The next deadline for applications is 12 October 2024.
The V for Life grant scheme aims to help older vegans and vegetarians living in the UK who are in financial need maintain their healthy lifestyle, and/or to be as independent as possible.
V for Life invites applications from UK organisations that work with older people who may need this kind of assistance. Please note, applications from individuals are no longer accepted.
The scheme is not for cash grants, rather V for Life will purchase goods and services on behalf of the applicant (see examples in the case studies below).
We expect the supporting organisation or professional to know the beneficiary well and be able to give a clear and comprehensive assessment of their needs. Furthermore, they must be able to help provide robust evidence that the applicant is vegan or vegetarian.
V for Life accepts applications from the following types of UK organisation:
Deadlines for applications fall four times per year. V for Life’s Trustees will aim to make a decision within 6 weeks of each deadline, although further supporting information may be required. For this reason, the V for Life grant scheme is not suitable for emergency financial support.
For 2024/25 the deadlines for applications are:
Winter 2024: 12/10/2024
Spring 2025: 25/01/2025
Summer 2025: 12/04/2025
To be eligible for a grant, the supporting organisation or professional must be able to provide evidence that:
The application must also be accompanied by a covering letter from the submitting organisation, describing their relationship to the applicant and how long they have been in contact. It will need to confirm that the applicant is vegan or vegetarian.
The letter must also include as much information as possible about the applicant’s situation and how the grant will help. It must describe exactly what they wish to apply for and be accompanied by three estimates/quotes for all items and services requested.
More information on how to apply can be found in the Eligibility Requirements shaded box and will be included with the application form.
A history of the grants scheme.
The Vegetarian and Vegan Fund was launched in 2010 and we were pleased to make our first award in May of that year. This first grant was for a stairlift to enable a vegetarian lady to move out of care and back to her own home, so she could resume independent living. Since then we have helped many more older vegans and vegetarians to keep their independence. You can read some of their stories below.
For 2024/25 the deadlines for applications are:
Autumn 2024: 13/07/2024
Winter 2024: 12/10/2024
Spring 2025: 25/01/2025
Summer 2025: 12/04/2025
Maureen applied for a grant for a cooker, rugs, and curtain poles.
Following the death of my daughter 2020, I soon after lost my home and found myself in social housing. l had nothing, but V for Life provided a grant...for carpets, curtain poles, but most amazingly a cooker! I love to cook, vegetarian of course! I cannot thank V for Life enough. Amazing!
Pauline applied for a new fridge-freezer.
The new large fridge-freezer kindly supplied by VfL has made a tremendous and immediate improvement to our life. Now we have more capacity to keep food in stock, which has been desperately needed as getting to a supermarket regularly has been increasingly difficult due to Eric having Alzheimer’s. I am so very grateful to VfL for providing this upgrade to our situation. Many thanks to you all for this life-changing purchase!
Gary applied for a grant for a Laptop and Sofa bed.
I received a computer and sofa bed from you. I'm extremely grateful for your help, I pray you can always help people.
Margaret applied for a grant for a Television.
I applied to the V for Life grant scheme for a television as mine had broken. I supplied information on the tv of my choice and was overwhelmed with the result. They assisted me by ordering it, and arranged delivery and installation to suit me. I am totally delighted and very thankful indeed..
Suzanne applied for a grant towards the purchase and installation of an immersion heater, as she had no hot water in a property she was moving into.
I applied to V for Life requesting help with obtaining an immersion cylinder and arranging for a plumber to install it. I now have hot water!! I have been a vegetarian for 45 years, and am so pleased that they could assist.
Khalda applied for a grant for a Cooker to help her live an independent life.
The charity awarded me a grant for a cooker which has made a major positive impact on my life. The cooker enables my carers to cook and provide me with freshly cooked warm meals and enables me to live independently at home and in surroundings I am very familiar and comfortable with.
Inma applied for a grant for a Cooker, Fridge Freezer, Laptop, and Robotic Vacuum Cleaner.
I very much appreciate how the grant has been spent to provide me with these things. The old fridge was broken and the cooker all rusty after a flooding in December 2020.Now after being awarded the grant I have a nice and fresh cooker and fridge. Because I have got osteoarthritis that has reduced my mobility , the laptop is helping me to do all the shopping online, use social media to be in contact with friends and family, and research in google. And the robot vacuum is very helpful to keep my floor clean now that I haven't got the mobility to use an ordinary vacuum .Thank you very much again for all these things that have made an improvement to my life, I haven't got the words to express my appreciation.
Jennifer applied for a grant for a mobility scooter so she could go out with her family.
This lightweight Luggie scooter has changed my life. It means I can get out and about and experience life again. We had a hoist fitted to our car so it is easy to get in and out. I will always be grateful to V for Life.
Larysa applied for a grant for a laptop so she could keep connected with the world, and access vegetarian recipes.
Thank you so much once again for the computer, I am very happy and am still in shock at how amazing you guys are at V for Life! It really has given me a new wave of independence!
Joyce applied for a grant for new flooring as her old floor had become water damaged and was a trip hazard.
Thank you so much for the award to replace my flooring. I now have beautiful laminate down, it's so nice, fresh and modern. No more warped, split and water damaged flooring - what a difference. My gratitude to everyone who works for the charity. You are making a huge difference to peoples' daily life in so many ways.
Mr D was inspired to become a vegetarian in 1985, influenced largely by title of The Smiths track ‘Meat is Murder’, and has been vegan since around 2018. After a debilitating back injury sustained at work around 15 years ago, Mr D became virtually housebound. He suffered increasingly from anxiety attacks and became fearful of leaving the house. He successfully applied for funding towards a new cooker, which has allowed him to continue to cook vegetables and eat healthier.
In 2020 the charity awarded a grant for a dishwasher to help with the tiredness, back spasm and migraines experienced, especially when preparing vegan and vegetarian meals for myself. The cutting up of vegetables and cooking takes up so much energy and saucepans would be left for days, as it was impossible to wash them for the next day. Many days there is not enough energy to cook as well, so one was left eating snacks and missing out on good protein.
Once the dishwasher was working - PARADISE! All the saucepans cleaned, leaving energy for the
preparation and cooking and having clean crockery and china in which to serve meals. Depression left, as the sink and dish drainer started to appear almost empty, no used crockery and pans around anymore and the kitchen now feels very pleasant to be in. It means that the vegan diet with only very occasional vegetarian additions (organic vegetarian cheese if
soy cheese is not available), can be planned in advance and there is now enough energy to keep to the menus and some enjoyment at being able to plan vegan meals with all of the necessary proteins etc and actually cook and eat them!
Thank you. This really has helped to change my diet, the kitchen and most importantly, my experience of day-to-day health.’
Mr K is a lifelong vegetarian who was struggling to live independently when his mobility scooter stopped working. He applied for a VfL grant for a Pride Mobility Scooter, and has regained some independence.
I was struggling too much without a scooter. My life was ending and the scooter helps me get outside. I really appreciate your kindness and support.
64 year-old Yvette became vegetarian after partaking in one of V for Life’s cookery courses. Yvette has recently been struggling to get out and about due to a number of health issues, and so applied for a laptop from the Vegetarian and Vegan Fund so she can keep in touch with people and research from the comfort of her own home.
The grant’s changed my life because I don’t have to go to the library or internet shops to use the computer anymore. I encountered lots of problems there, the computers were all booked, and you don’t have enough space to manoeuvre in the tiny cubby holes. When I wasn’t feeling well I still had to make sure I went, but now I don’t have to and can work from home and it’s comfortable. It’s definitely changed things for the better. I use the laptop for all the things I have to look up, and it’s really useful for typing letters, as I don’t enjoy writing by hand anymore.
The grant scheme is definitely worthwhile. I didn’t think I’d get it, and was shocked when they said yes! I thought that because V for Life has to give to so many people, they wouldn’t be able to say yes to me. But they did. It’s a very good scheme.
84 year-old Stella has been vegan for over 30 years. The past few years have been extremely challenging for her because her hearing has deteriorated rapidly. This has left her feeling isolated from those around her, whom she struggles to understand.
After years of being withdrawn from society and nodding and smiling in what I hoped were the right places, I can now converse with people without constantly asking them to repeat themselves. It is very liberating, with my confidence boosted no end.
When she heard about the Vegan Fund she thought it could be her solution. Stella received her new hearing aid in December 2017, thanks to the Vegan Fund.
John ‘Maz’ Marriott was diagnosed with M.E. in 2009. Maz has been vegan for 30 years, is author of low-budget vegan cookbook “The Chip Butty Vegan”, and huntsabbed since he first became vegan up until recently when he had to stop due to his health.
Maz is dependent on a carer and a mobility scooter – and when his scooter broke he found himself mainly confined to the house. Since his new scooter awarded by the Vegetarian and Vegan Fund arrived, Maz has been back at demonstrations in the city centre and in muddy fields, and we were lucky enough to meet him in person at VegFest UK.
“I had to come and see you all and thank you in person.”
Isobel S is a 70-year-old vegetarian woman living in Llanrhaeadr. Isobel initially contacted Care and Repair because she needed funds to repair the roof of her house. The roof was leaking and making her home damp and cold. Care and Repair and Vegetarian for Life have since worked together to achieve a successful result for Isobel.
Says Isobel:
The contractors have now completed the repair to the front and back of my roof. They have done a lovely job – it is wonderful that this work has been done and I do not have to worry about the roof leaking any longer. The work has also made my home a lot warmer, which is an added bonus. I am really grateful for the help that I have received from Vegetarian for Life.
59-year-old Peter D is a vegan from Norfolk. He has arthritis and successfully applied to the Vegetarian and Vegan Fund for assistance with the purchase of a mobility scooter and shopping trolley/walker.
After receiving the grant Peter said:
This will mean so much to me. The scooter is absolutely fantastic and gets me around much better. The shopping trolley is especially for people with arthritis. With a metal plate in my wrist it will be a whole lot easier for me now and less painful. It will make my life more comfortable because my joints get quite stiff at times.
And a grant from the Vegetarian and Vegan Fund allowed for kitchen and flooring repairs for Mrs P, an older vegetarian.
“My floors were so damp that it kept coming up through the floor and was getting worse. It was not possible to put any flooring down (carpets or wood) because it would have been spoiled by the damp. Obviously this was not helping my health at all and the room was just not useable. Also, my sink was falling to pieces!
“With the money I have been able to get insulation, the rotten flooring removed, a new solid concrete floor, and the floors tanked so no more damp can get in. It has made such a difference and my room looks like a proper room again when it was just such a mess before. They also fixed my sink!
Mr A and his wife are both vegetarian with health problems. His wife in particular has mobility problems and needed the downstairs bathroom, that VfL assisted with.
These renovations would not have been possible without your kind offer. It will make a life changing improvement for my wife.
Shirley K, a vegan in her late 70s is now able to get out and about thanks to a grant from the Vegetarian and Vegan Fund.
I am truly grateful to Vegetarian for Life for buying me my mobility scooter. The direction of my life was narrowing because my walking ability had deteriorated, but is now able to expand again.
Shirley applied in Spring 2011 but it took some time to get the right scooter for her. Eventually the right model was tracked down from Kardinal and the grant covered the full cost of the mobility aid. Shirley, from Brighton, is a life member of Animal Aid and has been vegan for over 30 years.
Applications must include evidence for all three elements of the eligibility criteria.
Evidence must include proof of age, financial status, and that the applicant is a practising vegan/vegetarian. Scanned or photographed documentation must be current, have the applicant’s name, address, and any official letterheading clearly visible.
Accepted forms of evidence include:
Age: Birth certificate, passport, statutory pension documentation or pension credit documentation (or similar benefit).
Financial status: Documentary evidence of benefits the applicant is currently in receipt of, or a bank statement.
Vegan/Vegetarian: Written confirmation from the organisation submitting the application that they know the applicant well enough to be able to confirm their vegan/vegetarian status.
Further information
In order that the grants fund can be used most effectively, we request applicants, and their representatives check whether their needs can be met through statutory service provision or community resources (e.g., a local care and repair service) prior to making their application to V for Life.
There are many medical conditions where equipment should only be provided following assessment by a health professional (e.g., occupational therapist, physiotherapist) to ensure the equipment is right for that individual. Applications for such equipment will only be supported if we are able to contact the professional concerned to discuss the specific circumstances and requirement.
Items requested should clearly link to a defined need and/or obvious enhancement of the quality of the applicant’s life.
Applications will not normally be considered from anyone who has already benefitted from the grant scheme within the last 3 years.
Applicants will be expected to provide consent (if application approved) to providing quotes and/or photographic evidence of the benefit experienced by obtaining support from the grant. These are for the purposes of promotion or publicity relating to V for Life’s services. These can be placed in the public domain in a manner that will protect your privacy but will require direct contact with our staff team.
Please ensure you have read through the eligibility criteria and guidance prior to proceeding to making an application. Doing so will help us to consider your application most effectively and timeously.