Educational Institute of Scotland Benevolent Funds

The Educational Institute of Scotland Benevolent Funds embody union solidarity and compassion, providing financial relief and practical support to educators facing personal crises, rooted in a founding commitment to uphold the wellbeing and dignity of Scottish teachers, lecturers, and their dependants. Core values of fairness, confidentiality, individualised assessment, and responsive intervention drive needs-led grantmaking, prioritising prudent stewardship to sustain long-term mutual aid within the education sector. Their impact philosophy centres on rapid crisis alleviation, preventing destitution through tailored aid that fosters resilience amid hardship.

They target financial hardship support for EIS members, former members, retired teachers, lecturers, and dependants including widows, widowers, and families experiencing unexpected illness, long-term health problems, bereavement, sudden income loss, or detrimental financial changes. Interventions include emergency grants for day-to-day living costs, urgent payments averting utility disconnection, rent arrears, eviction, salary arrestment, or homelessness, and assistance with basic household necessities during prolonged sick leave, health-related poverty, or family crises. Support emphasises person-centred responses to acute distress, chronic illness impacts, income shocks, and personal emergencies unique to education professionals, delivering immediate relief to maintain living standards, prevent family breakdown, and enable recovery without institutional barriers.

Exclusions encompass projects, organisational costs, capital grants, or non-emergency needs, focusing solely on individual hardship relief rather than programmatic or communal initiatives. Distinctive priorities favour Scottish educators and dependants in health crises, bereavement, or professional misfortune, with union-embedded rapid-response, confidential aid differentiating from general welfare funds. Their niche lies in educator-specific safety nets, valuing member-funded sustainability, repeated support for long-term illness or deceased members' families, and a philosophy of dignified, equitable intervention for those sustaining Scottish education.