Grants

Version 2.0

One of our missions is to provide financial support to individuals and families struggling with male infertility, ensuring equitable access to fertility testing, specialist consultations, and treatment options such as IVF and ICSI. We aim to alleviate the financial burden and help those in need achieve their dreams of starting or growing their families.

Grant coverage

Grants can be given to cover:

1. Diagnostic testing: male fertility diagnostic testing, including but not limited to semen analysis, hormonal testing, and genetic testing.
2. Specialist consultations: initial and follow-up consultations with urologists or fertility specialists, particularly for evaluations of male infertility and treatment planning.
3. Assisted reproductive technologies (ART): partial or full costs of fertility treatments addressing male infertility, including IVF and ICSI procedures.

Funding amounts will be based on available resources and will typically cover the full costs of the specified services.

Eligibility criteria

To qualify for funding, applicants must meet the following requirements:

1. Residency: applicants must live in the United Kingdom, and be UK citizens or have the legal right to live in the UK.
2. Age: applicants must be aged 21 to 40 at the time of application. The trustees have set this age range to target limited funds where diagnosis and treatment are most likely to be effective, and keep it under review against clinical evidence. Treating clinics also apply their own clinical criteria, including in relation to a female partner’s age, in line with NICE guidance.
3. Medical eligibility: applicants may be required to provide documentation from a licensed medical professional confirming a diagnosis of male infertility, including but not limited to:
   • low sperm count;
   • poor sperm motility;
   • obstructive azoospermia; or
   • non-obstructive azoospermia.
   Couples with unexplained infertility, where male fertility issues cannot be ruled out, may also apply.
4. Treatment readiness: applicants must show readiness for fertility treatment, including having completed required consultations with fertility specialists or urologists.
5. Non-duplication of funding: applicants must not have received funding from other charities or programmes for the same fertility treatment, testing, or consultations.
6. Partner criteria: our grants are delivered through partners in the industry (such as Gaia Fertility) who maintain their own eligibility criteria, which applicants must also meet.
7. Conflicts of interest: trustees and advisers of Swimmers, and their connected persons, are not eligible to apply.

Grant selection criteria

Funding decisions will be made based on a mixture of the following criteria:

1. First come, first served: applications will be reviewed in the order they are received, provided they meet all eligibility requirements.
2. Age priority: while all applicants between 21 and 40 are eligible, priority may be given to those aged 30 to 40, where time pressure may be more sensitive.
3. Severity of diagnosis: higher priority may be given to applicants with severe or complex male infertility diagnoses, as determined by a medical professional.
4. Previous attempts: applicants who have not previously received grants, or have had limited access to fertility treatment or specialist consultations, may be prioritised.
5. Supportive documentation: applications with complete and well-documented medical records may be processed more quickly and thoroughly.
6. Parental history: applicants who are not already parents may be funded ahead of those who already are.

Application process

1. Submission: applications can be submitted online or by post, with all required documents, including:
   • proof of UK residence and right to live in the UK;
   • medical diagnosis; and
   • a personal statement outlining the need for support.
2. Review: applications are reviewed on a rolling basis by a grants committee of at least two trustees who have no conflict of interest in the application. Where needed, we may seek clinical advice from our clinical advisers, who keep applicants’ information confidential. Decisions are communicated as soon as possible, and recorded with the reasons for them.
3. Funding disbursement: successful applicants will not have funding paid directly to them. It will either be:
   • paid directly to a service provider; or
   • paid to one of our partners, who in turn will supply or arrange the testing, treatment, consultation, or other service covered by our grants.

Grants are only awarded when the full amount is available.

Your information

Applications contain sensitive information about health and relationships. We collect only what we need, keep it secure, share it only with the partners and providers involved in delivering a grant (with the applicant’s agreement), and keep it only as long as necessary, in line with our privacy policy.

Monitoring outcomes

To understand the difference our grants make, we may ask grant recipients, and with their consent the clinics and partners involved, whether treatment went ahead and what the outcome was. This information is kept confidential. We only report it to funders or the public in anonymised form.

Wellbeing and safeguarding

We know that applying for help, and going through diagnosis and treatment, can be very hard. We will point applicants to sources of emotional support, including when an application is unsuccessful or treatment does not work. If we have concerns about anyone’s safety, we will follow our Safeguarding Policy, and we may pause a grant where going ahead could put someone at risk.

Honesty and fraud

Swimmers never charges a fee to apply for or receive a grant. If an application contains information that is knowingly false or misleading, we may withdraw the grant, recover any money paid, and report the matter to the police.

Sharing stories

We are always grateful when people choose to share their experiences, but this is entirely voluntary. Sharing a story is never a condition of a grant and never affects a funding decision.

Grant limitations

• Funding is contingent on the availability of resources and does not guarantee full coverage of testing, consultation, or treatment costs.

Fairness, transparency and accountability

We assess every application fairly and consistently against the criteria in this policy. The charity commits to a transparent selection process and will give applicants the reasons for acceptance or refusal. Applicants who are unhappy with a decision can ask for it to be reviewed under our complaints policy. We will review and update this policy at least every 12 months to ensure fairness and alignment with our mission.

For any questions or concerns relating to this policy, please contact us at info@swimmers.charity.