Any disabled person or family carer over the age of 18 can apply for a grant from Revitalise. We do not give grants to paid carers. We define disability in line with the Equality Act definition which is whether you have a physical or mental impairment that has a ‘substantial’ and ‘long-term’ negative effect on your ability to do normal daily activities.
Frequently asked questions
We are open for applications all year, although we only give out a set number of grants each month. This ensures that people don’t miss an opportunity to apply.
You can apply in several ways. Click here to go to an online form which you can fill in and send to us. You can also download a paper application form and send it to us at Revitalise, Stroke Association House, 240 City Road, London EC1V 2PR. Once a month we open our phone lines for phone applications, where a member of our team will process your application over the phone. Email us on enquiries@revitalise.org.uk to arrange the telephone call with us.
All applications are assessed by our Applications Panel, made up of rotating trustees, who meet monthly. The Applications Panel receives a report which includes most of the information you provide but does not include your name or any other identifying information. The two questions that you answer, on why the holiday/break will benefit you and why you should financially qualify for the grant may be re-written to anonymise your answer if that is necessary. No information on age, race, sex or religion is provided.
You will get a decision within 8 weeks of your application. We will write to you using your chosen method of communication.
Yes — you’ll need to have a provisional booking in place with your chosen provider before you apply. This helps us because any grant we award is linked specifically to the dates and location you include in your application.
We know how much time and effort goes in to making an application and that for some people, our grants will be the difference between being able to take a break or not. If your application is successful, we will write to you to notify you. You will be sent an acceptance form which you will have to sign to confirm that the information in your application form is true. You will also need to get someone else to sign this form to confirm that you are eligible. This can be a doctor, district nurse, social worker, charity worker or faith leader. If you have been referred to us via another Registered Charity, one of their officers can sign the form for you. A relative or friend cannot sign the form for you.
Once you return this form to us, we will contact you to make arrangements to pay the grant.
We know how much time and effort goes in to making an application and that for some people, our grants will be the difference between being able to take a break and do something enjoyable, or not. If your application is not successful, we will write to you and let you know why.
If you have not been successful because you do not meet the criteria for one of our grants, we will make that clear.
If you apply and we have already given out all of the available grants for that month, your application will be considered the following month.
Our typically funding amount is £500 per person for a respite break or holiday and £100 per person for day trips, activities and opportunities for social connection. If you would like to apply for more than this, or you feel your application is particularly urgent, please state that when you submit it and let me know why you feel you should be awarded more. As a guide, we are likely to provide more funding in the following circumstances:
- Carer breakdown – when there is an urgent need for the carer to have respite or ongoing paid care support has broken down leading to a need for short term respite.
- Extreme hardship – for people where affordability is a very significant factor in being able to take any kind of break.
- People in palliative care whose last chance it is to take a break.
Yes. We will prioritise applications from people who:
- Have not had a respite break in more than a year.
- Have not had funding from us in the last 12 months.
- Are living in hardship and struggle to afford to take a break.
- Special circumstances: when there is an urgent need for respite due to a sudden breakdown in care arrangements or in cases of extreme hardship or if someone is in palliative care.
No, we do not give priority to previous guests of Revitalise’s respite centres for applications for respite, day trips and activities. However, we do fund the Revitalise guest reunions, which happen twice per year, in the summer and at Christmas time.
If you are taking a respite break or holiday, we will pay the funds directly to the place you are staying on your behalf. You will need to give us these details when you apply. After your break, you will need to fill in and send us back a feedback questionnaire to let us know how your stay was and whether you felt it helped you.
If you are applying for funding for a day trip or activity or other opportunity to connect with others socially, we will pay the funds directly to you as it is too difficult for us to pay multiple providers. When you apply, you will need to let us know how much the activity will cost you and afterwards you will need to fill in and send us back a feedback questionnaire to let us know how it was and whether you felt it helped you.
We will not be able to consider your application unless you can provide us with all of the information we have asked for.
We have asked for this information in order to ensure that we are an inclusive charity which is fully representative. We will report broad statistics on sex, ethnicity and gender to our Board each year so they can monitor our inclusivity. We do not identify individuals in this process, and we do not make decisions about applications based on any of these factors.
While we don’t recommend specific respite providers or have affiliations with any, we can signpost to a list of UK providers we are aware of. Please email us on enquiries@revitalise.org.uk to find out more. This list will continue to grow over time as we receive feedback from our beneficiaries.