Under the Society’s Royal Charter we can only support women who are:

• Aged 50 years or over;
• Have been living in Scotland for at least two years;
• Are single – in other words not (or no longer) legally married (or in a civil partnership) nor living with a partner.  If you have been married (or in a civil partnership) in the past, your most recent spouse will either have died, or you must either be divorced or have a formal separation agreement.  Please see here for more details; 
• Have total savings and capital of £16,000 or less.  This does not include the value of your home if you own it, but it does include money in your bank accounts AND the value of any other property or investments you own.  Please see here for more details; 
• Be living on a low income.  The Society has a limit of £14,200 per annum (in 2023/24) as the maximum "Qualifying Income" a person can have to receive our support.  Please see here for more details; 

Please note, meeting these eligibility criteria does not by itself mean that the Society will provide you with support.  Support from the Society is at the discretion of our Trustees and there is a limit to the number of women we can support.  For this reason, we also ask applicants to show they:

• have a background of personal achievement in their life; self-reliance or perseverance in the face of adversity or health problems; consideration of others whether through voluntary or community work, or looking after family members who required care; and / or
• are looking for support to overcome a difficult period of change; or to make positive changes in their lives.

Please also note:

• The Society does not provide support if someone is living in a nursing or residential care home;
• The Society is likely to decline support to someone who has significant debts UNLESS there is evidence that the person is taking active steps to manage and/or reduce these.