External Support Services

RNIB - Grants

We offer grants to registered blind or partially sighted people for useful technology that can help them live independently.

Who can receive a grant from RNIB?

You, or the person you are applying on behalf of must:

  • be a resident in the UK
  • be registered with your local authority as blind (“severely sight impaired”) or partially sighted (“sight impaired”) unless you are applying on behalf of a child who has not yet had their sight loss certified or registered
  • receive a means-tested benefit and one that is not a Tax Credit. Means-tested benefits include Income Support; Pension Credit; Housing Benefit; Council Tax support; Income-related Employment and Support Allowance; Income-related Job Seeker's Allowance; and Universal Credit.
  • have been refused funding from your local authority for the items you need
  • have savings of less than £6,000
  • have not had a grant from us in the last three years.

If you are applying on behalf of your child, a relative or someone you provide care or support for, please give their details on our application form and then make a separate note of your contact details.

What we give grants for and for how much

We only consider applications for grants towards:

We are not able to give grants for any other type of item or for items you need for your job (please talk to your employer about the Government’s Access to Work scheme). We are also not able to help with items which you have already bought.

The items must be reasonably priced for your needs and within our guideline maximum prices. If you ask for an item that costs more than the guideline amount, then we may ask you to opt for a cheaper item as our funds are limited and the cheaper item may still meet your needs.

We can only give a maximum of £500, so if the total of the items you need cost more than this you must find the rest of the funding elsewhere before you apply to us for the remainder.

How do I apply for a grant from RNIB or get more information?

We welcome grant applications at any time of the year. We have several ways you can apply, online, by post or by email.

Before you apply you may want to read our application guidance information. The notes give more details about our grants scheme and what information you need to send with your form for us to be able to make a decision on your application.

Click here to access the guidance notes

Your application must be supported by a professional who knows your personal circumstances. This could be a social worker, occupational therapist, health care visitor, or a worker from another charity that is helping you. It cannot be your GP, a friend or a family member.

If you are applying for computer accessibility software (also called "assistive technology"), a mobile phone or a portable video magnifier, we will ask your supporting officer to confirm that you have tried it out and it is the best item to meet your needs.

You might be able to try out the items you are applying for such as portable video magnifiers; accessible mobile phones and tablets or accessibility software at your local society for people with sight loss. You can use the Sightline Directory to find somewhere near you by searching for "assistive technology" and entering your postcode.

If you are not eligible to apply for a grant from us or would like a grant for an item we cannot help towards, please see our information on grants from other organisations. You can also download a copy of our other sources of grant’s factsheet, which contains details of other organisations which may be able to help you.

Online Applications

You will need the details of the person supporting your application to complete our online form.