When money’s tight what do you do?

Unexpected and unavoidable costs can send anyone’s household budget into a spin. For lots of families this can make day to day life really challenging. When money’s tight, what do you do? Get out the credit card? Borrow from a friend? What about asking a charity instead?

For many families working in UK fashion and textiles, the Fashion & Textile Children’s Trust (FTCT) provides practical help during a tight financial spot.

From buying school uniform for a child’s first day at school, to providing specialist equipment for a teenager with disabilities, FTCT grants can help parents and carers just like you.

In most cases an FTCT grant of £250 can be turned around in 14 days, once all the correct documents have been received. Check if you are eligible here>

To make the process run smoothly, it’s really helpful if you can have all the paperwork to hand. Check what info we will need, here>

What if we can’t help your family?

If you haven’t worked in the fashion and textiles industry, don’t worry, there are other organisations out there who might be able to. Here are some websites you could try.

  • The Turn2us website has a free Grants Search tool that lets you look for grants based on your circumstances and needs.

Just put in your postcode and age for a full list, and then narrow down your results by the type of help you need.

Go to the Grant Search tool on the Turn2us website

  • Family Fund is a charity which offers support and funding advice specifically for families with severely disabled children.
  • The Educational Trust Forum (ETF) is a group of trusts who can support with educational needs.


Check your entitlements *

It’s helpful to check you are receiving all the state benefits, local authority support and other help you are legally entitled to. Some charities will ask you to do this, before approaching them for a grant.

If you’re not sure where to start, the Money Advice Service has info on all the benefits available and who they apply to.

It might also be helpful to use an independent benefits calculator to check:

  • what benefits you could get
  • how to claim
  • how your benefits will be affected if you start work

The following calculators are free to use and anonymous. *

Turn2us – for information on income-related benefits, tax credits, Council Tax Reduction, Carer’s Allowance, Universal Credit and how your benefits will be affected if you start work or change your working hours

entitledto – for information on income-related benefits, tax credits, contribution-based benefits, Council Tax Reduction, Carer’s Allowance, Universal Credit and how your benefits will be affected if you start work.

*source- https://www.gov.uk/benefits-calculators


Tackle your debt

Worried about your overdraft? Don’t want to look at your bills? If you feel like your debt is getting worse rather than better, it’s time to get some advice. There’s lots of free, confidential help and advice services available across the UK, most with phone-lines open late in the evening and at weekends.


If you are still unsure of whether you could apply for an FTCT grant or would like to talk through your options, please just give us a call.

We are a small and friendly team, so you won’t need to explain your situation a hundreds of times to different people.

To chat about your options, call Dora on 0300-123-9002 or fill in our online contact form>

Related articles:

What is a grant?
Who can apply?
Families we have helped

DISCLAIMER: The Information in the post is provided for information purposes only. The Information is not intended to be and does not constitute financial advice or any other advice, is general in nature and not specific to you. Before using the provided information, you should seek the advice of the charity/service provider and undertake your own due diligence. None of the information on our Site is intended as a recommendation, endorsement, or sponsorship of any charity, service or fund.
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