Please note: The first round of funding is now closed. We will be open for applications in summer 2025.
We are committed to continuing our support for disabled people through the six grant programmes, using £50 million of the donation we received in 2023. This new funding will be available for charities and organisations, to apply for in summer 2025.
Through this grant programme we have aimed 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 have 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.
Why are we doing this?
Using a wide range of research including insight from Motability Foundation grantees, other disabled people and representative organisations, wheelchairs have been identified as a priority area for focus and investment.
For people who use them, wheelchairs are absolutely necessary for access to basic mobility.
Challenges to accessing appropriate, quality and affordable wheelchairs can have a severe and longstanding impact on the lives of disabled people and their ability to access and use all forms of transport.
Our research has shown that up to two thirds of disabled people have struggled to find a suitable wheelchair.
Estimates from our research with NatCen and from NHS England suggest anywhere between 480,000 and 1.2 million disabled people use a wheelchair.
- Challenges include delays, poor information, fit and suitability
- Individuals and organisations also report that there is a ‘postcode lottery’ where each wheelchair service has differing eligibility criteria, which are in place to try to balance demand against the actual cost of running the service.
To find out more about our research please read our reports.
