Margaret De Sousa-Deiro Fund

The Margaret de Sousa-Deiro Fund, also known as Margaret's Fund, is a longstanding UK charity established in 1913 and registered with the Charity Commission since 1962. Its core mission is to provide compassionate, practical financial relief to women in the UK facing illness and poverty, originally targeting pulmonary tuberculosis but now encompassing any physical or mental health condition that exacerbates financial hardship. Grounded in values of public benefit, non-bureaucratic support, and empowerment for historically disadvantaged women, the fund prioritizes direct aid to improve wellbeing, rehabilitation, and quality of life through small, targeted interventions at crisis points.

It funds one-off emergency grants for essential needs arising from illness, such as utility arrears, household adaptations, specialist equipment, transport, clothing, respite care, or convalescent breaks, with a thematic emphasis on the intersection of women's health (especially respiratory issues) and poverty. Beneficiaries are women of all ages across the UK—England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland—whose needs are evidenced by professionals; the fund supports individuals exclusively, not organizations or projects.

Applications must come from recognized professionals like social workers, NHS staff, doctors, or charities via an online form on margaretsfund.org; direct individual applications are ineligible, and there are no income thresholds, size requirements, or geographic restrictions within the UK. Grants typically range from £200 to £500, awarded on a rolling basis with no deadlines or fixed meetings, emphasizing swift decisions.

Distinctively, the fund avoids core organizational funding, statutory alternatives, or non-essential uses, standing out as a specialist, gender-focused, needs-led grantmaker with nationwide reach, streamlined processes, and unwavering commitment to overlooked women in health-related hardship.