To be eligible, children must be living with one of the specific conditions of the blood or brain that we support - and the family must be on a low income (see our application form for more details).

A grant (£500 maximum) can be used in many different ways. Examples include:

• Contribution towards the cost of very expensive pieces of equipment such as a new wheelchair or power packs for an existing wheelchair

• Fibre optic sensory toys for severely disabled children

• White goods such as cookers or extra capacity washing machines or tumble dryers

• Utility bills such as gas, electric, telephone or heating oil costs

• Travel and subsistence payments.

Our experience shows that awarding grants towards utility bills will give peace of mind to parents when there is a need to have the heating on all day to keep their child in a constant temperature.

Help with a telephone bill will ensure there is a constant line of contact with the medical profession when caring for a sick child at home. If a child is incontinent there is a need to do a daily wash and sometimes large articles such as duvets and blankets must be washed continually. The provision of an extra capacity washing machine is a must, alleviating the need to make trips to a launderette.

In some cases, when a child is in hospital far away from the family home and there are other children at home, many families have their income disrupted and parents must split themselves between hospital and home; it is some comfort that we can provide money to help with travel costs and the cost of living at a hospital.

Severely disabled children often have access to a stimulating sensory environment and equipment when they attend school, respite care or day care but very few have these facilities at home. Our funding can help recreate these sensory environments at home, giving the child and parents much pleasure together.

Click here for our grant application guidelines

Click here for more details about applying for a grant