From fresh uniforms to packed lunch essentials, the back-to-school shop can quickly add up and leave parents hundreds of pounds out of pocket before the term has even started. To help families manage the costs, GroceryAid is bringing back its popular School Essentials Grant with £1 million available in total – and best of all, it’s free cash so doesn’t have to be paid back.

The grant offers £150 per school-age child, for up to three children per household, helping families with the cost of everything from school shoes and stationery to PE kits and backpacks.

Save the date

To receive a grant, GroceryAid - the charity providing a wide range of financial, emotional and practical support to grocery workers - is urging people to save the date and get prepared ahead of the launch. Applications open at 9am on Tuesday 2 June 2026, and as part of the eligibility criteria, applicants must be working in the grocery industry and have done so for six months or more.

The application window will stay open until 5pm on Thursday 4 June 2026, giving families three days to complete their application and upload supporting documents.

Supported by The Leverhulme Trade Charities Trust, the grant is available to people working across the grocery industry, one of the UKs biggest employers - including supermarkets, wholesalers, manufacturers, suppliers, convenience stores and independent retailers.

Successful applicants will be chosen at random from those who meet the eligibility criteria and have supplied the correct documentation.

We know the summer holidays can be stressful. For families who are already juggling childcare and rising household costs, the back-to-school shop is a big expense.

We hope the School Essentials Grant can help ease some of that pressure for those working in grocery who do so much to keep supermarket shelves stocked and the nation fed, while giving children a confident start to the new school year. This is the helping hand grocery workers have earned.

To be in with a chance of benefitting from the grant, save the application window date and get ahead by preparing everything you need to apply now.

Previous recipients added:

“We have three children at secondary school; the grants mean they can all have good quality footwear for winter, new uniforms, and the summer holiday won't be ruined by us parents watching the pennies.”

“This makes such a huge difference to me. My daughter's feet grown an extra size every time I look at them.”

“The struggles at the moment are very real. To have an amazing bit of extra help that I did not expect, will without a doubt, help immensely.”

The School Essentials Grant is just one of the grants that GroceryAid offers. Subject to eligibility, the charity also provides financial grants to help those struggling to make ends meet due to a wide range of reasons. This includes grants to help ease the pressure of an unexpected drop in income or if a traumatic event or relationship breakdown is causing a financial crisis. Last year GroceryAid provided over £4.6m in financial grants to help those working in grocery.

Hemsworth adds, “Even if you aren’t successful with your School Essentials Grant application, you may still be eligible for another financial grant from GroceryAid to provide relief in tough times. It’s well worth applying; there’s absolutely no cost so there’s nothing to lose.

“Wider support is also available for the family such as family counselling and funded counselling for children and young people, all completely free and confidential.”

For more information and to apply, visit: https://www.groceryaid.org.uk/finances/school-essentials-grant/