Grants are available for registered charities, Community Interest Companies, local authorities and statutory organisations for projects that explore and pilot solutions for family members-collectively and as individuals of wounded, injured and sick serving personnel or Veterans.
Family Focus is one of the programmes being launched under the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust’s three-year Covenant Fund Funding Framework released in April 2024.
This programme fits under the theme of ‘supporting those in need of special consideration.’ It will fund projects which seek to support the valuable contribution of family members who care for serving personnel and Veterans who are wounded, injured and sick. This will include recognising their needs beyond their role as carers and the needs of the whole family unit.
The funding is for projects that explore and pilot solutions for family members-collectively and as individuals of wounded, injured and sick serving personnel or Veterans.
Projects will need to meet at least one of the following outcomes:
- Improved access to support for families, through information, advice and guidance.
- Improved family bonds, through meaningful opportunities together.
- Increased resilience for family members with a caring role, through wellbeing activities.
- Family members feel that their needs are recognised and that they can receive targeted support that addresses these changing needs over time.
- Parents are better supported to respond to changes in family life, where there are children within the family unit.
- Family carers have enhanced employability, through access to skills development which enables them to plan for the future.
- Organisations and agencies can demonstrate that they are equipped with the skills and knowledge to address the specific needs of the families of wounded, injured and sick serving personnel and/or Veterans.
The direct and primary beneficiaries must be the families of wounded, injured or sick serving personnel/Veterans.
It is anticipated there may be further rounds of this programme in subsequent years for successful pilots and projects which can demonstrate a proven, significant impact.
Grants of between £50,000 and £100,000 are available for projects of 12-18 months in duration.
Projects to start between 1 April 2025 and 1 July 2025.
Applications will be considered from:
- A charity registered with one or more of the charity commissions for England and Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland for at least three years at the time of their application and able to provide published accounts for all three years if requested.
- A Community Interest Company (CIC) incorporated in the UK for at least three years and have submitted three years’ of accounts to Companies House at time of application.
- Local authorities.
- Statutory organisations.
Charities and CICs which do not have substantial recent experience of working with the Armed Forces community can apply. However, applicants must be able to demonstrate significant knowledge of the Armed Forces community, or the proposed project must be delivered in partnership with another organisation (or organisations) which do have substantial recent experience of working with Armed Forces communities or which are Armed Forces specific.
Local authorities and other statutory organisations will be expected to work in partnership with other relevant organisations.
How To Apply
The programme guidance, faqs, application questions and online application portal can be found on the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust website.
There will be one deadline for applications this financial year.
The application deadline is 18 December 2024 (12 noon) with notification of decisions before the end of March 2025.
Contact the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust for further information.
