Motability: Wheelchair Sector Grant Programme

Overview

Motability are a national charity that support the transport needs of disabled people. Their vision is that no disabled person shall be disadvantaged due to poor access to transportation. Set up in 1977 Motability has been supporting disabled people with their transportation needs for more than 45 years.

They hope to help charities and organisations to make an immediate impact for disabled people by awarding funding to improve and expand their access to good quality, affordable wheelchairs. Through an extensive programme of research and engagement the Motability Foundation has identified three Routes to Impact in the Wheelchair sector:

• Meeting the needs of beneficiaries
• New or improved solutions
• Improved services for disabled people

They believe that research in these areas has the greatest chance of delivering meaningful change for disabled people, and supporting the Motability Foundation’s key outcomes of:

• Access – Increased ability to access people and places using transport
• Choice and Control – Improved independence and control to make decisions
• Connect – Increased social connections and relationships
• Education – Increased ability to access education and training
• Work – Increased ability to work and pursue a career
• Wellbeing – Improved sense of health and wellbeing

About this programme

Through this grant programme they aim to support charities and organisations to make an immediate impact for disabled people, by awarding funding to improve and expand their access to good quality affordable wheelchairs. We are focussed on awarding grants in this area that:

• Fill current gaps in provision for groups of people who are excluded from receiving help from existing sources/providers.
• Enable charities and organisations to help individuals by topping up self-funding.
• Raise awareness of the challenges faced by disabled people in obtaining suitable, quality and affordable wheelchairs.
• Support programmes to help fund high quality and affordable equipment.
• Supports schemes, programmes and initiatives that already exist, and which provide best practice solutions, but need further support to remain operational or scale up the service they can provide to help more disabled people.

Please note, these grants are for charities and organisations only. Individuals cannot apply for help with wheelchair funding through this grant programme.

What funding is available?

The Motability Foundation is awarding £50 million in Grants to Charities and Organisations during the next financial years ending March 2025.

A portion of this has been allocated to the Wheelchair Sector Grant Programme.

Grant Value

• Minimum - £100,000
• Maximum - £4,000,000

Grant length

You can apply for one, two or three years’ funding in any year of the programme. For example, you could apply for £102,000 in total over three years, which would be £34,000 per annum.

They are pleased to say that the final payment date can be beyond 31 March 2025 this can be split over one, two or three years and can be applied for in any year of the programme.

What can be funded?

• Continuation funding for schemes, programmes and initiatives that already exist, and who provide best practice solutions, but need further support to remain operational or scale up the service they can provide to help more disabled people.
• Staff or volunteer training and costs.
• Funding to increase the number of vehicles available in the community to help organisations support disabled people.
• Full cost recovery grants which includes indirect costs.
• Local, regional, or national initiatives to increase awareness of wheelchair service provision and research challenges/issues further.

Priority will be given to organisations who:

• Are meeting the second route to impact - new and improved solutions.
• Have well-established ways of working that make a demonstrable difference to the lives of disabled people.
• Are making both an immediate and longer term impact on the lives of disabled people.
• Can demonstrate that their application takes into account the views and needs of their beneficiaries and that they will continue to be involved during the delivery of the work.

Who can apply?

The Motability Foundation wants to support medium or large charities and organisations with well-established ways of working.

They ask that Applicant organisations meet the following criteria:

• You are a registered charity or an incorporated not-for-profit organisation identified as being able to deliver impact for disabled people and their transportation needs. This includes incorporated charities, companies limited by guarantee, community benefit societies, or CICs. If your organisation is a different structure outside of those listed here then please contact them before applying.
• You have been active for at least three years.
• You have had an annual income of at least £150,000 per annum over the last three years.
• You hold free reserves equivalent to at least three months of operating costs. Please contact us before applying if you do not hold three months of free reserves. The Motability Foundation will not generally award a Grant to Charities or Organisations holding more than 12 months of operating expenditure in reserves.