Frequently asked questions

Established in 2022, the Blue Light Card Foundation was borne out of the Blue Light Card, the UK’s largest discount provider for members or the NHS, emergency services, armed forces and social sector.  

The Blue Light Card Foundation exists to empower all those who work, or have worked, in our community- regardless if they are a Blue Light Card member. 

Built by and for the Blue Light community, we give life-enhancing local and national grants, to support the wellbeing of this incredible community.

Through our grants, we are interested in supporting: 

• Projects that support the health and wellbeing of staff members. 
• Projects that assist in improvements to the places & spaces that staff members use. 

• Projects that enable staff members to keep well both physically & mentally. 
• Projects that need extra resources to meet the demand.  
• Change in policy and practice – where the focus is not on services but on influencing improvements in relevant policy and practice. 

We make grants to a wide range of organisations: 

• registered or exempt charities whose charitable purposes fall within the Charity’s charitable objects 
• not-for-profit organisations set up for charitable, social, philanthropic, or other purposes and which provide a public benefit 
• specific charitable or not-for-profit events, projects and programmes run by individuals or non-charitable organisations 

You do not have to be a registered charity to apply, but the work you ask us to support must be legally charitable. However, please note that we can only make grants for general running costs or unrestricted purposes to charities. Grants to any other organisations will always be restricted for a specific charitable purpose. 

You must have a governing document (constitution, rules, memorandum, and articles of association etc.), a governing body of at least three unrelated individuals, and a bank account in your group’s name with at least two unrelated signatories. 

Community Interest Companies (CICs) and other non-charitable social enterprises with a business plan that shows realistic aspirations for non-grant income generation can apply for a restricted grant to support the charitable costs of any start-up or expansion. We do not normally support such organisations with the costs of continuing services, which should be financed by the sale of goods and services in line with the governance model they have chosen.  

All grant requests go through a six-stage process as summarised below: 

1. Call for applications: the Foundation opens applications on a website which will be undertaken 4 times a year within each quarter.  
2. Application: applicants complete an online form and submit this for initial assessment by Foundation staff to ensure they meet the basic criteria for funding. Applications not meeting grant-making criteria will be rejected at this stage. 
3. Shortlisting: Foundation staff determine whether the applications should be shortlisted for support. Applications not shortlisted are rejected at this stage. 
4. Assessment: If an application is under £10,000 a subcommittee will determine whether the application should be supported. If an application is over £10,000 it will be submitted to the Board of Trustees to determine whether the applications should be supported. 
5. Decision: Grants not recommended are rejected. All grants must be approved/confirmed by the Board of Trustees or subcommittee acting with its delegated authority. 
6. Disbursement: Grants will be made to the successful applicants. The Foundation does not make awards directly to individuals. 

The Foundation will aim to write to all applicants informing them of the outcome of their application for funding within 7 days of the board’s decision. 

Applicants should note that, as with many other charitable trusts or foundations, the Blue Light Card Foundation may receive far more applications than it has funds to support. Even if a project fits within the criteria and priorities of the Foundation and a detailed assessment has been made, the Foundation may still be unable to provide a grant. 

You can apply through our online grant application form.

All applications will go through our six stage process, and some may take longer than others to gain approval if they need further discussions. 

For grants under £10,000, a subcommittee will determine whether the application should be supported. 

Grants over £10,000 will be submitted to the board of trustees to determine whether the application should be supported. The board of trustees meet a minimum of 4 times a year.

Yes, we encourage collaborative approaches across our aims. We can fund both existing or new collaborations. 

One organisation will need to apply as the ‘lead’ – they will be treated as the grant-holding organisation in our system and hold responsibility for the progress of the work. 

We’ll need the collaboration partners to confirm their involvement. Not all partners have to be registered charities. You’ll also nominate two contacts; one from the ‘lead’ organisation and one of the partners. 

You can include anticipated costs of setting up and coordinating networks or partnerships in your application. 

Please note: The ‘lead’ organisation will need to meet our minimum eligibility criteria. If you would like to discuss this further, get in touch through our contact form.

• Our eligibility criteria may not have been met
• Your application may not meet our charitable objectives
• It’s not aiming to make a lasting difference in wellbeing

Applicants should note that, as with many other charitable trusts or foundations, the Blue Light Card Foundation may receive far more applications than it has funds to support. Even if a project fits within the criteria and priorities of the Foundation and a detailed assessment has been made, the Foundation may still be unable to provide a grant.

Please read our eligibility and frequently asked questions – most queries will be answered here. If you still need help, please reach out through our contact form.

If you have a press enquiry, please get in touch through our contact form.

We would love to hear from you as supporting our projects and programmes wouldn’t be possible without extra help. Contact our fundraising manager through our contact form.

If a complaint is about the Blue Light Card Foundation, then there are three stages that can be used to try to resolve the problem. 

If a complaint is about the CEO, then it should be addressed to the Chair of the Board of Trustees (marked private and confidential), which is responsible as trustees of the organisation. 

Stage One (Informal) 

To make an initial complaint (Stage 1), please speak to or email the individual(s) concerned or their line manager and we will endeavour to satisfy your complaint and let you know of any remedial action that is to be taken. 

• If you don’t know who to contact or do not wish to contact the individual involved, please email us through our contact form.
• All complaints will be acknowledged by the member of staff to whom you communicated your complaint within three working days from the date it is received.
• For us to resolve your issue to the best of our ability, please include as much detail as possible regarding your complaint, including any relevant communications or documentation.
• We will respond to Stage 1 complaints within 7 working days

Stage Two (Formally registering a complaint) 

• If you are not satisfied with the response you receive at Stage 1, or you would prefer your complaint to be formally investigated, you can request your complaint to be escalated to Stage 2, either through your contact at Stage 1.
• Please submit the details of your complaint in person by emailing emmawoods-bolger@bluelightcardfoundation.org 
• Your complaint will be acknowledged within 3 working days.
• The CEO will investigate your complaint and you will receive a full written response within 20 working days from the date of the acknowledgement.
• If you are not satisfied with the response to your complaint, you will be given the opportunity to speak to the CEO and given the option to appeal (Stage 3).

Stage Three (Appeal) 

• To appeal, please outline the reasons for your dissatisfaction in writing or electronically to the CEO.
• This will be the final decision of the complaints process and will ensure the CEO has reviewed the investigation, made any further enquiries, and then delivered the reason for the final decision.
• The CEO will write within 30 working days of receiving the appeal.

If you are dissatisfied with Blue Light Card Foundation’s response to a fundraising complaint you can contact the Fundraising Regulator (FR) to access their independent complaints procedure. 

Any appeals or complaints regarding grant activity will be subject to the Grant appeals and complaints policy.

If you are dissatisfied with the Blue Light Card Foundation complaints process, you can contact the Charity Commission, who will be able to guide you on whether they may be able to advise on the matter. The Charity Commission can be contacted here.

 If you have positive comments about our work or how we have helped you, do let us know so we can track that feedback and act on it where necessary. Please email us using our contact form or follow us on our social channels.