Tattoo Funding
Applying for Funding
Before applying, please make sure you have read through all of our criteria, and also the FAQ, to check if you are eligible.
If you are, then complete the form to have your details added to our waiting list.
We can only provide funding to applicants who live in the UK and are over 18.
Eligibility
(you must meet all of the criteria)
1. Are you going to be physically and mentally able to approach a tattoo studio and show them your scars?
2. Are you happy to return any required forms by the deadlines (normally a week-a month)?
3. Are you physically and mentally capable of having a tattoo and following all the appropriate aftercare?
4. Has it been over 3 months since you last self harmed?
5. Are all your scars fully healed?
6. We can only provide funding to individuals who have low income or are on benefits, and as such we may require proof of this. Any financial information you send us would be stored in a password protected folder only a couple of trustees have access to for the purpose of processing the application and then it will be deleted as soon as possible. Would you be willing to provide this information if required?
If you answer yes to all of these questions, please fill in the blue form!
SCUFF provides funding for individuals with self harm scars, to help finance cover-up tattoos. We currently have a long waiting list and open up funding every few months. When funding is available, we contact those at the top of our waiting list, and ask them to complete an application form. Our board of trustees then meet to discuss which applicants to award funding to.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Currently our waiting list is around a year. We try our best to get through as many applications as we can for each panel, however this is restricted by funds and how much time we can dedicate to processing applications.
How long will I have to wait for funding?
Firstly you need to have stopped self-harming for at least 3 months before you can be placed on the waiting list. You must also be mentally stable enough to go through the application process, the process of having a tattoo and provide yourself with the appropriate aftercare. This is our biggest priority - keeping you safe. Secondly, you must have a disposable income of less than £200 a month. Our funding team will provide you with all the information you need to work out if you think you are financially eligible.
How do I know if I am eligible for funding?
No! If you don't know any local tattooists, or you are struggling to find one that will work with scars, we have a database with over 200 tattooists across the UK willing to work with SCUFF and your scars. We also have volunteers and staff that can help you find one locally, if there isn't one near you on our database.
Do I need to find a tattooist myself?
No! Our tattoo funding is based on your income, outgoings and affordability. Some people on benefits are not eligible as they have too much disposable income, and some people on full time jobs are eligible as they have little or no disposable income.
Do I need to be on benefits to apply?
When we look at your spending, we compare this to our budget that has set allowances for various categories such as; groceries, hairdressing, childcare, pet care etc. If you spend over our maximum allowance, we call this disposable income.
What does disposable income mean?
No, we may reduce funding if we feel that they have enough disposable income to cover some of the costs. We may reject funding if their disposable income is too high or we feel that they are not mentally ready for this. At times we may defer them to the next funding round, to gather more information. Very rarely, we offer more funding to those we feel really need it. If we feel that you could fund the tattoos with adjustments to your spending, we will always recommend charities and organisations that can help with budgeting, and for those struggling with mental health, we will do everything we can to help them access local support.
Does everyone get the funding they want?
Sometimes! Generally we ask everyone to pay at least 10% of the tattoo cost, but in exceptional circumstances we may waive this. We can fund up to £250 per person - if your tattoo costs more than this, we will expect you to fund the rest.
Will you cover the full cost of my tattoo?
We fund tattoos for those who cannot afford to pay for them to be done. To help us decide we expect all applicants to provide us with 3 months of bank statements so that we can calculate your disposable income. We then bring this to a funding panel, which can consist of volunteers, trustees, staff and previous applicants. They then look at your disposable income and decide how much funding you should receive. We aim to have between 5-8 people on each panel, so that the decision is made fairly.
How do you decide how much funding to give?
Find a Tattooist
If you are self-funding and looking for a tattooist to cover your scars, we can help. Please email fundingapplications@scuff.org.uk and our team will help you find a local tattooist skilled in scar cover ups.
We will soon have an online list of all the tattooists that cover scars across the UK
