Handicapped Childrens Action Group

Handicapped Childrens Action Group (HCAG), a registered UK charity founded in 1988 and formally registered in 1992, is dedicated to providing specialist equipment for children under 16 with disabilities, learning difficulties, or special needs from low-income families unable to access it via the NHS or afford it privately. Originating from grassroots fundraising to help a single child, HCAG's ethos emphasizes compassion, fairness, and practical support to promote independence, mobility, social inclusion, and normal childhood experiences, prioritizing genuine need over benefit status and filling gaps in statutory provision.

The charity exclusively funds capital purchases of disability equipment, such as mobility aids (trikes, wheelchairs), communication devices, and supportive furniture, targeting individual children across the UK to enhance daily life, inclusion, and well-being where other resources fall short. Beneficiaries are primarily families—often working households facing high care costs—referred by professionals or applying directly, with a focus on complex needs unmet elsewhere.

Eligible applicants include families, professionals, or small grassroots organizations with no geographic restrictions (UK-wide) or formal income thresholds, though rigorous means-testing of family finances is required. Typical grants range from £500 to £3,000. Unsolicited applications are accepted rolling via downloadable form emailed or posted with medical/financial evidence; trustees review quarterly (decisions within 1-3 months). HCAG does not fund unrestricted support, core costs, projects, revenue, capacity building, or statutory-available items, distinguishing itself through its singular equipment focus, nuanced support for "just above threshold" families, low-overhead model, and direct, person-centered gap-filling for severely disabled children.