Get the right help

CSIS Charity Fund's main purpose is to give grants and assistance to charities and organisations that support retired and serving civil and public servants and their dependants in times of need, hardship and distress. However, in keeping with the origins of the charity, the Fund continues to give more direct assistance to the spouses and other dependants of deceased CSIS policyholders.

An outline of our core grant giving activity can be found here.

Spouses and other dependants of CSIS policyholders

Ever since the charity was founded, the Fund has given direct assistance to a small number of widows of deceased CSIS policyholders. A few of our widows have been supported for many years with annual grants, and we know this help is greatly appreciated. Individuals apply for grants designed to help with costs such essential household bills, replacing white goods, cookers etc and, in rare cases, to help clear debts. Applicants must have their financial circumstances assessed and sometimes we refer cases to charities with which we have close working relationships, such as the Charity for Civil Servants.

This assistance is given on a purely discretionary basis, and must be applied for directly. It is a real pleasure to help our widows where we can (there are currently no widowers receiving our help), and we keep in regular contact with them to make sure all is well. To apply for a grant please contact the Charity Fund Secretary, Kevin Holliday, on secretary@csischarityfund.org

Help for other individuals in need

We are really sorry but we have limited funds and even more limited administrative resources, and we cannot help everyone in financial difficulty, much as we would like to. We can therefore only give grants or advice to individuals in hardship who are either current Civil Service Insurance Society policyholders or who have been financially dependent on a policyholder who has died.

However, our page of "Useful Links" gives a number of organisations who may be able to help you. Click here for a list of groups that may be able to help you with things such as welfare grants, information about state benefits, debt management advice and more. Many of them give help to individuals who are either currently employed in one of the public services or have been in the past, but the Citizens Advice www.citizensadvice.org.uk, Step Change www.stepchange.org, and Turn2us www.turn2us.org.uk are always good places to start.