GroceryAid secures £1m funding for School Essentials Grant

GroceryAid has secured funding from The Leverhulme Trade Charities Trust to provide £1 million of support for grocery colleagues’ school aged children this year through its School Essentials Grant.

Now in its fourth year, the fund provides a £150 non-repayable grant for every child of school age, up to a maximum of three children per eligible household, up to the fund total. This year, more than 6,660 children will benefit from this year’s fund, an 11 per cent increase from last year.

Grocery colleagues can apply for the School Essentials Grant on the GroceryAid website from 09:00 on Wednesday 18 June 2024, with an extended application window of three days and a closing date of 17:00 on Thursday 20 June.

“We are thrilled to be able to offer more children than ever before the chance to start school with the essential items they need to have the best start to the school year,” Mandi Leonard, welfare director at GroceryAid, said.

“After listening to valuable feedback from our supporters, we are leaving applications open for three days to enable more people to apply. We want to ensure the application process is fair for shift workers and those who may not have access to a computer/phone during working hours. We will notify colleagues about the outcome of their application within six weeks.”

Sir Dave Lewis, adviser to the Leverhulme Trade Charities Trust, said: “The Leverhulme Trade Charities Trust is delighted to support GroceryAid’s Schools Essential Grant, providing much-needed assistance to grocery workers and their families during the expensive back-to-school period”.

Successful applicants will be randomly generated from those who meet the criteria and have provided all the information requested.

Full details about the 2024 School Essentials Grant and eligibility criteria can be found here.

Founded in 1925, The Leverhulme Trade Charities Trust provides grants for the benefits of pharmacists, grocers and commercial travellers and for their families.