School Essentials
Grants
Our School Essentials grants are available to assist with:
- School clothing and footwear
- School equipment
- School activities
- School trips
The value of an award is £250 (UK) or €300 (Ireland) per school-age child (primary, secondary, FE or sixth-form college).
Who can apply
Awards are available to current and former insurance people in the UK, Ireland, and the Channel Islands who receive means-tested benefits and have children at primary/secondary school, FE or sixth form college.
Examples of means-tested benefits include:
- Universal Credit (UK)
- Council Tax Support (UK)
- Job Seekers’ Allowance (Ireland)
- One-Parent Family Payment (Ireland)
- Income Support (Channel Islands)
It doesn’t matter what role someone has had in the insurance industry or their length of service.
You can be a first-time applicant to The Insurance Charity, or a current/previous beneficiary of support from us to apply for this grant programme. Families with more than one child can make a single application for multiple children.
Further details
You don’t need to have experienced misfortune (such as redundancy) to apply, unlike our standard financial grants.
The Charity will pay awards directly into an applicant’s bank account, once approved.
If this is your first time applying to The Insurance Charity, when we receive your application, we will ask you to send us some further information to confirm your insurance service, the ages of your children, and your means-tested benefits.
If you have received support from The Insurance Charity before, when we receive your School Essential Grant application, we will let you know what additional information we need, if any.
Applications will be handled in confidence, as with all support provided by the Charity.
The closing date for 2026 applications is Wednesday, 30 September.
Find out more about the full range of financial support and practical guidance we can offer.
Share this opportunity
If you would like to share the details of this new grants programme with your insurance contacts, you can download the flyer.