Helping people to shape their lives
What is the Lightning Reach portal?
Lightning Reach is a free financial support portal which makes it easy for people to find and apply for a wide range of personalised support in one place. This can include grants, benefits, help with their bills and other vital resources. It features over 2,500 support schemes including grants from charities, local council funding and support with utility bills including social tariffs. You can see a summary of the current support providers here and new support schemes are continually being added.
Some providers accept applications directly through the Lightning Reach portal, which allows individuals to use the information they’ve filled in across multiple partners. Other organisations accept applications from their own websites.
Once someone completes a profile, they will be able to see available support they may be eligible for in one place, get updated when more support is added, and apply for multiple sources of support directly through the portal.
Who can use the Lightning Reach portal?
Anyone in the UK who needs financial support to help pay for an unaffordable or unexpected cost (e.g. food/utility bills, disability adaptations, replacement furniture/white goods) can be signposted to use the portal.
How can I use the Lightning Reach portal?
Individuals can complete a profile by answering a simple 10–15-minute questionnaire to quickly see a range of support they are eligible for, and then apply for support directly. If you are a support worker, you can signpost your clients to try the portal, or register for support worker access to complete a profile on their behalf.
You can read more about Lightning Reach's Impact in their Summary document by clicking on the image below:
