For carers

Time to Live grants for unpaid carers

Fife Voluntary Action works with partners across Fife to support unpaid carers, and facilitate the Carers Providers Forum. We manage a small grants schemes that awards funding to carers to enable them to take a short break from their caring responsibilities. We also operate the Respitality project in Fife.

Apply for a Time to Live grant

Time to Live Fund 2026-27

Open for applications - closes on Thursday 25 February 2027, or sooner if the fund is fully committed before then, so please apply as early as you can. You can apply for up to £500.

Tell us who you are and we e-mail you a link to your application. You fill it in through that link, a bit at a time if you want, and it saves as you go.

Apply, or continue an application

This fund is available thanks to Scottish Government through Shared Care Scotland, and Fife Health and Social Care Partnership.

Time to Live

Are you a carer in need of a break?
Do you live in Fife?

Or:

Are you a young carer (caring for children or adults)?

Unpaid carers in Fife can get up to £500 to help them get a break from their caring commitments.

What is the definition of an 'adult carer'?

An adult carer is defined as a person who provides for another person - but not: (i) if this is only because of that person's age (where they are under 18); or (ii) if you are caring because you have a contract or as voluntary work. A carer can be caring for someone for any number of hours and does not need to be providing a substantial amount of care for someone on a regular basis.
Source: Carer's Charter, Scottish Government (March 2018)

What is the definition of a 'young carer'?

A 'young carer' is a carer (as defined above) who is: (i) under the age of 18; or (ii) 18 or over, but still attending school.
Source: Carer's Charter, Scottish Government (March 2018)

How can I find out about short breaks?

Shared Care Scotland has a national directory of short breaks. This can help with ideas and demonstrating the different options that exist for Carers.

About Time To Live Funding

The Scottish Government has made this funding available (through Shared Care Scotland) to help support and sustain carers (including young carers and kinship carers) through enabling better access to short breaks or respite care. Locally, Fife's Health and Social Care Partnership provides additional funding, allowing us to increase the number of carers we can support. The Fund will be used to help develop existing, new and innovative models of short breaks which will help to support current and future provision of short breaks and respite care. The funding is designed to support a 'preventative' approach to short break provision, recognising the importance of planned breaks in promoting good health and wellbeing for carers and those they care for.

Time to Live Funding has the following aims:

Carers and those they care for will have improved physical and emotional wellbeing
Carers will have more opportunity to live a life outside of caring
Carers will be better able to keep going with their caring roles
Carers with little support will have more opportunity to access breaks.

The funding can help with a range of costs associated with short breaks, including transport, accommodation, leisure activities and supported holidays. Applications can be for amounts up to £500.

The majority of the funding for our unpaid carers grants comes from Shared Care Scotland.