We know that many people are struggling with food and energy costs and how hard it can be to make ends meet. And sadly, we understand things are likely to get worse during the winter.

Maximize Your Support Options

Before applying for SBS financial aid, we recommend exploring government benefits and grants. You might be eligible for additional support offered by the government, organisations and energy suppliers. Here are some resources to help you get started:

Citizen Advice for grants and benefits to help you pay your energy bills. More information here.

UK Government cost of living support help for households. More information here.

If you’ve exhausted these options and still need additional support than please contact us:

The Swiss Benevolent Society (SBS) provides financial assistance in various forms to eligible Swiss nationals residing in the UK who are experiencing financial hardship. This can include:

• Emergency Assistance & One-Off Payments: Qualified and committee-approved applicants may receive a one-off payment. We can also offer immediate financial support in urgent situations.
• Regular Support: Qualified and committee-approved applicants may receive regular financial aid payments every 4 weeks for one year.
• Scholarships and Educational Grants: SBS can also provide support in the form of scholarships and educational grants to help eligible applicants pursue their educational goals.
• Interest-Free Loans (exceptional cases): In rare situations, SBS may offer an interest-free loan agreement as financial assistance. This would be a contractual arrangement with specific terms regarding repayment.

 

Who Can Apply for Financial Aid?

The Swiss Benevolent Society (SBS) is dedicated to supporting Swiss nationals residing in the UK who are facing financial hardship or disadvantages.

Eligibility Criteria:

• Swiss Citizenship: You must be a Swiss national residing in the UK.
• Financial Need: You need to demonstrate financial hardship or disadvantage. In short, this means your essential living costs (rent, bills, council tax, etc.) are higher than or equal to your income.
• Means Test: We assess financial need through a means test similar to those used by DWP and Council Schemes in the UK. This considers your income and savings.

Get a Head Start

To get a preliminary idea of your eligibility, you can use these government benefits calculator: Benefits Calculator

 

Ready to Apply?

If you meet the above criteria, you can download our Financial Aid application pack:

The Application Process:

1. Download and Complete the Application Form: Fill out the application form thoroughly.
2. Gather Supporting Documentation: Collect any documents required to support your application.
3. Submit Your Application: Send the completed application and documents to SBS.
4. Data Verification: We verify data as part of the process to ensure responsible use of funds and support those in true need. Sharing your data is voluntary but necessary for assessment. For more details, see our Data Privacy Notice.

Financial Aid vs. Contracts:

Financial aid from SBS is considered charitable income for the beneficiary, awarded based on need, not in exchange for work or services. This is different from a contractual agreement where goods or services are exchanged.

Contracts in Exceptional Cases:

Contracts may be used in specific situations to directly benefit the recipient, such as:

• Scholarships and Bursaries: SBS may contract with educational institutions on your behalf to secure scholarships or bursaries.
• Discounted Rates for Events/Goods: In some cases, we may use contracts to negotiate discounted rates for events or relevant goods and services (e.g., tickets to Swiss National Day).
• Interest-Free Loans (Exceptional Cases): Very rarely, SBS may offer an interest-free loan agreement as financial assistance. This would involve a contractual agreement with specific repayment terms.

Some of the many situations where you or someone you know may benefit from financial aid:

Financial Aid – Received every 4 weeks for 1 year: Miss R. is retired on a state pension. She has been struggling financially and using savings for many years which is now very low. She has asked the SBS for help and received the financial aid application form, with information on how to apply detailing the procedures for application, documents to provide and qualification criteria. The SBS office had a conversation initially with Miss R. and then followed-up with an in-person meeting.

Once the application was complete the administration presented it to the committee for review. Miss R was granted financial aid paid every 4 weeks for 1 year; at the end of the year, her financial situation will be reviewed again.

Financial Aid – Once Off: Mr. P required a cooker, which is a big expense, but he needed it as an essential means to feed himself regularly. When his cooker was out of order he simply could not be bothered to cook or eat well. In order to stay healthy, the SBS granted a once-off aid payment to purchase a cooker based upon his financial application submitted to the committee and his discussions with the administrator.

 

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