Grants aren't just for students; there's money to do up your home, become more environmental or start a business. Unfortunately lots of grants available in the UK go unclaimed but there’s a lot of free cash out there if you know where to look.

What is a grant?
A grant is money, or a voucher, that contributes towards the cost of you buying something. Although it may not cover the full cost of the item, meaning you’ll have to cough up the rest yourself, it is almost always completely free. Grants are usually offered to encourage people to do or buy something they wouldn’t normally consider..

Home improvement grants
Grants are available to help you improve your home and save you money in the long term.
Get environmental: Energy Saving Trust grant finder
This is one of the main areas to grab cash at the moment as we are encouraged to try and reduce our impact on the environment. Installing energy-saving heating and insulation will make your house warmer and save you money; an average saving of up to £200 per year can be made.
The Government, energy suppliers and local authorities all provide grants to help you implement energy saving measures. The best place to start is the Government's Energy Saving Trust (EST) which lists most of these grants in one place. Everyone should try this!
For example, one of the main schemes in England is called Warm Front, which gives up to £3,500 to homeowners or those who rent from a private landlord and receive certain benefits. You can find out if you are eligible on the Warm Front website or by calling free on 0800 316 2805.
Other home energy grants are available, such as the Heat Project from Enact Energy which provides grants for loft and cavity wall insulation to all homeowners and private tenants, and people on an income or disability related benefit can have these insulation measures installed for free.
Big savings are also available by ensuring you’re using the cheapest energy supplier so read the Gas & Electricity cost cutting article too.

Improve your home
If you are elderly, disabled or on a low income your local Home Improvement Agency (HIA) may help you to repair, improve, maintain or adapt your home. There are around 300 not for profit, locally based HIAs around the country, that can help in varying ways. Assistance can include putting together flat pack furniture or looking after your garden. Search for your nearest on the Foundations website.
Alternatively the grant search from independent charity Turn2us helps you check for any charities that might be able to help with things like furniture, decorating or bills and household expenses. The grants usually depend on an individual's circumstances, maybe any illnesses or their nationality, occupation, age or income.

Feel safer in your home
Help the Aged run a free home support scheme for those over 60 with less than £20,000 in savings, to help people feel safer in their homes. This can include installing security equipment, changing locks on doors and windows, and fitting smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors.
The scheme is called Handy Van and runs in 35 areas around the UK. To see if it can help call 0845 026 1055, send an mail or complete the online form.

If you’re disabled
A Disabled Facilities Grant is available from your local council to help towards the cost of adapting your home if you, or someone living in your property, is disabled. The grant is for work that is essential to help a disabled person live an independent life.
Contact the council’s housing or environmental health department and ask them to send you an application form before you start work - if work begins before the council's approved your application you won't normally get anything.
To find your local council’s details enter your postcode in the DirectGov website.

Help with utility arrears
As well as grants to make your home more energy efficient some utility companies also offer them to help if you have large arrears on your gas, electricity or water bills. You'll need to be a customer of the company so if yours is not listed contact it to see if it has a similar scheme.
Gas & Electricity: Schemes are offered by British Gas Energy Trust, EDF Energy Trust, Npower First Step
Water: The Water UK website has info on all the water company schemes.

Local council grants
There may also be other grants for your home available from your local council. As councils can offer different funding, search for details on its website or contact them to ask for more information. To find your local council’s details enter your postcode in the DirectGov website.

Grants for education
Whether you’re a teenager looking to continue in full time education or an adult wanting to change careers or help with childcare costs there may be a grant to help you fund your learning.

Free Laptop & Web Access - Home Access PC/Internet Grant
The government's made a grant of up to £528 available for low income families with children living in England; it's targeted at those without access to the internet.
Depending on your need you can get up to £528 to spend on a computer (laptop, desktop, netbook and one year’s web access). Yet you cannot go anywhere, it's only retailers that operate the scheme, though these include mainstream providers such as Comet, Phones4u and Misco.

Who is eligible?
You need children in years 3 to 9. This will normally mean ages 7 to 14.
It’s for families with lower incomes. There are a number of tests for this, generally speaking if your child qualifies for free school meals or you receive income support, income-based JSA, child tax credit plus an income lower than £16,040, it's worth checking out.
While the scheme is targeted at those who either don’t have a computer or don’t have web access, there are only limited checks done on that, though it is important people don’t abuse the system.
How many people can get it?
The scheme is due to run for the next 18 months but there is a maximum of 270,000 grants available, one per household. There are currently no plans to extend it across the rest of the UK.
How to apply?
Call 0333 200 1004 or check details at Home Access.

Please spread the word
By definition many of the people who are eligible for this grant won’t be online reading this (though you may be reading with work access), so please help spread the word.

Loans and Grants Most UK higher education students are eligible for a student loan at the rate of inflation. This is the cheapest possible form of long term borrowing. Plus grants are available too.
Also, if you want to study part of your degree in one of 30 participating European countries, grants are available from the British Council as part of the Erasmus scheme.

Finding funding and scholarships
There's a nifty database of bursary, scholarship and award funding students can search on the Scholarship Search site. You'd be surprised what's available, some are very specific eg aimed at students according to religion, location, parental occupation and many more.
The Educational Grants Advisory Service offers students, especially disadvantaged students, guidance and advice to enable them to secure funding for education and training. Its site, part of Family Action, has a searchable database of around 1,200 educational trust funds.

Over 16 and want to continue learning?
The Government's Education Maintenance Allowance entitles students aged 16 to 19 from households with an income of less than £32,300 who stay on at school or college, to payments of up to £30 per week as well as periodic bonuses which could total up to £500 throughout their study.
For the over 19s in England the Adult Learner Grant (or Assembly Learning Grant in Wales) is aimed at helping those who haven't entered further education before and now want to get qualifications to improve their career paths.

Scottish or Welsh learners
If you live in Scotland and earn less than £22,000 a year you could get some funding from ILA Scotland.
Two options are available: £200 towards the cost of learning something new at any approved learning provider, including learning centres, local colleges, universities and private training companies; or £500 towards a part time HNC, HND or degree.
In Wales you could get funding to learn new, update old or build on current skills. If you're on income related benefits you'll get to to £200 or those in work with qualifications up to GCSE level could get £100. For more info see the ILA Wales site.

Maths and English Skills
If you’ve ever wanted to improve your Maths and English skills, virtually every college in the country offers free courses to help you from basic literacy and numeracy up to GCSE level. Try this online quiz from Move on to see if you could improve your skills and get a free cd explaining what it's about from the Get on website.

Local council grants
There may also be grants to advance your education available from your local council. As councils can offer different funding, search for details on its website or contact them to ask for more information. To find your local council’s details enter your postcode in the DirectGov website.

Grants to help you pay for things Here are a few more ways to help with costs or increase your income:

Earn under £66,000? You may be entitled to benefits.
The benefits net spreads much wider than you think and families with income under £66,000 may be eligible.
Once you are entitled to certain benefits (usually Income Support, Income Based Job Seekers Allowance or Pension Credit) this can lead to other grants, although the pot of money is sometimes limited. Get more info on these grants from your local job centre or benefits office.
Maternity Grant: to help buy clothes and equipment for a new born baby.
Cold Weather Payments: to help with gas and electricity costs during cold weather. Cold Weather Payments are different from Winter Fuel Payments which are made every winter to people over 60 regardless of the temperature.
Community Care Grant: to help pay for certain items or expenses that you cannot afford to pay out of your normal income or ease exceptional pressure on you or your family.
School Clothing Grant (and free school meals): most local councils help with the cost of school clothing and footwear if you have an income of less than £15,575. Check for details of your local council: Local council finder.
Mobility Grants: if you are disabled and need a car to get around the Mobility Scheme from Motability may be able to give financial help for driving lessons or to replace or adapt your car.

Finding financial assistance
Hundreds of small charities give grants to individuals, from one off sums to help with things like furniture, decorating or ways to improve quality of life (eg holidays or training) to regular amounts to help cover bills and household expenses. The grants usually depend on an individual's circumstances, maybe any illnesses they have or their nationality, occupation, age or income.
Turn2us, an independent charity, has an easy to use grant search which tells you how to contact any suitable charities directly or you can register for a free account to send online enquiries and applications to charities through the site.

Over 25 weeks pregnant?
If you're over 25 weeks pregnant you're automatically eligible for the £190 Health in Pregnancy Grant if you have been given health advice from a midwife or doctor. The grant isn't means-tested and comes in addition to any benefits or tax credits you get, including the Sure Start Maternity Grant, so if you're eligible make sure you apply.

Over 16 and need support to develop a talent?
British Airways has a £500,000 pot of money to help anyone aged over 16 (individuals or groups) develop their talent in sport, music, fashion, performing arts, art and design, innovation, or community based projects by paying for flights to travel the world until 2012.
Once you've applied, your request will be added to the Great Britons website and every 2 months an independent panel of judges will select the 8 strongest entries. Your friends, family and the general public then vote for the winner.

Low income or on benefits?
Family Action, a charity that supports families, has small grants of around £100 to £300 avialable for families and individuals that meet one of it's priority areas (mental health, domestic abuse, refugees and asylum seekers, sickness/disability, over 60 or aged 19 to 25). It only takes applications in Mar, Jun, Set and Dec.
Grants can help with general household costs (such as clothing, beds, electric items) and medical equipments. It also has a 'Holidays for women living in Greater London' scheme but this must be made via a referring agency or other relevant professional.
Read more about the welfare grants on the Family Action website.

Claiming Job Seekers Allowance?
Each Job Centre Plus around the UK has a little-known 'Advisor Discretion Fund' which can provide jobseekers with a grant of up to £300 in any 12-month period, to help cover the costs of transport, childcare, work clothes, tools and more (during the job search or to enable an offer of employment to be accepted) if an advisor believes it'll make the transition back into work easier.
The cash can be requested for any reasonable expense yet no one has a right to the money and it’s completely at the discretion of each JCP advisor.
Previously the grants have only been available to people who have been unemployed for six months or more; but now everyone claiming Job Seekers Allowance, or on one of the New Deal schemes, is eligible from day one. For 2009/10 over £23 million has been set aside to cover the fund so if you think it’ll help you, speak to an advisor at your local Job Centre Plus.

Have children in childcare?
The little-known childcare voucher scheme allows you to pay childcare (for children up to the age of fifteen) from your pre-tax income which can save you £1,000s on nursery fees or child minder costs every year.

Want to work in the arts?
If you want to work as an artist the Arts Council gives National Lottery grants throughout the year to help artists carry out their work, including writers, presenters and producers. If you are more musically minded Making Music aims to help young professional musicians at the beginning of their careers by giving bursaries and prizes in both the voluntary and professional sector.

Grants for small businesses & charities
Grants for organisations are available if you look around, although there are often conditions attached to the money. For example, you may need to contribute to the grant with your own money and it may only cover certain costs or depend on your location or the type of business. Funders will also probably want to see a business plan so prepare this in advance to make the application process quicker.

Free courses for your employees
As part of the government funded Train to Gain programme, employers in England of all sizes and in all sectors can get free or subsidised training courses for their employees. Companies are given a training package tailored to their business, with free courses tending to be for literacy and numeracy, yet apprenticeship and leadership and management skills are also available. Similar programmes are available in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland.

EDF Small Grants Programme
EDF Energy Trust is giving grants up to £3,000 to voluntary and/or ‘not for profit’ groups that provide money advice to assist in the provision of 'energy debt' advice in areas where many customers are supplied by EDF Energy. Deadline for applications is midday on 29 Jan 2010. Find out more on the EDF Energy Trust website.
The grant can be used to pay for capital items or staff training but not staff salaries or overhead costs. You will also need to send one or two advice workers to a seminar at EDF head office in Peterborough (travel will be paid) on how to apply to the Trust’s individuals and families programme.

Business Link
The Business Link service is part of a campaign by the Government to encourage business start-up in the UK. Its Grants and Support Directory lets you search for start-up or business development help. You can search for financial assistance, advice or practical involvement with projects.

Awards for all
The National Lottery gives grants of between £300 and £10,000 (depending on where you live) to help people take part in art, sport, heritage and community activities.

Finding Funding
Four free websites, Grantsnet, Grantnet, j4bgrants and Grantsonline (seven day free trial followed by subscription cost from £25) all give information on funding schemes in the UK for small businesses, community groups or voluntary organisations.
Governmentfunding has a searchable database of government grants for the voluntary and community sector, with downloadable application forms and guidance documents.
Funder Finder is a small UK charity that gives information on how and where to look for funding for individuals, community groups or voluntary organisations.

Local council grants
There may also be grants to help your organisation available from your local council. As councils can offer different funding, search for details on its website or contact them to ask for more information. To find your local council’s details enter your postcode in the DirectGov website.

Green grants for local community groups
Grants of up to £50 (England, Wales, Northern Ireland) and £250 (Scotland) are available from Action Earth to community groups wanting to run small environmental projects each July. Projects can be things such as repairing a pathway, collecting rubbish, planting trees or something else. The outcome can have an immediate or lasting benefit to the environment but it needs to involve volunteers.

www.volresource.org.uk - very good general website for voluntary sector which also has a useful email to keep up with trends and polices, plus lots of links to funding

www.ncvo-vol.org.uk/askncvo/ - they are keen on sustainable funding i.e. trading and generating income so look at their subsites

www.financehub.org.uk/default.aspa - site funded by government which collates lots of useful resources on funding and finance for groups. All this is personal opinion based on 10 years' of working with groups in London.

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