The Chemists’ Community Fund will be closed from mid-day 24 December – 2 January 2025, however, our wellbeing and listening service will still be available during that time.
Challenging times affect us all – but that doesn’t mean you or your family have to manage alone.
The Chemists’ Community Fund is here for all RSC members, and your families – whatever your current circumstances, whatever your path through life so far.
The Chemists’ Community Fund is a completely confidential service. To get in touch, or phone 0800 084 3451 (UK Freephone) or +44 1223 853549 (International).
We're here for you. We're here for your family, too.
Here's how we can support you and your family:
Your mental health
→ Wellbeing and listening service: if you’re feeling stressed, worried or overwhelmed and not sure what to do, we’re here for you. We're here for your family too. This confidential line is open 8am - 8pm Monday to Friday.
→ : it might be a colleague, a friend, a family member, or yourself. We offer support to those with dependency issues in the form of self-help guides and sessions that can be the start of taking back control.
→ Counselling support: knowing that someone is listening can make a big difference to how you feel. Lots of people find counselling invaluable – we can provide a simple self-referral option, to give you or a family member easy access to support when waiting lists or costs are getting in the way of you feeling better.
→ Workshops: we offer a programme of workshops to help you look after your wellbeing and finances.
→ Helping you through bereavement: we can offer guidance and support with the emotions and life changes that come with losing someone. We can connect you to specialist guidance, as well as financial, legal and volunteer support.
Care, carer, housing and equipment support
→ Home adaptations: specialist equipment allows life to be lived to the full, but finding the money for things like stair lifts, ramp installation and changes to your home is not always simple. We can make this easier.
→ Funding for mobility aids: we can offer grants that contribute towards equipment that allows you or a family member to go about your daily lives more easily.
Watch our video for more info:
→ Care home or at home top-up grants: if you or your partner receive local authority funding for care costs and need extra funds, these grants can help you.
Watch our video for more info:
→ Sheltered housing support: if you are looking for sheltered housing or assisted living accommodation, we may be able to help you with securing a housing association home to suit your needs.
→ Funding for respite breaks: we can help cover the costs associated with respite breaks for you or your family.
→ Grants for carers: many of you will be balancing caring responsibilities with a full-time job, and we don’t want anyone to miss out on attending career-building scientific events. You can apply towards the cost of care that you usually provide.
→ Accessibility grants: the opportunity to attend chemistry-related meetings, conferences and workshops should be open to everyone. The accessibility grant provides support towards equipment that means you can attend, additional travel expenses or to allow someone to travel with you.
Autism support
We can refer you to our partners at the National Autistic Society who provide expert advice and help, pre-and post-diagnosis, for you, or for family members including children on the autistic spectrum.
They provide our members with:
- Autism support for children
- e-diagnosis support
- specialist behaviour advice
- becoming a member of the National Autistic Society
- Parent-to-parent support
- Education and exclusions advice
- Transitions support
- e-befriending
Speak to us about autism support
Help with one-off costs
As an RSC member, you can also rely on the Chemists’ Community Fund for a range of financial support for your family too.
This could include helping to cover the cost of a new school uniform purchase, important school equipment or just helping to make ends meet.
Speak to us about what one-off costs we can cover
Health and wellbeing
→ Health contacts: there are lots of ways we can help you with maintaining good health – physically, mentally and emotionally. Ask us about impartial advice, resources and information for your road to recovery.
→ Wellbeing workshops: we run a series of wellbeing workshops to support our members and their family’s needs. Connecting you with experts who can provide knowledge and guidance on complex topics including resilience, work-life balance, managing anxiety and more. .
→ Talking Chemistry World: a CD or USB spoken version of the monthly magazine is available to request if you or a family member find reading the print version difficult.
→ Wellbeing books: if you prefer to research independently, there are books in Burlington House library on a range of different well-being topics. You can either look at these in the library or have them sent out to you.
Our volunteer network
→ Keeping in touch with chemistry: if your current situation is causing you to miss out on developments in your field of the chemical sciences, we can link you up with other RSC members who will keep you connected.
→ Help with applications: we can provide a trained volunteer to help you gather what we need to guide you to the most appropriate form of support if you need that help.
Get in touch
Our support is as unique as your situation.