The grant application is a two-stage process. You will first be asked to complete an initial application form (Form 1), which will help us decide whether your request may be eligible for support from the Snowdon Trust. The initial application form will be open from 14 September at 2pm to 14 October 2026 at 2pm.
If your application is shortlisted, we will contact you within 15 working days through the application portal and ask for supporting evidence (Form 2). You will be asked to submit Form 2 within two weeks of receiving this request.
Before applying
Here is a checklist of actions to complete before applying:
- Check your eligibility here.
- Check what you can and can’t apply for here.
- Apply for all relevant statutory support. This could include Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA), local authority funding and NHS services where applicable, as well as reasonable adjustments offered by your university. Even if you know you are unlikely to receive the right support from statutory sources, applying for support establishes a record of need and evidence that you have explored other options.
- Prepare your application. Read the Form 1 section below to find out what questions you’ll be asked in the initial application, and the Form 2 section to read what evidence you will be asked for depending on your grant request type. You can use this to prepare your application and ensure you have all the required evidence.
Form 1: Initial application form
You must complete all sections of the application form unless otherwise specified. You will not need to upload any documents at this stage.
- Full Name
- Pronouns (optional)
- Address
- Date of birth
- Name of university or educational institution
- Qualification type (BA, MSc, PhD, Level 4 etc)
- Name of course
- Course offer status (currently studying, received an offer, not yet received an offer)
- Total course length
- Which year of your course you are applying for the grant for
- Intensity of study (full-time, part-time etc)
- Course mode (in-person, hybrid, online)
- Whether you are classified as a UK home fee paying student
- Please tell us why you chose this course and how you hope it will support your future goals, ambitions or career plans [max 200 words]
- Please select the category that best describes your disability, condition, long-term illness, learning difference, or combination of these. Choose one of the following options:
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- A learning difference (e.g. dyslexia, dyspraxia, or AD(H)D)
- A visual impairment uncorrected by glasses (e.g. blindness or partial sight)
- A hearing impairment (e.g. D/deafness or partial hearing)
- A physical impairment or challenges with mobility (e.g. climbing stairs or uneven surfaces), or dexterity (e.g. using a keyboard or laboratory equipment)
- A social, behavioural or communication impairment (e.g. an autistic spectrum condition or Tourette’s Syndrome)
- A long-term illness or health condition which may involve pain or cause fatigue, loss of concentration or breathing difficulties – including any effects from taking associated medications.
- Two or more conditions or impairments
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- What is your disability or disabilities? A one-word diagnosis or simple description will suffice. [max 100 words]
- What challenges or barriers to study are you experiencing because of your disability or access needs? [max 500 words] This could include barriers with accessing your campus or study spaces, technological barriers, challenges accessing course materials, or any other disability-related barrier which is having a detrimental impact on your ability to study.
- Please select the category of adjustment you wish to apply for. You can only select one:
- Accessible accommodation
- Accommodation for a personal assistant or carer
- Travel
- Non-medical helper (NMH) human support
- Equipment, including assistive technology and ergonomic support
- Mobility, including wheelchairs and power-assists
If you are requesting mobility equipment, see Section D: Grant request (mobility equipment only).
If you are requesting any other grant type, you will be asked:
- Please enter the grant amount you are requesting in GBP (up to £5,000)
- What is this funding for? Please specify the product(s) or service. [max 200 words]
- Why do you need this support and how will it help you to access and participate in your studies? [max 200 words]
- Have you applied for Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA)?
- If yes: Please explain what the outcome of your application was, and why the support offered by DSA does not meet your needs [max 200 words]
- If no: Please explain why you have not applied for DSA [max 200 words]
- Who else have you approached for support, and what were the outcomes? This may include your educational institution or your Local Authority. [max 200 words]
- Do you receive any other types of financial support?
If you are requesting mobility equipment (including manual and power wheelchairs, mobility scooters and power-assist add-ons), you will be asked:
- Why do you need mobility equipment and how will this improve your access to your studies? [max 200 words]
- Have you ever been referred for support from your Local NHS Wheelchair Service?
- If you have not been referred to your Local NHS Wheelchair Service: Please pursue a referral to your Local NHS Wheelchair Service. You can approach your GP for this, or in some areas you can self-refer.
- If you have been referred to your Local NHS Wheelchair Service: What stage of assessment are you at?
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- If you are waiting for an equipment assessment or an initial appointment: How long is your waiting time estimated to be?
- If you already had an equipment assessment or already received equipment: Have you used a Personal Wheelchair Budget towards the cost of your new wheelchair? If you have, please tell us about your Personal Wheelchair Budget.
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You can find out more about being referred to NHS wheelchair services here: NHS wheelchair support: FAQs – WhizzKidz.
You can find out more about Personal Wheelchair Budgets here: NHS England – Personal wheelchair budgets.
We ask the following questions to help us understand who is applying to our programmes, the barriers they face, and the impact our support can have.
This information helps inform our research, advocacy and wider work across the higher education and disability sectors.
Your answers will not affect the outcome of your application. Any information you provide will be treated confidentially and analysed anonymously for reporting purposes, so individuals cannot be identified.
- What was the main reason you applied for a Snowdon Trust grant?
- How much impact would receiving a grant award have on your ability to engage with your studies?
- Gender
- Ethnic group
- Were you ever eligible for free school meals?
- Were you the first in your family to attend university/higher education?
- If you would like to elaborate on any of your answers above, or provide any additional information, please use the text box below [max 200 words]
How did you find out about the Snowdon Trust? (multiple choice or explain in your own words)
You will be asked to confirm that you understand and agree to our data use agreement, as follows:
- We may use information from your application in anonymised form, to help us understand who we support, measure the impact of our funding, improve our programmes and support fundraising.
- We will not share information that could identify you publicly without your permission.
- If your application progresses to the next stage, we may share relevant information with organisations or professionals who help us assess and manage grants, such as independent clinical specialists or specialist suppliers.
- If you receive a grant, we may share updates about your journey with the Snowdon Trust volunteers, Trustees and funders, who support our work.
- For more information about how we collect, use and store your data, please read our Privacy Notice.
Form 2: Supporting information
All shortlisted applicants will need to submit evidence. We will contact you through the application portal to confirm which documents you need to submit. Please read each question carefully and upload the documents requested. Your application will not be considered if you do not provide all the supporting information required.
Please upload one document for each of the following:
- Proof of your disability or health condition. This could be a letter, report or assessment from a healthcare professional or another official source.
- Proof of your course offer or enrolment. This could be an offer letter, student status certificate or another official document from your educational institution confirming your place on the course.
- Proof of your UK home fee status. This could be a document from your student funding body (e.g. Student Finance England or Student Awards Agency Scotland) or an official document from your educational institution.
Please ensure each document you upload is a complete document, ideally in PDF format. Photos or screenshots of part of a document are not sufficient.
You will be asked to complete this section if you selected accessible accommodation as your grant request type in Form 1.
You will be asked to submit one document for each of the following:
- Evidence of your rent amount. This could be a tenancy agreement, accommodation contract, email from your accommodation provider, or information on their website.
- Evidence of the cost of comparable accommodation. This must be similar accommodation that you could reasonably choose if you did not require accommodation that meets your disability-related needs. This enables us to calculate the additional disability-related cost. Information can come from an accommodation provider or online source.
If you will be living in privately rented accommodation, you will be asked to submit one document for each of the following:
- Your Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) Needs Assessment Report. Please upload a complete copy of your report.
- You may also need to provide additional DSA evidence. We expect evidence that DSA has considered whether it can provide support for disability-related accommodation costs. Where this is clearly referenced in the DSA Needs Assessment Report, no further evidence is required. If accommodation costs are not referenced in the report, please provide evidence that you asked DSA to consider your additional accommodation charges due to your disability-related accommodation costs and the outcome of your request.
You can read our guidance on applying for accommodation support through DSA here: DSA accommodation support.
If you will be living in university-owned accommodation, you will be asked to submit the following:
- Evidence of your request for support from your institution. This must be a letter or email confirming whether they can apply a discount or waiver to your additional accommodation charges due to your disability-related accommodation requirements.
You will be asked to complete this section if you selected accommodation for a personal assistant (PA) or carer as your grant request type in Form 1.
You will be asked to submit one document for each of the following:
- Evidence of your PA’s accommodation costs. This could be an invoice, tenancy agreement, accommodation contract, or email from your accommodation provider. Please ensure it is clear that the cost relates to the additional room(s) or accommodation required for your PA.
- Evidence of your request for support from your Local Authority. This must be a letter or email confirming whether any funding, contribution, or other support is available towards your PA’s accommodation costs whilst you are studying.
If you will be living in university-owned accommodation, you will also be asked to submit the following:
- Evidence of your request for support from your institution. This must be a letter or email confirming whether they can apply a discount or waiver to your PA’s accommodation charges due to your disability-related accommodation requirements.
You will be asked to complete this section if you selected travel as your grant request type in Form 1.
You will be asked to submit one document for each of the following:
- Evidence of your accessible travel costs. This could be receipts, quotations, invoices or information from an online source showing the cost of the travel you require because of your disability or access needs.
- Evidence of the cost of the same journey using standard public transport. This enables us to calculate the additional disability-related cost. This can include screenshots, journey planners or information from a transport provider.
- Evidence of your request for support from your institution. This must be a letter or email confirming whether they can provide a contribution towards your additional travel costs due to your disability-related travel requirements.
- Your Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) Needs Assessment Report. Please upload a complete copy of your report.
- You may also need to provide additional DSA evidence. We expect evidence that DSA has considered whether it can provide support for disability-related travel costs. Where this is clearly referenced in the DSA Needs Assessment Report, no further evidence is required. If travel costs are not referenced in the report, please provide evidence that you asked DSA to consider your additional disability-related travel costs and the outcome of your request.
You can read our guidance on applying for travel support through DSA here: DSA travel support.
You will be asked to complete this section if you selected non-medical helper support as your grant request type in Form 1.
You will be asked to submit one document for each of the following:
- Evidence of the estimated cost of your non-medical help support. This should show the hourly rate and the total number of hours required, where available.
- Your Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) Needs Assessment Report. Please upload a complete copy of your report.
If the support you have requested would normally be funded by Disabled Students’ Allowance, you will also be asked to submit the following:
- Evidence of your request to DSA. Please provide evidence that you have asked DSA to consider funding your full non-medical help costs and the outcome of your request.
If the support you have requested would normally be provided by your university or college, you will also be asked to submit the following:
- Evidence of your request for support from your institution. This must be a letter or email confirming whether they can provide support with your non-medical help costs due to your disability-related study requirements.
You will be asked to complete this section if you selected equipment as your grant request type in Form 1.
You will be asked to submit:
- Evidence of the cost of the equipment you need. This could be a quotation, invoice or details from a supplier’s website.
If the equipment you have requested would normally be funded by Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA), you will also be asked to submit the following:
- Your Disabled Students’ Allowance Needs Assessment Report. Please ensure this is a complete copy of your report.
- Evidence of your request to DSA. Please provide evidence that you have asked DSA to consider your disability related equipment costs and the outcome of your request.
If the equipment you have requested would normally be provided by your university or college, you will also be asked to submit the following:
- Evidence of your request for support from your institution. This must be a letter or email confirming whether they can provide support with your additional equipment costs due to your disability-related study requirements.
You will be asked to complete this section if you selected mobility as your grant request type in Form 1.
This section asks for information about you, your equipment and the environments you use every day. An independent clinical specialist will use this information as part of your assessment and may discuss it with you in more detail.
You can find out more about our enhanced mobility grants programme here.
About you
- What is your height (in cm)?
- What is your weight (in kg)?
- What is your depth measurement? – please measure from the base of your back to the back of your knees, in cm
- What is your seat width measurement? (hip to hip, in cm)
- Tell us about your mobility. How far can you walk, and do you use any mobility aids?
- Tell us about how you transfer. Do you transfer independently, use a sliding board/transfer board, or any other aids?
- Do you have any postural support needs or concerns?
- Do you have any pressure care needs or concerns?
- Is there anything else you would like us to know about your mobility or support needs?
About your equipment
- Do you currently have a wheelchair?
If you do have a wheelchair, you will be asked the following:
- What is the make and model of your wheelchair?
- What is the seat size?
- Who provided the wheelchair?
- If the wheelchair was provided by the NHS, please provide the name of the NHS Trust that supplied the equipment. We may need you to obtain permission to modify your existing equipment. If this is required, your clinical specialist will explain the proceess.
- Is there anything else you would like us to know about your mobility or support needs?
About your environment
- Please tell us about your living environment. Include details of where you live and where you will store and/or charge your equipment, if applicable.
- Please tell us about your university environment. Include any information about accessing building, lecture spaces, laboratories, placements or other course-related activities.
- Do you use a car that your wheelchair or equipment must fit into? If not, please tell us about your usual mode of transport.
- Is there anything else you would like us to know about your environment
- Please attach a document relating to your Local NHS Wheelchair Service, as advised in your invitation message.
This is an opportunity to provide any information or feedback not already included in your application.
- Further information. If there is anything else you would like us to know about your application or the documents you have provided, please use the space below [300 words]
- Feedback. We welcome feedback on our guidance and application process. If you would like to share any comments, positive or negative, please use the space below. [300 words]
