The Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust is delighted to announce a range of funding programmes for 2020/21, in support of the Armed Forces community.
This year, our funding will focus on three major themes.
- Providing emergency help for Forces communities affected by Covid-19.
- Supporting veterans’ health and wellbeing.
- Funding projects that support Armed Forces communities, in the communities where they live.
Providing emergency help for Forces communities affected by Covid-19
Our vital package of support for Forces communities affected by Covid-19 has three parts.
Firstly, we’ve provided support to all our grant holders to help them continue their work.
Second, we’ve delivered emergency funding quickly to support veterans who are particularly vulnerable. We’ve made grants of over £2M through the Veterans Should Not Be Forgotten programme and will announce these in early June.
Finally, we’re launching the following programmes to support the Armed Forces community with funding from the Covenant Fund and from HM Treasury.
The Covid-19 Impact programme:
With £6M from the Government, this programme will support Armed Forces charities and CICs delivering vital services. It closes very soon, on 29 May 2020. If your organisation would like to apply, check your eligibility here.
The Forces Communities Together programme:
With special focus on those facing hardship due to Covid-19, the Forces Communities Together programme is now open, and closes on 30 June 2020.
This Covenant Fund programme will award grants of up to £10,000 for engaging projects that can be delivered to people from Armed Forces communities who are isolated at home, such as veterans and Armed Forces families. Find out more here.
Supporting veterans’ health and wellbeing
With funds from the £10M Veterans’ Health and Wellbeing Fund announced by HM Treasury at the budget in March 2020, we’re also pleased to announce the re-opening of the popular Positive Pathways programme, which focuses on veterans, and their mental health and wellbeing. The new round will open in July 2020, and there’ll be a second round later in the year. Applicants will be able to apply for a fixed grant of £35,000 for activity-based projects that have a positive impact on mental wellbeing.
Funding projects that support Armed Forces communities, in the communities where they live
These programmes, funded through the Covenant Fund, will help reduce isolation and help people from Armed Forces communities build connections in the communities where they live.
We’re excited to launch the Armed Forces Covenant Fund: Force for Change programme this August 2020 – a new programme that supersedes the Local Grants programme, which ended earlier this year.
This programme has been guided by the findings from our recent public consultation , which showed support for funding that focuses on reducing social isolation and community integration. Organisations will be able to apply for grants of up to £20,000.
For organisations looking for larger grants to support social isolation projects, we’ll also be launching the Tackling Loneliness programme. Again, shaped by our consultation findings, this new programme will award fixed grants of £60,000 for a two-year period to projects that reduce isolation and loneliness across the Armed Forces community. This programme will launch in July 2020.
Further funding support
We’re also pleased to be supporting local authorities this year – building on previous work we’ve funded through the Strengthening Delivery of the Covenant programme, which helped strengthen and embed delivery of the Armed Forces Covenant locally. The Empowering Delivery of the Covenant programme will make small grants to local authorities and will launch in July 2020.
For more information on any of our programmes, please visit our programme pages.
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