THE VETERANS’ FOUNDATION
Grants of up to £75,000 are available to charitable organisations, including Community Interest Companies, that are providing lifetime support to those in need among serving Armed Forces and Seafaring personnel, veterans and their immediate families in England, Scotland and Wales.
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o Application deadline: MONDAY 12th JANUARY 2026.
o Funder: The Veteran’s Foundation (founded 2016. Charity number 1166953. Total charitable expenditure for the year ended 30 June 2024: £12,563,853 (2023: £10,454,454; 2022: £8,697,032)).
o Who can apply: registered charities, not-for-profit organisations, including community groups and Community Interest Companies (CICs) that are supporting the Armed Forces community in England, Scotland and Wales.
o Key Words: Armed Forces Community, Seafarers, Armed Forces Families and Dependents, Veterans, Social Care and Welfare, Disability, Employment, Mental Health, Homelessness, Relief of Poverty, Addictive Behaviour, Medical Support, England, Scotland, Wales.
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The Veterans’ Foundation provides a range of grants for small to medium sized not-for-profit organisations in England, Scotland and Wales, including registered charities, Community Interest Companies (CICs) and community groups that are directly involved in the provision of support to those in need in the Armed Forces and the Seafaring community. Priority tends to be given to charities and organisations with a low to medium income that can demonstrate they are directly involved in the provision of support to those in need.
The following grants are available:
1. SMALL GRANTS (£500 – £5,000) – this is a rolling funding programme, with no specific closing date. Applicants may submit no more than one application per quarter for all funding streams. (But if a previous award exists, the application will be accepted 6 months from previous award date.) And no more than one application per quarter may be submitted, with the quarterly periods being:
o 1st January – 31st March.
o 1st April – 30th June.
o 1st July – 30th September.
o 1st October – 31st December.
2. STANDARD GRANTS – grants of up to a maximum of £30,000 are available. This can be for one year or a multi-year grant for up to three years (e.g., £10,000 per year, over three years).
3. SALARY GRANTS – grants of up to a maximum of £75,000 are available for the exclusive use of salary costs over a three-year period, with the maximum annual grant being £25,000 (e.g., £25,000 per year, over three years).
The Foundation also has a MAJOR GRANTS programme which provides grants of between £100,000 – £200,000 over a 1-3-year period. The Major Grants programme is currently closed to applications.
The Foundation may expect applicants to have a degree of matched funding in place prior to applying, particularly from eligible organisations with a limited track record of successful delivery.
Grants can be used for projects covering a range of aspects of social care for the Armed Forces community (please note that this is not an exclusive list):
o Addressing issues around mental health.
o Care for the elderly.
o Disability.
o Improving employment prospects.
o Providing welfare and medical support.
o Reducing dependency on alcohol or drugs.
o Reducing homelessness.
o Reducing poverty, and
o Relationship guidance and support.
During the year ended 30th June 2024, the Foundation awarded over 200 grants to organisations totalling £5,681,000 and grants totalling £4,977 to individuals, which is broadly comparable to previous years.
A list of all grants to organisations is provided on pages 25-28 of the Foundation’s annual accounts.
Funding is not available for:
o Any for-profit activities.
o Fundraising activities.
o Gap years.
o Housing associations and corporations, unless activities and costs are clear and charitable.
o Organisations requiring payments to be sent to accounts outside the UK.
o Organisations that do not support the Armed Forces or seafaring communities.
o Sponsorship, or
o Study trips.
Applications for a Small Grant may be made at any time. The deadline for Standard Grants and Salary Grants is Monday 12th January 2026, with decisions expected to be announced in March 2026. The following application deadline is scheduled for Monday 30th March 2026, with decisions expected to be announced in June 2026.
Please note that each grant programme has its own, separate, application process.
Further information, guidance and an application form is available on the Foundation’s website.
Contact details for the Foundation are:
The Veterans’ Foundation
1-2 Thistle Court
Thistle Street
Edinburgh
EH2 1DD
Email: grants@