Household stability
Rent or mortgage arrears, utility reconnection, essential home repairs and transport needed to keep or start a job.
Grants for individuals
Individual grants funded by Universal Grant Income
Universal Grant Income funds a programme of non-repayable grants for individuals, and Northbridge Awards International administers the applications and awards. This page explains what the grants cover, who qualifies and exactly how money reaches you.
About the funder
Who Universal Grant Income is
Universal Grant Income is the funder behind this programme. It pools philanthropic and institutional capital and directs it to individuals through independent administrators rather than lending it. Northbridge Awards International is one of those administrators: we take the applications, assess them against the fund's published criteria, and pass verified awards back to the funder for payment.
Because the money is a grant and not a loan, there is nothing to repay, no interest and no credit check. Equally, there is no fee at any point — not to apply, not to be assessed and not to receive an award.
What a grant can cover
Four funding areas
Education and training
Course fees, certification exams, tools and equipment, and childcare costs incurred while studying.
Care and health costs
Out-of-pocket medical, dental and assistive-equipment costs not met by insurance or a public scheme.
Small self-employment starts
Licences, insurance, initial stock or tools for a sole trader beginning to earn independently.
Award sizes are set per funding round and per region. Most individual awards fall between a few hundred and a few thousand in local currency; the band that applies to your round is stated in your decision letter before you accept anything.
Eligibility
Who can apply
- You are 18 or older and resident in the United States, Canada or Australia.
- The grant addresses a specific, evidenced cost rather than general income top-up.
- Household income falls within the band published for your region and household size.
- You have not received an individual grant from the same fund in the past 12 months.
- The costs are not already fully covered by insurance or another public benefit.
Regional rules, tax treatment and evidence requirements differ — see the regional rules for the United States, Canada and Australia.
Process
From enquiry to payment
Step 1
Expression of interest
You tell us who you are, where you live and what the funds are for. This is free, takes a few minutes, and commits you to nothing.
Step 2
Assessment
A grants officer reviews the request against the fund's published criteria for your region and may ask for a quote, invoice or arrears notice to evidence the cost.
Step 3
Decision
You receive a written decision setting out the amount awarded, any conditions attached, and the reasons if the request is declined.
Step 4
Release of funds
Awards are paid by bank transfer to an account in your own name, or directly to a supplier where the grant is tied to a specific invoice. Universal Grant Income disburses; we administer.
Step 5
Light-touch reporting
For larger awards we ask for a short confirmation that the funds were used as described, usually a receipt. There is nothing to repay.
Step by step
Universal Grant Income for individuals, one step at a time
Every individual grant follows the same eight steps. For each one, here is what you do, what we do, and roughly how long it takes. Nothing in this sequence involves you paying anything.
Understand what the fund is
Same day
What you do
Read what Universal Grant Income covers and confirm your cost fits one of the four funding areas above.
What we do
We publish the criteria, award bands and evidence rules for your region so you can judge your own case before applying.
Check you are eligible
Same day
What you do
Confirm you are 18 or older, resident in the US, Canada or Australia, and that the cost is not already fully covered elsewhere.
What we do
Nothing yet — this step costs you nothing and creates no record.
Send your enquiry
Minutes
What you do
Complete the enquiry form with your name, contact details, country and a short description of the cost the grant would cover.
What we do
We log the enquiry and send an automatic email confirming we have received it, with your reference number.
Provide evidence of the cost
2-5 working days
What you do
Send the quote, invoice, arrears notice, enrolment letter or equipment estimate that shows the amount and who it is owed to.
What we do
A grants officer tells you exactly which document is needed. We never ask for banking passwords, PINs or full card numbers.
Assessment against the fund's criteria
5-15 working days
What you do
Answer any follow-up questions about household size or income band.
What we do
We score the request against the published criteria for your region and round, and record the reasoning.
Written decision
Within 3 working days of assessment
What you do
Read the decision letter and accept or decline the award and its conditions. You are never charged for a decision.
What we do
We set out the amount awarded, any conditions, and the reasons in full if the request is declined — including how to ask for a review.
Payment of the award
5-10 working days after acceptance
What you do
Give bank details for an account in your own name, or the supplier's invoice where the grant is tied to a specific cost.
What we do
Universal Grant Income disburses the funds; we confirm the transfer in writing. Money only ever flows towards you.
Confirm the funds were used
Within 90 days
What you do
For larger awards, send a receipt or short note confirming the money went where you described.
What we do
We close the file. There is nothing to repay, no interest and no effect on your credit record.
Timings are typical rather than guaranteed and can be longer during busy funding rounds. If a step is taking longer than shown, quote your reference number and contact the grants team.
Grant scams use this funder's name
Fraudsters imitate grant programmes because a promise of free money is persuasive. Neither Universal Grant Income nor Northbridge Awards International will ever ask you to pay a processing fee, an insurance charge, a tax deposit, a gift card or cryptocurrency to release a grant, and we never ask for your banking password, PIN or full card number. A grant is paid to you; money never flows the other way.
- Unsolicited approaches on social media offering a guaranteed grant are not from us.
- We do not award grants to people who never applied.
- A decision always arrives in writing, with the criteria it was judged against.
Ready to apply for an individual grant?
Complete the application form and describe the cost you need covered. You will get an automatic email with your reference code confirming we have it, then a written decision once an assessment officer has reviewed your application.