Flexible Fund: Frequently asked questions
If your service is eligible to make referrals, this page provides essential information to help you support survivors in accessing financial assistance through the Flexible Fund.
The Flexible Fund offers two streams of support designed to meet survivors’ needs at different stages of their journey: the Flee Fund and the Future Fund. Below, you will find answers to frequently asked questions about the funds, application process and reimbursement.
To request the application form links, please email us at FlexibleFund@womensaid.org.uk
Frequently asked questions
About the fund
Why are only specific organisations able to refer survivors?
For Women’s Aid to be able to administer the fund, it is currently only available to survivors through a referral from:
- one of our over 180 member organisations
- members of Welsh Women’s Aid member organisations in Wales
- services listed on Routes to Support
- A specialist delivery partner
To ensure that any risk of further abuse is minimised (e.g. economic abuse) and to verify the needs of survivors, a specialist domestic abuse practitioner must refer survivors to the fund. Survivors cannot apply to the fund directly.
We have strong research and evaluation mechanisms in place that will help us to assess the reach of the fund. This will help us secure further insight into survivors’ needs and to support the Home Office on potential future funding.
I am concerned about the demographic reach of the fund. What steps have/are being taken to ensure equity of access?
We are committed to responding to the needs of black and minoritised survivors, who we know are disproportionately affected by abuse. The Home Office has worked closely with Women’s Aid to review the eligible services and mapped against known specialist ‘by and for’ services to understand possible reach, as well as engaging with specialist ‘by and for’ services who were not part of previous funding. We will be monitoring this throughout the funds’ dissemination, and capturing data on the distribution of funds as part of learning for future funding. This includes capturing data through our delivery partners.
Is the fund means-tested?
No, the fund is based on individual survivor need.
Will there be further funding after 28th Feb 2025?
This will be confirmed in due course.
About applications
How much can a survivor apply for?
Payments are flexible and tailored to individual needs and circumstances:
- Flee Fund payments range from £250 to £500, in £50 increments.
- Future Fund payments range from £500 to £2,500, in £250 increments.
When can applications be submitted?
- The Flee fund will be open for applications on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10am
- The Future fund will be open for applications on Wednesdays at 10am
To request the application form links, please contact FlexibleFund@womensaid.org.uk
Please note that the application process may close before the stated deadline if all funds have been fully allocated.
What will the application process be?
As part of our ongoing commitment to improving our systems and processes, we have transitioned to a new grant-making system, SurveyMonkey Apply. As a result, we are no longer accepting applications via Microsoft Forms. You will need to Register to SurveyMonkey Apply once you open the link to the application form and submit your application through your new account.
The service or caseworker will apply on behalf of the survivor to the fund. The application form will take approximately 10 minutes and be a simple series of questions about the referrer, demographics of the survivor for monitoring purposes, and their eligibility for the fund. Please ensure you fill in all the fields on the application form unless a question is stated as optional.
For help with managing your account on SurveyMonkey Apply, please refer to the FAQs here:
What do I do if I have a technical problem with my account or submitting an application?
If you experience a technical problem with your account or encounter issues when submitting your application on SurveyMonkey Apply please contact customer support by:
To contact SurveyMonkey Apply’s technical support team, click the ‘Having a technical Issue with this site? Fill in a support request form’ drop down option under the ‘i’ icon in the top bar of your account.
You can then choose from a number of options:
You can use this to let the platform know if it’s navigation, an error, or anything else.
You’ll then be able to select the area of the platform where you’re experiencing an issue:
If you’re having issues during initial set up or around your own account access, select “Accounts”. If you’re working on your application and experiencing issues there, select “Applications” and identify the relevant stage or process to flag with the team.
How do I submit another application?
On the Programs page, under the name of the fund you’re applying to, you should be able to see the number of applications submitted and a green button saying “More >”.
Select “More >” and this will take you back to the program homepage, where you will be able to click “Apply” on the right hand side of the page:
What does it mean when I'm asked to reuse data?
If you’ve already submitted an application, when you go to complete the “Details of Service” section in any applications after that, you will be given the option to reuse data. This means that you won’t have to fill out the name and location of your service, your contact details, and other details that won’t change with each applicant.
You can simply select “Add data” and this will use your previous information, though you’ll still be able to check this and edit any answers.
Which areas are ‘higher cost living areas’ and ‘specialist needs’ for the Future Fund?
As the organisation working directly with the survivor, you are well placed to identify what financial needs the survivor has. We ask that you outline costs in your application such as specialist equipment, rent, deposit and furnishing to support our review of the application.
Can a survivor apply more than once?
Survivors who applied previously for the Flee fund can apply for the Future fund this time round.
Survivors are also able to apply once for both the Flee and Future funds although it is noted that the funds are targeted at different stages in a survivor’s journey so it would not be expected they would apply for both at the same time or in quick succession. This iteration is open for a longer period and therefore it is possible that survivors who required Flee fund money at the start of the funding period, may be ready for the Future fund funding towards the end of the period.
Access limits remain in place: survivors can only access each fund once. For example, someone who has received the Flee fund cannot apply for it again, but they could access the Future fund. Whereas those who have accessed the Future fund may still access the Flee fund. Services will rely on their expertise to advise survivors on what is appropriate in terms of need.
Does the referring organisation need to be working with a survivor to make an application?
The referring organisation needs to be assured that the information they are sharing about the survivor’s needs and eligibility is accurate and that they are able to make the payment directly to the survivor.
How long does it take to approve an application?
We aim to approve applications within five working days, although there may be occasions where we need to contact you for further information.
Is the fund available to survivors in Ireland, and Scotland?
No, only survivors in England and Wales can access this fund.
Can male survivors access the fund?
Yes.
Can I apply for funding to support future survivors my organisation will work with?
Applications must be for named individuals and amounts applied for reflective of their individual circumstances and need.
Can applications be made for children?
Applications can be made by adult survivors for both themselves and their children.
Can survivors with No Recourse Public Funds (NRPF) access the fund?
Yes, survivors with NRPF status are eligible for the fund. However, the fund cannot be used for legal fees. Please be aware if it is it used for legal fees, it may impact their status and other government arrangements.
Can we have a list of the questions on the form so it can be completed with survivor outside of the application opening hours and then entered when applications open?
We will be providing a list of the questions which can be used to help prepare for completing the online referral form. You can request this by emailing us at FlexibleFund@womensaid.org.uk Please note that this form is only a sample, and we cannot to accept applications sent in by email or post. All applications must come through the online application form.
What is the cap for each organisation?
As funds are limited, there is a cap/upper limit to the number of applications each service can apply for each month. The cap for each organisation recognises the following:
- That the size/income of service is not always an indicator of number of survivors supported by a service
- The reach of our specialist delivery partners in the communities/demographics they cover
- The size/geographical spread is a factor
- That smaller and by and for Black and Minoritised services may be small in income size but have higher numbers of survivors/survivors with multiple barriers to support
Please contact our Flexible Fund management team by emailing FlexibleFund@womensaid.org.uk to confirm your organisation’s allocation.
Will all referring organisations be guaranteed their referrals for the Flee and Future fund?
There is no guaranteed allocation for any organisation as applications are reviewed based on available funding. Please be aware that the fund may run out before you reach your ‘cap’, and that *the term ‘cap’ does not guarantee the full capped number of applications will be approved but indicates how many successful applications your organisation could have, dependent on funding.
About payments and invoicing
Do funds go to the applying organisation or the survivor?
Funds go to the applying organisation.
How does the reimbursement process work?
Once your application is approved, you will receive a decision notification instructing you to pay the survivor the approved amount. You will also be asked to submit an invoice to us by a specified deadline. Upon receipt, we will review the invoice details before our finance team processes the payment. The payment run date will be confirmed in the email acknowledging receipt of your invoice, and the payment will be credited on that date.
What evidence do you need to see of what the survivor uses the fund for?
We do not need to see receipts or evidence of spend but may ask to discuss this with you as part of our learning about the fund. We do require you to provide us with the date the survivor received the funds so we can monitor this and streamline the process if required for future funds. Sharing this date is a requirement of funding.
Why do we have to pay the survivor and then claim the money back?
The essence of this fund is being able to get the money to survivors as soon as possible, this means that we ask you to pay the survivor as soon as their application is approved. Due to the number of services that will make applications to this fund, we cannot administratively dispense this fund to services upon each application or make payments in advance of application. The payment schedule will be sent out via email each month.
How can we pay survivors?
It is up to the referring service to agree the most appropriate and safe method of transferring funds to the survivor through cash, bank transfer or voucher.
Will receiving money from the fund affect the survivor’s benefits?
We cannot guarantee that receipt of the fund will not interfere with any existing benefits. We have allowed the grant to be disseminated by the service in the form that best meets the needs of a survivor, including in voucher form. The service will take this decision based on its own assessment of the survivor’s needs and financial circumstances.
What do I need to include on my invoice?
Your invoice should be made to Women’s Aid Federation of England and must include:
- The unique application reference
- Payment amount being reclaimed
- Your organisation’s bank name
- Your organisation’s account number
- Your organisation’s sort code
Survivor names must not be included to ensure compliance with Data Protection Regulations.
Can I provide the survivor’s bank details on the invoice?
No, Women’s Aid can only make payment to those authorised to make referrals and not direct to the survivor or any other body. Therefore, please ensure that it is your organisation’s bank details provided on the invoice.
Can I include the survivor’s name on the invoice?
No. To comply with Data Protection Regulations, please carefully double-check and ensure that any survivor names are removed from your invoice before submitting them to us for reimbursement. Only the unique application number should be included.
Unfortunately, we will be unable to process invoices that include survivor names.
Can I include multiple applications on one invoice?
Yes, you may include multiple payments in one invoice if you have successful applications for more than one survivor.
If you have questions not covered here, please feel free to contact our team for further assistance at FlexibleFund@womensaid.org.uk.
