Financial Hardship Grants
Supporting our former employees through Financial Hardship Grants
Back in 1879, Thomas Buckland, then President of the Bank of New South Wales, later to become Westpac, donated his £1,000 bonus to establish the Buckland Fund. The Fund was created to help struggling families of bank employees who had passed away and found themselves in ‘necessitous circumstances’.
The legacy of helping long-serving former employees continues today with Westpac Foundation’s Financial Hardship Grants which provide financial assistance to those former employees and their spouses who are in need.
To be eligible for financial assistance, applicants must be:
- Retired, retrenched or resigned from employment after 10 years of continuous service at Westpac Group and aged 50+ years at the time employment ceased and now retired
- Spouse or defacto partner of an eligible former employee
- A dependent family member with a long-term disability for whom the eligible former employee is primary carer
- Experiencing significant financial hardship involving an inability to meet basic needs and can provide documentation to confirm financial position.
Financial assistance is available for specific purposes. Grants are primarily provided for the following categories:
- Medical expenses, including equipment and private health insurance
- Basic home maintenance for health, safety and security reasons
- Dental expenses
- Funeral expenses
- Pharmaceutical expenses.
Please note that Westpac Foundation does not provide grants to supplement income or repay debts.
To apply
Former Westpac Group employees seeking support should email westpacfoundation@westpac.com.au or mail Westpac Foundation, Level 19, 275 Kent Street Sydney NSW 2000 to request an application form.