Sunshine Funds are a way to fundraise for and with The Sandcastle Trust. They allow individuals or families to raise money that supports both their own emotional wellbeing and the wider rare genetic condition community.

Up to 50% raised can be accessed by an individual with a rare genetic condition or their immediate family through grants to support emotional wellbeing in whatever way feels most helpful, such as counselling or therapy, respite or special breaks, memory-making experiences, bucket-list moments, or accessibility equipment that improves inclusion and quality of life. The remaining 50% supports our wider work, helping us continue to provide free emotional wellbeing support to rare families through counselling, peer support and respite opportunities.

Sunshine Funds can be set up by individuals or families affected by rare genetic conditions who wish to fundraise with The Sandcastle Trust.

Sunshine Funds can also be created by families who have recently experienced a bereavement as a result of a rare genetic condition. Families may choose to fundraise in memory of the person they have lost, and the grant share can be used to support the emotional well-being of bereaved family members.

To take part, you must be fully registered with The Sandcastle Trust. Registration helps us make sure we’re supporting eligible individuals and families safely, fairly and appropriately. You can register here.

All donations are collected by The Sandcastle Trust via a JustGiving campaign page that we set up in collaboration with you.

• Up to 50% of the total amount you raise can be accessed by your family as a Grant Share to support emotional well-being.
• The remaining funds support The Sandcastle Trust’s wider work with the rare genetic condition community.

Gift Aid is claimed by the charity where eligible and sits outside this split.

The Grant Share can be used for things that support emotional well-being. This can look different for every individual or family that sets up a Sunshine Fund but examples might include counselling or therapy, breaks or respite, memory-making experiences, or equipment or support that improves inclusion, independence or quality of life.

The exact focus of your Sunshine Fund will be agreed with us before your fundraising begins.

Yes. Because Sunshine Funds sit within The Sandcastle Trust’s charitable aims which are to support the emotional well-being and resilience of families impacted by rare genetic conditions, there are some things they cannot be used to fundraise for, such as medical treatments or surgery.

These are set out in our Sunshine Funds: Inclusions & Exclusions Guidance, but the list isn’t exhaustive. If you have an idea and you’re unsure whether it would be eligible, please get in touch, we’re always happy to talk things through. Emotional well-being can mean different things for different families, and we try to be as flexible as possible.

Yes. Every Sunshine Fund must have a clear and specific purpose, agreed with us before fundraising starts, we’ll work with you to agree something that reflects your family’s needs.

This ensures funds are managed fairly and responsibly.

If you’d like to fundraise for more than one purpose, these will need to be agreed separately.

In some cases, we may suggest focusing on one appeal at a time, with the option to open another appeal later if you want to fundraise for something else. This helps keep things clear for supporters and avoids appeals becoming confusing or overly complex.

When you have reached your target, Families access the Grant Share by completing The Sunshine Fund Grant Claim Form. We’ll ask for information about how the funds will support emotional wellbeing, along with quotes or invoices. We usually release funds once the full cost is known and any remaining funding needed has been secured. 

Payments from the Grant Share are made directly to suppliers or service providers. 

For governance and transparency reasons, payments are never made directly into a family’s bank account. 

Yes. If you fundraise offline, we ask that all funds raised are passed on to The Sandcastle Trust. We’ll then make sure these are added to your offline fundraising total for your Sunshine Fund. 

We completely understand that families may wish to fundraise for other charities or causes, such as condition-specific charities or medical research. 

However, during the lifetime of your Sunshine Fund appeal, any fundraising for the same purpose agreed at the set-up of your Sunshine Fund must take place through your Sunshine Fund page. This helps avoid confusion for donors and ensures clarity and transparency about where funds are being directed. 

For example, if your Sunshine Fund is raising money for a bucket list holiday, you would not be able to run a separate fundraiser elsewhere for that same holiday at the same time. This is because the Sunshine Fund model is based on a 50% share supporting your agreed purpose and 50% supporting The Sandcastle Trust’s wider charitable work. Running parallel fundraising for the same purpose would undermine this agreed structure. 

If you would like to fundraise for a different purpose, such as supporting medical research or another charity’s work, that is completely fine. We simply ask that this is kept clearly separate from your Sunshine Fund appeal so supporters understand exactly what they are donating towards. 

If you are ever unsure, please just get in touch, we are always happy to talk things through. 

Sunshine Fund appeals run for a set period, agreed at the start, and can last for up to three years unless we agree otherwise together. 

We know family needs can change. If you’d like to amend the purpose of your appeal, extend it, or talk through other options, just get in touch. Any changes need to be agreed with us in advance, but we’ll always approach these conversations with care and flexibility. 

If fundraising slows or an appeal reaches the end of its timeframe and you haven’t reached your target, we’ll talk with you about next steps. This might include extending the appeal or amending the purpose to something more achievable. 

If there’s been no activity or contact for a long period, a Sunshine Fund appeal may be considered inactive and closed (see below) – but we’ll always try to contact you first. 

Very occasionally, we may need to pause or close a Sunshine Fund to ensure everything is being managed responsibly and in line with our charitable aims. 

Further information about how we would manage this process are available in our full Sunshine Fund Terms and Conditions. 

Setting up a Sunshine Fund is simple. 

Click the “Set up a Sunshine Fund” button and complete the short form. A member of The Sandcastle Trust team will then be in touch to talk through your request and guide you through the next steps. 

We will: 

• Talk with you about your family and the purpose of your Fund 

• Agree the specific goal you are fundraising towards 

• Explain how the Sunshine 50–50 model works 

• Help you shape your page so it reflects your story in a way that feels right for you 

We will ask you to share a short description and some photos to help create a page that feels personal and meaningful to your supporters. 

Once everything is agreed and approved, your Sunshine Fund page will be created and ready to share. 

Yes. 

For families who have been bereaved due to a rare genetic condition, a Sunshine Fund can be a meaningful way to honour and remember a loved one, while also raising funds to support your own emotional wellbeing during a time of grief. 

You do not have to use the name “Sunshine Fund” if it does not feel appropriate to your situation. We can work with you to choose wording that reflects your loved one and your family’s wishes, for example, “In Loving Memory of…”, “Remembering…”, or another title that feels more fitting. 

As with all Sunshine Funds, we will talk with you about the purpose of the appeal and agree this in advance, ensuring it aligns with The Sandcastle Trust’s charitable aims. 

If you’re unsure about anything or would like to talk through an idea, please get in touch – we’re here to help. 

📧 fundraising@sandcastletrust.org