Guidance Notes 

The 3H Foundation awards grants to people with disabilities and carers, on low income and in receipt of a means tested benefit, to help them to organise a break for themselves in the UK.

The grant programme is funded by the generous donations of charitable trusts, businesses, and individuals.  A lot of funding we receive is for specific geographical areas.  If we are unable to help you because we do not have the funding for your area, we suggest you check the grants page our website for updates on available funding or you can telephone the office on 01892 860207.

  • Grants are generally awarded of between £250 & £550, depending on the number of guests attending.
  • Funds are restricted and grants are awarded at the discretion of the Trustees.

YOU CAN APPLY IF YOU ANSWER YES TO ALL OF THE FOLLOWING

  • You are mentally or physically disabled (there is no age restriction).
  • You have lived in the UK for 6 months or more.
  • You have a total household income of £35,000 or less and in receipt of a means tested benefit. This includes the income of ALL persons in the household.
  • You are in receipt of DLA/PIP

HOW TO APPLY

Complete the on-line application form, ensuring all questions are fully completed.  Alternatively, a hard copy can be printed from our website.

AFTER YOU HAVE APPLIED

  • If you meet our criteria and we have funding available, you will be contacted by us within 4 weeks of applying. (Times can vary considerably depending upon the volume of applications we are dealing with).  At this stage we will require evidence of your disability and ALL household income, * see below.  This will need to be received by the date given in your email, otherwise your application will be cancelled. If you have a problem meeting the deadline, please let us know. Once all the requested evidence has been received and assessed, we will contact you with our decision. This can take up to 4 weeks.
  • If you are awarded a grant, please let us know that you wish to accept it. Grants promised may be accepted by telephone, email, or letter.
  • You are then able to arrange your holiday. Please note that we do not book holidays on behalf of applicants.  When you know the payment details, please let us know.
  • It is the responsibility of the applicant to remind us when payment becomes due. Please note that payment is made direct to the holiday company by bank transfer.  We cannot issue payments direct to the applicant. (For private rentals please provide evidence of ownership.)
  • Grants are for the accommodation part of a holiday only.
  • Please ensure you read our Terms and Conditions section below. 

CRITERIA

To ensure we have a fair and unbiased decision and selection making process the following criteria is assessed for all grant enquiries:

  1. Funding – 3H often receives funding for specific regions, age, or disability, we first need to determine if we have funding available for the applicant.
  2. When the last holiday was taken Priority 1 – No holiday, Priority 2 – No holiday in last 10 years Priority 3 – No holiday in last 5 years Priority 4 – No holiday in last 2 years.
  3. Number of family members who have a disability: Priority 1 – multiple members with a disability, Priority 2 – one member of the family with a disability.
  4. Grants will only be awarded to household close family members and a carer attending the holiday. Friends, or those outside the household, who will be joining the family on the holiday, should not be included on the grant application form.

EVIDENCE

Disability – this should be a letter from a professional outside of the family, eg GP, Health Worker, Social Worker, Hospital etc.  It must state your name and disability.  Alternatively, we can accept a copy of your GP patient notes. DLA/PIP will not be accepted as this doesn’t state the disability.

Low Income – Income Support, Child Tax Credits, Working Tax Credits, ESA, Universal Credit, Pension Credit, Income Based Jobseeker’s Allowance, PIP/DLA.

n.b we require evidence of all DLA/PIP payments received in the household but will only take the highest payment as part of our income calculations.

Bank Statement – 1 month’s bank statements will be required.  These must be recent copies (dated within last 4 months) and clearly show account holder’s name and address.

Without ALL the required evidence your application may not be progressed

 

Terms and Conditions

 

  • Help from The 3H Foundation is discretionary and subject to funding. There is no entitlement to a grant and all cases are assessed on an individual basis.
  • If you are successful in being offered a grant you will be given a unique grant reference number. Please make a note of this number and quote it in all future correspondence with us.  In the meantime, please use applicant’s surname to identify your application.
  • Applications may be made by the disabled person, by a member of their family or by a referring agency (permission from the applicant required).
  • If the supporting evidence is not returned by the date given your application will be cancelled.
  • There is no guarantee that your application will be successful, therefore, holidays should not be booked until you have received a grant offer in writing from us.
  • Grants must be accepted by telephone, email or letter by the date given on your offer confirmation otherwise the grant may be withdrawn.
  • Holidays must be taken in the year the grant is awarded. Please check the deadline in your offer letter.
  • Please note that The 3H Foundation does not book holidays, under any circumstances, on behalf of applicants.
  • If you are booking online, please be aware that we cannot refund any payments made by yourself. This being a deposit or full payment.  We can only make payments via bank transfer direct to the venue.  Therefore, it is advisable to contact the holiday company by telephone to explain this before booking.
  • Please do not book your holiday via an on-line agent such as booking.com or tripadvisor.com as this causes problems as they do not accept bank transfers. If you are unsure, please contact the office to discuss.
  • It is the responsibility of the applicant to remind us when payment becomes due. Payment is made direct to the holiday company by bank transfer. We cannot issue payments direct to the applicants.  For private rentals please provide evidence of ownership.  We will not issue payments to individuals without it.
  • Please note that only one grant may be awarded to an individual/family within a grant programme year. If you are awarded a grant, you will not be eligible to apply again until two years have lapsed.
  • Holidays must be taken in the United Kingdom only (this does not include the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man or Eire).
  • The 3H Foundation may require that you agree to be bound by additional terms and conditions before specific grants are made.
  • The information you have provided to The 3H Foundation must accurate and not misleading. If, not, this may lead to the grant being withdrawn.
  • By accepting a grant, you agree to complete a Post Holiday Questionnaire which can be found on our website.