List of benevolent funds

Benevolent funds are charities that can help people during bad times, for example illness or unemployment. Some are regional, but many are aimed at people who work (or have worked) in a particular industry, for example merchant shipping (pictured). Partners and children can usually get help too.

Sometimes you will need to have worked in an industry for a few years to access help. You don’t always need to work in an industry directly. For example, if you are in a call centre for an insurance company, you could try an insurance benevolent fund.

The type and amount of help can vary, but it might include advice, practical help or grants for items like furniture, computers or living costs.

Some benevolent funds help in other ways, such as paying for education or offering coaching or career development. Some even run subsidised nursing homes aimed at elderly people who worked in a particular industry. See the individual websites for more details.

If you are (or were) a member of a professional organisation, this is a good place to look for help because they often have their own funds. There are also lots of specialist military benevolent funds that are not listed here.

Benevolent funds by type

If you can’t find anything that might help you in the list below, the Association of Charitable Organisations offers a searchable list of charities that offer help. Some help people in particular region, others focus on a particular industry, and others help members of professional organisations.

You could also try the Turn2Us website, which has a very useful way to search for grants.

General

• Women on very low incomes: Smallwood Trust or The Royal Society for the Support of Women in Scotland
• Retired people or long-term illness or disability: NatBen or LHH
• Professionals and graduates: Professionals Aid Guild
• Families with a seriously ill or disabled child: Family Fund

Miscellaneous industries

• Construction industry: Lighthouse Club or BC&E Charitable Trust
• Home improvement and garden tradespeople (for example builders, electricians, plumbers or carpenters): Rainy Day Trust
• Engineering: Foothold
• Chemical engineers: Chemical Engineers Benevolent Fund
• Nuclear industry: TNIBF
• Insurance industry: The Insurance Charities
• Sales industry: The Salespeople’s Charity
• Barristers: BBA
• Vets, vet students and nurses: Vetlife
• Architects: Architects Benevolent Society
• Automotive (car and vehicle) industry: Ben
• Formula 1 trackside and factory workers: Grand Prix Trust
• Horseracing (stud, stable and racecourse workers): Racing Welfare
• Banks and banking: Bank Workers Charity
• Stock exchange workers: Stock Exchange Benevolent Fund
• Coal mining: CISWO or Coal Trade Benevolent Association
• Anglican clergy: Clergy Support Trust

Retail & manufacture

• Footwear trade: Footwear Friends
• Retail industry (for example, shop assistants, shop owners or people working in manufacture or distribution): Retail Trust
• Horticulture: Perennial
• Home improvement and garden products manufacture, wholesale or retail. Also tradespeople (for example builders, electricians, plumbers or carpenters): Rainy Day Trust
• Furniture and furnishings: The Furniture Makers’ Company
• People working with wood and timber (eg tree surgeons, furniture makers, boat builders, window makers): TTBS
• Business and stationery supplies: BOSS
• People in giftware, jewellery, surface engineering, travel goods and fashion accessories: BATF Benevolent Society
• Bookselling and book publishing, printing and restoration: The Book Trade Charity

Food, drink & farming

• Grocery industry – from big factories to the small shops: GroceryAid
• Alcoholic drinks industry, including production, sales, distribution and marketing: The Drinks Trust
• Farmers and farm workers: RABI
• Meat industry: Butchers’ and Drovers’ Charitable Institution

Hospitality, catering, pubs

• People who work in pubs or who own pubs: Licensed Trade Charity
• People working in licensed premises: The Drinks Trust
• Workers in Scottish bars, breweries and pubs: Scottish Licensed Trade charity
• For people who make food (for example in care homes) or who work in places that sell food (for example hotels, cafes and sandwich shops): Hospitality Action

Public sector, health & care

• Workers in central government departments – this includes (for example), prison staff, border officials and admin staff: The Charity for Civil Servants.
• Teachers and school workers (including teaching assistants, nursery workers, caretakers and lunch supervisors): Teaching Staff Trust
• Police: there are many police charities, the Police Charities website has a full list.
• Ambulance service: The Ambulance Staff Charity
• Doctors and medical students: Royal Medical Benevolent Fund
• Care workers: The Care Workers Charity
• Dentists: BDA Benevolent Fund
• Nurses, midwives and healthcare assistants: Cavell Nurses’ Trust or Junius S Morgan Benevolent Fund or RCN Foundation
• Optometrists: Optical Benevolent Fund
• Pharmacists and pharmacy students: Pharmacist Support

Creative

• Entertainment industry professionals (including performers, theatre workers and camera operators): The Royal Variety Charity
• Actors and theatre workers: Actors Benevolent Fund or Acting for Others
• Professional musicians: Help Musicians UK
• Dance (professional dancers, teachers and choreographers): Dance Professionals Fund
• Film and TV: The Film & Television Charity
• Journalists: Journalists’ Charity
• Writers and authors: Royal Literary Fund
• Artists: The Eaton Fund or the AGBI

Communications

• Advertising and media: NABS
• For people working in UK-based market research: Market Research Benevolent Association
• Publishing, packaging and graphic arts: the Printing Charity
• Newspaper and magazine distribution: Newstraid
• Past and present workers at BT (& GPO): The BT Benevolent Fund

Transport & travel

• Public transport: The Transport Benevolent Fund
• Travel sector workers: ABTA Lifeline
• Caravan industry: NCC Benevolent Fund
• Road Haulage Association members: RHA Benevolent Fund
• People working in railway stations and on the railways: Railway Benefit Fund

Fishing & marine

• Merchant seafarers and fishermen: Shipwrecked Mariners’ Society or Merchant Navy Welfare Board
• Seafarers of all types: The Royal Alfred
• Marine industry: Institute of Marine Science and Technology Guild of Benevolence