FAQ

We offer donations and small grants for people who are facing the threat of eviction, are at risk of being made redundant, unable to make ends meet after receiving paychecks and social support, and who struggle to buy healthy, nutritious food for themselves and their families.

No. We would never expect applicants to repay a grant.

• You are over the of 18
• You are a UK citizen (living in the UK for more than 2 years continuously)
• You are in need of support for yourself or family members that live with you
• You have an active bank account
• You have access to a computer or laptop and the internet so that you can check on your application status and so The Hope Appeal can be in touch with you.
• You can access a scanner to scan and upload supporting documents (local libraries will have scanners you can use free of charge)
• Evidence of a rental lease, signed by both you and your landlord (for non-homeowners)

It depends on your present circumstances, but many applicants receive anywhere between £50 – £250 for donations and £250 – £500 for grants.

You have to fill out the online application form, and we will respond by letting you know if you qualify for help.

There are no limits to the number of times you can apply for help, but please understand that you can only have one active application open per household at a time.

No. All grants and donations will be paid directly into your bank account.

All applications for grants and donations go through a 4-step process.

Step 1: Processing an application

Once you submit your application and provide all relevant and supporting documentation, our finance team performs ‘due diligence’ on it. When we are confident that the applicant qualifies for help and has been truthful and honest about their circumstances, they then achieve ‘prequalify’ status. The application then goes live on our website for donor review. (Please note that the ‘prequalify status’ does not automatically guarantee that your request for financial assistance will be fulfilled.)

Step 2: Donor Review: 

Donors can browse requests for help. If they see an applicant they would like to donate to, they can do one of two things:

1. Donors can contact The Hope Appeal, letting us know that they would like to donate to ‘Family A’ through the charity.

Or, 

1. Donors can contact The Hope Appeal and request to donate directly to the applicant via bank transfer. 

Step 3: Final Review: 

Applications undergo one final review, and then one of two things can happen:

1. We receive a donation or part of a contribution towards a grant from a kind donor and ensure it reaches the intended applicant through the charity’s website.

Or, 

1. We email the applicant, letting them know that a kind donor wants to give directly via bank transfer. The Hope Appeal will then email the applicant requesting their bank details and ask permission to share these details with them (the donor). Emails between donors and applicants are never exchanged. 

Step 4: Funding and Payment:

When an applicant confirms they have received a donation or grant, that application updates to completed and funded status. We then encourage the applicant to leave a testimonial, thanking donors for their support. 

If you have submitted all the relevant and supporting documents and clicked on the ‘ready to review’ button, the process should take no longer than 14-21 working days. However, during very busy periods when we are inundated with applications, this process could take a little longer.

The Hope Appeal takes the security of your supporting documents very seriously. We ensure supporting documents are encrypted during the upload process and remain on a secure server. We will never ask for your National Insurance number or bank account (except in the case of a donor who would like to donate directly to an applicant via bank transfer) and debit card details. If we request bank statements, you can blank out your account details.

All our employees sign confidentiality agreements and must abide by strict confidentiality rules. Only authorised personnel will review your application and supporting documents.

And finally, we will never share details about you, your household, occupation, and income status with third parties. Any employee caught disclosing or discussing applicants’ forms or documents will face immediate suspension from their post. An investigation will then follow, and if it finds that an employee has breached the confidentiality clause in their contract, it will result in the instant dismissal from their post.

Please make sure you have clicked on the ‘ready to review’ button and uploaded all the supporting documents we have requested. If you have gone through these steps and have still not heard back from us after 21 days, please email us.

Yes. Please make sure you have submitted all supporting documents and filled in the application form, completing all relevant sections. This will ensure that your application is processed within the allotted time frame of 14 – 21 days.

If, however, you find that you are in desperate need of financial assistance, The Hope Appeal may not be able to help you. You may have to approach other organisations for help.

Please email us, and someone will get back to you within 48 hours.

Your pre-qualified application will remain on our website for 60 days. If you have not received the assistance you require within 60 days, please resubmit your application.

Please email us with any questions you may have, and we will do our best to respond to you within 48 hours.