Women's Resilience Fund

The Smallwood Trust is a UK based charity which helps women to overcome financial difficulties and improve their social and emotional well-being.

Their Women's Resilience Fund provides grants and support for women on low incomes who have specific needs and are struggling to make ends meet or trying to overcome financial problems. This can be in the form of a little bit of extra cash and a guiding hand through a tough situation.

More information can be found in the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on their website.
 

Eligibility criteria

To be eligible for the grant, please first check that you meet the following criteria:

• Aged 18 or above
• Live alone or only with dependent children
• Have the right to reside and are living in the UK
• Not cohabiting or living with another adult
• In receipt of all benefits entitled to (including migrating onto Universal Credit) or have an income below the Minimum Income Standard
• Have savings under £4,000
• Able to provide evidence of debt less than £10,000 (if you have high levels of debt, they may signpost you to specialist debt advice)
• Able to provide evidence/documentation of your current financial need
   

Situations covered by the grant

The typical situations where the Smallwood Trust may be able to award funding include:

• Living on a low income which does not cover basic living needs
• Reduced income due to redundancy
• Reduction in working hours
• Fluctuating income (zero hours contact)
• Travel to work costs
• Interview clothes
• Childcare costs
• Fleeing domestic abuse
• Support towards rent or council tax arrears
• Migration from employment to benefits due to ill health
• Unexpected occurrence which has caused unplanned expense
   

How to apply

To learn more about the grant, please click on the following link:

https://www.smallwoodtrust.org.uk/flexible-response-fund

If you are unsure about your eligibility, have additional questions or need help please call the Smallwood Trust helpline on the following number:  0300 365 1886