Holiday Grant Criteria, Terms and Conditions and Guidance

CRITERIA

To ensure a fair and unbiased decision is made in the selection process, all grants are assessed on the following criteria:
Income – The grant is intended to provide a break or respite for families or individual experiencing financial hardship. Therefore, you must be in receipt of a means tested benefit, e.g. Universal Credit or Pension Credit. Although this alone does not guarantee eligibility.

(We assess applications based on financial need, caring responsibilities, limited disposable income and overall circumstances to ensure that support is directed to those in greatest need.)

Funding – 3H often receives funding targeted to specific regions, age groups or disabilities, we first need to determine whether suitable funding is available for the applicant.

When the last holiday was taken – If funding is limited, priority will be given to those applicants who have not had a holiday for many years.

Number of family members with a disability:
• Priority 1: Families with multiple members who have a disability
• Priority 2: Families with one member who has a disability

Holiday recipients – Grants will only be awarded to members of the immediate household and where necessary, a carer accompanying them on holiday. Friends, or those outside the household, who plan to join the family on holiday, should not be included on the grant application.

YOU CAN APPLY IF YOU ANSWER YES TO ALL OF THE FOLLOWING
• You have been diagnosed with a mental, physical, or learning disability or a life limiting illness. (There is
no age restriction).
• You are in receipt of a means tested benefit and have no additional income other than that declared for
the purposes of the benefit calculation.
• You have been living in the UK for 6 months or more.
• You have not taken or already booked a holiday or break in the year of application.
• You are currently receiving Disability Living Allowance (DLA) or Personal Independence Payment (PIP).

EVIDENCE
If your application meets the required criteria, we will request evidence to confirm this:
Disability – This must be provided in the form of a letter from a medical professional, who is not a family member, e.g. GP, Health Worker, Social Worker or Hospital Consultant. This letter must be dated within 12 months and include your name, address and disability. Alternatively, we can accept a copy of your
GP patient notes if it clearly confirms your disability, name and address. DLA/PIP will not be accepted as this does not specify the nature of your disability.
Low Income – All statements from your current benefits, e.g. Universal Credit, Pension Credit, Carers Allowance, Housing and DLA/PIP.
Bank Statement – 1 month’s bank statements for all accounts held by all adults living in the household will be required. These must be recent copies (dated within last 3 months) and clearly show account holder’s name and address.

Please ensure that ALL the evidence requested by 3H is provided. Unfortunately, we are unable
to progress applications without the required documentation and any applications missing information by the stated deadline will be automatically declined.

If your bank statements show a large number of incoming payments where it is unclear what counts as regular income, we may be unable to process your application. We can only assess statements where deposits and sources of income are straightforward and clearly identifiable.

Holiday Grant Criteria, Terms and Conditions and Guidance

Any evidence of holiday-related transactions on your bank statement – such as payments for hotels, flights, currency exchange, or foreign transactions – will result in your application being cancelled. If these payments were on behalf of someone else you will be asked to provide evidence of this.

GUIDANCE NOTES

The grant programme is funded by the generous donations from charitable trusts, businesses, and individuals.
The majority of the 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 on our website for updates on
available funding, follow us on social media or telephone the office on 01892 860207.
• Grants are 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.

HOW TO APPLY

Complete the on-line application form, ensuring all questions are fully completed, incomplete forms will be
declined without prior notification. Alternatively, a hard copy can be printed from our website or requested by
emailing 3hgrants@the3hfoundation.org.uk.
The grants team is unable to provide individual assistance with completing the application form. Applicants who
require help are advised to seek support from a family member, carer or Citizens Advice.
Where a single parent wishes to include the child or children’s other parent, who resides at a different address,
the other parent’s income must also be declared and verified as part of the application process.

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. Please do not contact us before this time. (Times can vary depending upon the volume of
applications we are dealing with). At this stage we will assign you a grant number which must be used in
all communication. We will then require evidence of your disability and ALL household income, * see
above. 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 this deadline, please let us know before this date. 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 by the date given.
• You can then arrange your holiday. Please note that we do not book holidays on behalf of applicants.
When you have the booking confirmation, please forward this to 3H by email, these details cannot be
taken over the phone. The information required before we can make payment is stated in your offer letter.
• All family grant bookings must include the named applicant as part of the travelling party, Where the
number of household members is fewer than for whom the grant was awarded, the grant amount will be
adjusted accordingly.
• 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 are unable to pay for
website bookings or credit card payments. 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.

Terms and Conditions

1. Please take the time to read these Terms and Conditions and our Privacy Policy carefully before
submitting your application, as they form part of your agreement with us. This also includes the
information on our website and any other communications you receive from us about your application.
These Terms and Conditions apply to the application you make, and by submitting it, you are confirming
that you understand and accept them.
2. 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.
3. Where an applicant relies primarily on cash withdrawals and is unable to provide a reasonable breakdown of essential living costs, the charity may be unable to complete a financial assessment and reserves the right to decline the application.
4. Applications may be made by a carer, family member or by a referring agency (permission from the
applicant, will be required in writing).
5. All stages of the grant process are subject to deadlines – if these deadlines are not met your application
will be cancelled.
6. There is no guarantee that your application will be successful, or funding still available, therefore,
holidays should not be booked until you have received a grant offer in writing from us.
7. Holidays must be taken in the year the grant is awarded.
8. Please book your holiday and email the payment information/invoice by the deadline in your offer letter.
9. Please note that The 3H Foundation does not book holidays under any circumstances, on behalf of
applicants.
10. Do not make bookings online, as we are unable to refund any payments made by yourself. This being a
deposit or full payment.
11. 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 payment method before booking.
12. We do not have the facility to pay by credit card.
13. Please do not book your holiday via an on-line agent such as Airbnb.co.uk, booking.com, or
tripadvisor.com as we are unable to pay them because they do not accept bank transfers. If you are
unsure, please contact the office to discuss.
14. It is the responsibility of the applicant to remind us of when payment becomes due. Payment is
made direct to the holiday company by bank transfer (BACS). 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.
15. It is the responsibility of the applicant to pay the balance if the holiday is over the amount that has been
awarded to you.
16. We do not accept any responsibility for the services or actions of the accommodation providers in
connection with the holiday.
17. If you are unable to attend your holiday due to unforeseen circumstances, please notify the holiday
company immediately. They may be able to transfer your holiday to another date. Any fees or charges
incurred will be your responsibility. Please then let us know.
18. Please note that only one grant may be awarded to a household within a grant programme year. If you
are awarded a grant, you will not be eligible to apply again until two complete years have lapsed, i.e.
grant awarded in 2026, you can reapply in 2029.
19. Holidays must be taken in the United Kingdom only (this does not include the Channel Islands, the Isle
of Man or Eire).
20. If you or the family wish to complain about the accommodation or service received while on the holiday,
then you or the family must complain directly to the provider of the accommodation, in line with their
complaint’s procedures. The providers individual complaints procedures can be found on their website.
21. The 3H Foundation may require that you agree to be bound by additional terms and conditions before
specific grants are made.
22. If any false or misleading information is provided, or vital details are not disclosed, your application will
be cancelled, and you may be prevented from applying for future grants.
23. By accepting a grant, you agree to complete a Post Holiday Questionnaire which can be found on our
website.

The 3H Foundation, B2 Speldhurst Business Park, Langton Road, Speldhurst, Kent. TN3 0AQ
Tel. 01892 860207
3hgrants@the3hfoundation.org.uk
www.the3hfoundation.org.uk