In order to be eligible applicants must:
We support eligible applicants who are undergoing financial hardship through redundancy, unemployment, illness, bereavement, disability or accident for example.
All applicants must provide evidence that they are in receipt of (or have applied for) their full entitlement to statutory benefits before the provision of financial assistance can be considered. Applicants under the retirement age not working or seeking work must produce verification of their inability to work. In certain circumstances, the trustees may seek a supporting statement from a relevant source e.g. local SoR representative or employer.
The Benevolent Fund is a charity governed by the Charity Commission and must operate within certain rules. The Benevolent Fund cannot support or replace diminished income on a long term basis. Furthermore, income assistance cannot be given where this would affect an applicant’s entitlement to state benefits.
If you have accrued large debts, but not had an accident or been sick, bereaved or unemployed, the Benevolent Fund will not normally be able to help you. The Benevolent Fund does not have access to trained counsellors or debt experts. However, try contacting one of the organisations listed on our debt advice page. They can provide confidential, practical help and support you through stressful and difficult times. If you have large debts, the trustees recommend that you obtain expert, free, impartial debt advice immediately and then if you still need our help, submit an application to the Benevolent Fund.
The Benevolent Fund normally makes one-off grants for
There is no fixed limit on the level of awards made. However, trustees have to bear in mind the small size of the fund and the need to match grant expenditure to the resources available. Each application is judged on its merit. It depends on the nature of your financial need, your income and other circumstances. It would help the trustees in considering the application if you could identify a specific item which would, should you own and use it, greatly alleviate your current situation.
Examples of specific items that may be fully or partially covered:
Where a specific item is to be funded, the applicant must obtain three quotes.
We regret that the Benevolent Fund does not cover:
To apply for assistance please complete our application form.
You can download the document, complete the relevant fields and then save and return it to us via email at [email protected].
If you have any questions regarding the application please call our helpline on 0800 0778371 and speak with one of our advisors.
A completed form consists of:
Please note that your application must be fully completed. An incomplete form will result in delays in processing your request.
We work in partnership with Auriga Services Limits.
Auriga Services Limited was formed in 2004, a not-for-profit trading subsidiary of Severn Trent Trust Fund (established in 1997), based in Sutton Coldfield.
Auriga work closely with some of the largest utility companies in the UK, as well as the NHS, local authorities, small organisations and charities such as the SoR BF. They produce quality solutions working with our clients, to our timescales, delivering a service to enhance our brand.
They have the expertise and ability to manage the complexities of issues raised by clients, balancing needs against income and the overriding desire to better support those in hardship, and assist them back to independence.
By working in partnership we are able to offer help and support for SoR members - making a significant impact on the lives of people who have hit hard times through illness, accident or misfortune.
We work with specific named personnel who understand the SoR Benevolent Fund and our aims, and are able to offer enhanced help and guidance.
The trustees aim to provide timely financial assistance to eligible applicants. Trustees and administrators will endeavour to meet the following target timescales following an application for financial assistance.
Day 1* – Complete application for financial assistance received
By day 8* – Initial administrator tasks complete and application submitted to trustees for decision
By day 22 – Trustee decision made
By day 25* – Administrator communicates decision to applicant
By day 34* - If a grant is awarded, the administrator will liaise with the applicant to make a BACS payment directly to the supplier as far as possible. Direct payments to the applicant are generally not made. This is a requirement of the Society auditors and the Charity Commission to reduce the risk of fraud.
Please note the above timescales can only be met on receipt of a complete application. The biggest reason for delays is information missing from an application.
*The administrator will email the applicant at each step of the process to keep the applicant informed of progress.
Although separate legal entities, the SoR Benevolent Fund relies wholly on the closed internal collaboration systems of The Society and College of Radiographers (SCoR) and therefore the Benevolent Fund Trustees agree to adopt the privacy and cybersecurity policies and procedures of the SCoR. There is also a recognition of the SoR Benevolent Fund’s ability to depart from SCoR policy if appropriate.