Professionals Aid Council

Could Professionals Aid Council fund your project? Check fit free. Draft if yes — or shortlist better matches.

Typical grants: £250 – £3,000
Applications: Accepted
How to apply: Online form
Decisions: Monthly

Works for Registered charities, CIOs, CICs and community groups.

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pcac.org.uk

About Professionals Aid Council

The Professionals Aid Council, operating as the Professionals Aid Guild (PAG), is a UK-wide occupational charity that supports professionals and graduates facing financial hardship. Its mission is to relieve poverty and advance education among those with professional qualifications or degrees, particularly when discipline-specific benevolent funds are unavailable. The charity values inclusivity, respect, and compassionate response to individual circumstances. PAG provides direct financial grants to individuals for education-related expenses, training, equipment, transport, and core living costs during hardship. It assists professionals affected by redundancy, illness, disability, family breakdown, or poverty in retirement, and also supports further education and postgraduate study where planned funding has broken down.

What Professionals Aid Council funds

PAG funds the advancement of education for school children of eligible professionals and graduates, covering expenses such as uniforms, travel, and equipment. It also supports further education and postgraduate study, prioritising students whose planned funding has broken down due to circumstances beyond their control after the course started. General assistance grants target the relief of poverty among professionals and graduates, with priority given to those affected by redundancy, illness, disability, family breakdown, or poverty in retirement. Grants can be used for core living costs, training, equipment, transport, and emergency needs. The charity operates across the whole of the UK.

Who can apply

Applications are welcomed directly from individuals who are professionals or graduates, or from statutory, voluntary, or charitable bodies acting on their behalf. Applicants must be permanently resident in the UK and have recourse to public funds or state benefits. Priority is given to those who have already applied to their own occupational benevolent fund and have claimed all benefits they are entitled to. The charity supports individuals at various life stages, including school children, young people in further education, and adults facing hardship in retirement or due to illness or disability.

What Professionals Aid Council doesn't fund

PAG does not fund registered charities, community groups, or any organisations. Grants are for personal needs only and cannot be used for capital projects or organisational costs. Applicants must have sought support from their own occupational benevolent fund first and claimed all eligible state benefits. The charity does not provide match funding or multi-year commitments.

How they like to fund

PAG makes one-off direct financial grants to individuals. It welcomes unsolicited applications directly from individuals or from bodies acting on their behalf. Grants are tailored to individual circumstances and are not renewable. The charity does not require match funding and does not fund organisational projects or core costs for organisations.

How much does Professionals Aid Council give?

Professionals Aid Council runs 3 grant programmes. Every figure below is sourced from their published guidance.

Last verified 8 August 2026 · 50 sourced facts

Children's Education

Online portal

Further EducationOpen to applications

£300 – £750

Online portal
4 rounds a year
Single-year grants

General Assistance (Postgraduate Degree Level)Open to applications

Typically £1,431

Online portal
8 rounds a year
Single-year grants

Those are the published figures. What your charity could realistically get — and whether you'd clear their rules on income, location and legal structure — is what the free fit check answers.

What Professionals Aid Council funds — and what they won't

Their stated priorities

Advancement of education for school children of eligible professionals and graduates.

Where they fund

Costs they'll cover

TrainingEquipmentTransportCore costsEmergency funding

They don't fund

Registered charitiesCIOsCICsCompanies limited by guaranteeUnincorporated associationsTrustSchoolFaith groupsCommunity groupsSocial enterprisesCommunity benefit societies

The full exclusions list (2)

Must have completed at least one term on the course. Must have funding in place. Savings limits apply: less than £6,000 if under pension credit age, less than £10,000 if over. Must have applied to own occupational benevolent fund first.
Savings must be less than £6,000 if under pension credit age, less than £10,000 if over. Must have applied to own occupational benevolent fund first. Must have claimed all benefits entitled to.

Good to know

FaithNo restriction

Focus areas

Poverty & hardshipDisabilityOlder people

How to apply to Professionals Aid Council

Professionals Aid Council takes applications via online form.

Published programme route: online portal.
Decisions are typically monthly.
Check whether your charity is in scope before you spend time on a full bid.

What Professionals Aid Council's application asks

We hold the 8 questions from Professionals Aid Council's application form, word for word — so you know exactly what you're signing up to answer.

Question 1

“Section 1 – Main details of applicants: Make sure all your contact details are accurate to enable us to contact you when necessary.”

Question 2

“Section 3 – Professional and educational background: Give details of ALL employment, both paid and voluntary, for at least the last FIVE years.”

6 more questions from their form, plus answers drafted from your charity's real data if you decide to apply.

How it works

1
Describe your project. Once — used for this funder and others.
2
See if this could be a fit. Honest check on cause, place, size, and rules.
3
Draft if yes. From your real data — or move on if not.

See if Professionals Aid Council could be a fit. Draft if yes.

Frequently asked questions

How much funding does Professionals Aid Council provide?

Professionals Aid Council runs 3 grant programmes — Further Education: £300 – £750 · General Assistance (Postgraduate Degree Level): Typically £1,431.

Where does Professionals Aid Council fund charities?

Professionals Aid Council funds charities operating in UK.

Does Professionals Aid Council accept unsolicited applications?

Professionals Aid Council accepts unsolicited applications from eligible organisations. Current programme status is on this page — do not assume a round is open.

What does Professionals Aid Council not fund?

Their published exclusions include: Must have completed at least one term on the course. Must have funding in place. Savings limits apply: less than £6,000 if under pension credit age, less than £10,000 if over. Must have applied to own occupational benevolent fund first.; Savings must be less than £6,000 if under pension credit age, less than £10,000 if over. Must have applied to own occupational benevolent fund first. Must have claimed all benefits entitled to.. The full exclusions list is further up this page.

How do I apply for funding from Professionals Aid Council?

Professionals Aid Council takes applications via online form. Published programme route: online portal.