Cost of Living Fund

You must be a leukaemia, myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) patient, or applying for a patient with one of these diagnoses above the age of 18. This includes: 

Patients with leukaemia, myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) that are currently undergoing treatment, chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) patients on ‘watch and wait’, or chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) patients undergoing treatment-free remission.

Families of patients with leukaemia, myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) that are currently undergoing treatment, chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) patients on ‘watch and wait’, or chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) patients undergoing treatment-free remission.

We can only accept applications from those 18 years old or above, or from those who are applying on behalf of someone above the age of 18.

If you have been a previous recipient of the Leukaemia Care Financial Hardship Fund, CAR-T Away From Home Fund, or the Leukaemia Care Hospital Travel Fund (receiving a grant in 2021 or before), you may not be eligible to receive the Cost of Living Fund; however, please contact us for additional support on 08088 010 444.

One grant per family and grants cannot be applied for retrospectively.

Applications will be considered on a first-come, first-served basis until the service has been depleted.

One grant per family and grants cannot be applied for retrospectively. Please see the tab below on ‘What can the Cost of Living Fund be used for?’ for more information. 

How to apply

We are only taking applications via our online form here.

If you are unable to apply yourself online, please contact our helpline on 08088 010 444 and a member of the team can complete your application over the phone. 

When applying online, please remember: 

• We will not ask you for any bank details. If you are successful we will contact you directly for these.
• We will still require a copy of a letter from your consultant confirming your diagnosis (scan and/or photocopies are acceptable). When your application form has been received we will email you for this

If you have any queries about the fund or how to complete the application form, please call the Leukaemia Care helpline on 08088 010 444.

The one-off grant of £150 can be used for any of the following but is not exhausted to: 

• Travel expenses such as bus tickets, train tickets, fuel, car maintenance, parking fees and taxi fares.
• Ongoing increase in food costs
• Utilities such as gas, electricity, or water.
• Internet access

1. We will acknowledge receipt of your application
2. Your application will be assessed by the Patient Advocacy team
3. You can expect a decision within 10 working days of Leukaemia Care assessing your application
4. All applicants will be informed of the outcome of their application by email or post
5. Successful applicants will also be contacted by phone to discuss next steps
6. We may ask you to confirm your bank details by providing a paying-in slip or the top half of your bank statement

Your application will only be assessed if:

• You meet all of the eligibility criteria
• All parts of the application form are fully completed
• There are funds remaining within the Cost of Living with Leukaemia Fund

What can I expect if my application is successful?

If you are successful, we will ask you for feedback on receipt of the grant, to allow Leukaemia Care to measure the impact of the service on people affected by a diagnosis of leukaemia, MDS or MPN. We will also contact you to see if we can help with anything else. Leukaemia Care has a dedicated benefits advisor and an advocacy officer who can help with accessing further grants or with other issues resulting from the diagnosis, such as time off work.

What happens if my application is unsuccessful? 

We are sorry your application has been unsuccessful. This is likely due to one of two reasons; either you do not meet the eligibility criteria or, the Financial Hardship Fund has been exhausted due to high demand. We will contact you to see if we can help in another way.

I am a support worker or social worker, can I apply on behalf of my patients?

You are welcome to support the patient to complete the forms. However, we only accept applications that have the contact details of the patient on the form; we do not accept applications, where the only contact details supplied, are those of the support worker.

Your application will only be assessed if:

• You meet all of the eligibility criteria
• All parts of the application form are fully completed
• There are funds remaining within the Cost of Living Fund for distribution

What you can expect if your application is successful

We will ask you for feedback on receipt of the grant, to allow Leukaemia Care to measure the impact of the service on people affected by a diagnosis of leukaemia, MDS or MPN. We will also contact you to see if we can help with anything else. Leukaemia Care has a dedicated benefits advisor and an advocacy officer who can help with accessing further grants or with other issues resulting from the diagnosis such as time off work.

If your application is unsuccessful

We are sorry your application has been unsuccessful. This is likely due to one of two reasons; either you do not meet the eligibility criteria or, the Cost of Living Fund has been exhausted due to high demand. We will contact you to see if we can help in another way.

Confidentiality

Your personal information will only be used for the purposes of assessing your application and if successful, to administer payment and to evidence the impact of the service on you.