UNISON’s 2025 School Uniform Grant Programme will open for 24 hours from 12 noon on Wednesday 28 May 2025.
UNISON’s charity, There for You, is offering help for members on a low income with a one-off, non-repayable grant of £75 per school-aged child which will be paid in the form of a voucher.
Applications will be made online. The grant will be open for 24 hours from 12 noon on Wednesday 28 May 2025 and close at 12 noon on 29 May 2025. You will not be able to apply before this time.
Apply here from 12 noon on 28 May
We anticipate high demand for these grants. Please ensure you read the below information to check if you are eligible for the grant, as well as for further information about what information you will need to hand to apply.
If you are unable to complete the application online due to an accessibility need, please contact UNISON on 28 May 2024, either by email: sug@unison.co.uk or by calling UNISONdirect on 0800 0 857 857.
Am I eligible to apply?
Applicants must:
- Be a UNISON member and have paid at least four weeks’ subscriptions as of 28 May 2025. Subscriptions must be up to date.
- Not have received a grant from UNISON Welfare since 28 November 2024, excluding the Winter Essentials Grant or the Step into Spring Grant.
- Be financially responsible for school-aged child(ren) and receiving Child Benefit for them**. By school-aged, we mean children aged between 4 and 17 years old, who will be returning to school in the autumn.
And EITHER:
Be on a low income, meaning a net household income* of no more than £26,413/year (£2,201.08/month).
OR:
Be in receipt of means-tested benefits. This includes:
- Universal Credit
- Housing Benefit
- Child and/or Working Tax Credits
- Pension Credit
- Means-tested Jobseekers Allowance
- Means-tested Employment Support Allowance
- Income Support
* Net household income includes your monthly take-home pay from work (plus your partner’s, if you have one), any income from child maintenance payments, any income from student finance loans or bursaries, pensions (excluding Pension Credit) and any income from people living with you (e.g. adult children or lodgers).
** Where members either have no recourse to public funds and their household income is above £26,413/year or have no recourse to public funds and don’t receive Child Benefit; an assessment will be undertaken to see whether they would be eligible for benefits if they did have recourse to public funds.
How do I apply?
All applications should be made online. Make sure you have your membership number to hand. Eligible members will be chosen at random from the applicant pool and contacted to submit supporting documents. Due to limited funds and in anticipation of high demand, we regret that we will not be able to help all members who apply.
What if I don’t know my UNISON membership number?
We cannot accept applications without a membership number. This can often be found at the bottom of any emails you have received from UNISON. Alternatively, please contact UNISONdirect on 0800 0 857 857.
How will you contact me?
Acknowledgement
Successful online submissions will receive an automated message confirming your application has been received. If this doesn’t show in your ‘inbox’, please check your ‘junk/spam’ folders.
Processing time
We will require further evidence to support your application, and we will be in touch via email to request this within a week of your initial application.
You should not expect to receive an immediate decision. It could take up to 12 weeks before your application will be completed. Please do not send chasing emails as we will be unable to respond.
If I have recently received a grant, can I apply?
If you have received a grant from UNISON Welfare since 28 November 2024, excluding the Winter Essentials Grant or the Step into Spring Grant, you will not be eligible to apply for a School Uniform Grant.
Any questions?
Email: sug@unison.co.uk
