Home > Public Services > Paying for your equipment > Funding information
Funding for an adapted computer
This information is taken from our factsheet – ‘Funding for an Adapted Computer’(PDF)
Applying for funding to cover the cost of a computer can be a daunting task. However, there are many organisations that exist to help, and this sheet tells you who some of them are, how to find them and how best to approach them for a grant.
There are three things that you need to do:
- get a precise list of what you need
- produce an effective letter of application
- send it to the right people
Getting the right list of equipment
Funding organisations receive many applications and do not wish to waste their time with guesswork. Vague requests for “a suitable computer” will be unlikely to succeed. You should provide a clear description of exactly what is needed, why, and how much it will cost. Funders always want to know that their money is being spent well.
Guidelines for fund-raising
These guidelines are intended for a disabled person who has never written a fund raising letter before. They may, of course, help others too. AbilityNet does not guarantee that these guidelines will achieve success.
- make your letter easy to read and to photocopy
- type or word process it using clear, bold print
- use white A4 paper only
- write on one side of A4 paper only
- try to get a Social Worker, Occupational Therapist, Teacher or the head of a day centre to write for you on their letterhead - alternatively, make your own by centring your address
- letters MUST include your full address, postcode and telephone numbers (both day and evening) with dialling code and extension in their headings
- it must be easy for anyone who wants more information to get it
- trustees are busy people who cannot be expected to wade through pages of solid text, so keep it short, ideally on one side of an A4 sheet
- enclose a stamped-addressed envelope
Contents of the Letter
- Get the name of the person to write to. Ring up the organisation to find out who it is, if you are not sure.
- Give the full details of the person you are asking for funds for. Start your letter Re: name, address and postcode, telephone number and your age. Write these in a straight line, then underline it. The first paragraph should include brief details of your disability and your age.
- The next two paragraphs should include information about:
- Why you need the equipment, and how you feel it will help you.
- Something personal about your circumstances. How your disability affects daily life, home situation and work history.
- Back up your application with anything that shows you have achieved successes. Newspaper stories about yourself, exam results, sporting achievements, prizes won, even if it has nothing to do with computers. Keep this to a maximum of two sheets.
- Trustees want to see that their money will be put to good use.
- The next paragraph should give full information about your financial situation. Here trustees want to know that you are getting all the allowances you are entitled to from statutory bodies.
- Give an indication of the approximate cost, rounded up to the next £100. Allow for a possible increase as it may take some time to raise the money.
- Don't expect to get the whole amount from one source. Fifteen letters asking for £250 or £500 is far more likely to raise the £1,500 you need than one letter asking for the whole amount.
- Say what you have raised so far, and if you have saved any money yourself.
- Ask them to suggest other funding sources if they cannot help you.
- Check your grammar and spelling.
Other information
Do not expect an instant answer. Some trusts do not reply to unsuccessful applicants. Many trustees only meet every few months.
Follow up
If you get a grant you should:
- Write immediately to thank them.
- After a few months, write again. By this time, you will be up and running. Tell them how the equipment is helping you. Make your letter as positive as you can. Any success is worth including. This kind of feed back is unusual, and trustees are very pleased to get it.
Let us hope that they remember you, because you may want to ask them again. However, it is unwise to approach the same organisation twice within two years.