by helping to raise funds for other amputees to help them live an active and fulfilling life. Josephine and her team know just how powerful it can be to both mental and physical recovery, when you are able to access equipment that can enable you to live a limitless life after raising funds to buy her own prosthetic leg.