Who we help
If you are caring at home for someone with early onset frontotemporal dementia, anywhere in the UK, we may be able to give you a grant.
Can we help you?
We keep this deliberately simple. If all four of these are true, please apply.
You can apply if…
- You are caring, unpaid, for someone with frontotemporal dementia — (any variant, including bvFTD, primary progressive aphasia, PSP and CBD).
- Their symptoms began before the age of 65.
- They are being cared for at home, not in full-time residential care.
- You live anywhere in the United Kingdom.
A formal diagnosis helps, but we know how long diagnosis takes. If you are still waiting and a clinician has told you FTD is suspected, apply anyway and tell us where you are in the process.
What we cannot fund
Being clear about this saves you time, and saves us having to say no.
- Residential or nursing home fees
- Medical treatment, drugs or private diagnosis
- Debt repayment, rent arrears or council tax
- Ongoing costs with no end date — we fund one thing at a time
- Anything already paid for before you applied
- Organisations, groups or research — we fund individuals only
If we cannot help, we will try to point you towards someone who can. See other organisations.
What a grant can pay for
You know what would help. These are suggestions of what helped us, and others.
A few hours off
A sitting service, a paid carer for one afternoon a week, or a day at a day centre so you can sleep, work or see someone.
Getting to appointments
Fuel, train fares, ferry crossings, parking or accommodation near specialist clinics. FTD clinics are often a long way from home.
Making home work
A tumble dryer to keep up with relentless laundry, extra bedding, a comfier sofa for family movie sessions, door alarms, stairgates, hand rails and grab bars, temporary flooring for wheelchairs to manouver on, ramps, fire guards…this list is endless but you get the idea. Anything you need to make home safe and accessible which your Local Authority wont provide in time or at all.
Keeping the family going
Childcare during appointments, a school trip for a young carer, or a counselling course for a teenager in the house.
A break together
A day out the whole family can enjoy. A short break somewhere you’ve been meaning to get back to one day. A bucket list trip.
Practical bills
A contribution towards an energy bill you just can’t cover in time. A replacement appliance that has given up. An unexpected garage bill.
How much can I ask for?
We encourage you to ask for anything you need to get a little breathing space, make some happy memories, or make this journey a little easier. We’ll only say no if we cannot cover what you need. Multiple applications are welcomed as your needs evolve.
How to apply
Four steps, and a person at every one of them
Email us
Send a message to tinastrust2025@gmail.com. You don’t need to write an essay, just make contact.
We send you a short form
One page. Details for yourself, the person you care for and what we can help you with. A Trustee can help fill this in over the phone if that’s easier.
Trustees review it
We communicate regularly and aim to make a decision on grants within a couple of days. If we need more info we will call or email you.
We pay you
Usually by bank transfer soon after the grant is awarded. It can be sent to you or straight to the supplier, whichever suits best. If we cannot help you, we will explain why.
Common questions
Why is Tina’s Trust support focused on people being cared for at home?
We know that every family’s circumstances are different, and that residential care can be an important and necessary part of someone’s journey with FTD. Our focus on those being cared for at home is not a judgement about the type of care someone receives. Tina’s Trust was created from our own experience of caring for Tina at home, and our grants are specifically designed to help ease some of the practical and financial pressures families can face when caring for a loved one at home. As a small charity with limited funds, this is where we have chosen to focus our support.
Does it matter where in the UK I live?
No. The trust is based on the Isle of Arran, but we give grants to carers anywhere in the United Kingdom — England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Will a grant affect my benefits?
A one-off charitable grant for a specific item or purpose does not usually count as income for means-tested benefits, but we are not benefits advisers and rules change. If you are worried, Citizens Advice or your local carers centre can check for you before you accept.
Can I apply on someone else’s behalf?
Yes. Social workers, Admiral Nurses, support workers and family members often get in touch on behalf of a carer who has no time or energy to do it themselves. We will need the carer’s agreement before we pay anything.
Do I have to tell you what I spent it on?
We ask you to use it for what you’ve told us, if your needs change, you can reapply, as many times as you need.
What if the person I care for dies before the grant is used?
Please don’t worry, the money has been awarded to you. You can still make use of it.
Every grant starts with a donation
We are a small, volunteer-run trust. A gift of any size goes directly to a family caring for someone with early onset FTD at home.