THE ARMED FORCES COVENANT FUND TRUST: HIDDEN VOICES PROGRAMME
Revenue grants of between £3,000 and £25,000 are available to UK registered charities, Community Interest Companies and local authorities for local and regional projects that provide accessible, bespoke mental health and wellbeing support for those with seldom heard needs in the Armed Forces community.
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o Application deadline: WEDNESDAY 21st JANUARY 2026 at 12 noon (midday).
o Funder: The Armed Forces Covenant Fund (founded 2018, Charity number 1177627. Total charitable expenditure during the year ended 31st March 2025: £30,029,388 (2024: £34,460,000)).
o Who can apply: UK based registered charities, Community Interest Companies (CICs) with substantial recent experience of supporting Armed Forces communities and local authorities.
o Key words: Armed Forces Community, Mental Health, Wellbeing, Marginalised Groups (for example, Carers, Minority Ethnic, Disabled, LGBT+), Early Intervention, Learning, Innovative Approaches, United Kingdom.
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The Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust’s Hidden Voices Programme will award grants of between £3,000 and £25,000 to enable accessible, bespoke mental health and wellbeing support for those with seldom heard needs in the Armed Forces community. Projects must be delivered over a maximum period of 12 months.
This predominantly revenue Fund is designed to support projects that address the unique mental health and wellbeing needs of marginalised groups focusing on prevention and early intervention. Grants can cover the cost of people’s time, costs of delivering work online or buying/hiring equipment. Projects focused mainly on capital expenditure are unlikely to be funded.
The programme welcomes new projects, but it will also consider the continuation or expansion of existing work which offers collaborative approaches to support under-served cohorts. The programme also welcomes innovation where these partnerships have not existed before, to both increase knowledge and understanding of Armed Forces communities and build future capacity. Applications are welcomed for projects taking place both locally and regionally.
Project proposals will be required to meet both of the following outcomes:
1. Those who are underrepresented, or whose voices are seldom heard, within the armed forces community, have equitable access to mental health and wellbeing support which meets their specific needs, and
2. Awareness of the needs of underrepresented groups within the armed forces community has been raised among organisations supporting them, through mutual learning and knowledge exchange to embed best practice.
For the Trust, ‘seldom heard’ refers to groups or individuals whose voices, opinions or needs are not frequently or adequately represented in mainstream policies or services. These groups face barriers to participation and may be marginalised or overlooked in various contexts. It encompasses anyone who is under-served and may have barriers to, or specific needs when accessing mental health and wellbeing support services. Potential beneficiaries may include, for example:
o Individuals from ethnic minorities.
o Carers.
o People with disabilities.
o Members of the LGBT+ community.
o Those for whom English is an additional Language.
o People from Foreign and Commonwealth communities, and
o Other members of the armed forces community with seldom-heard needs.
Some examples of the type of projects that could be funded through the programme are provided in the guidance notes (see page 8), while details of previously funded applications are available on the Trust’s website.
The deadline for applications is midday (12 noon) on Wednesday 21st January 2026.
Further information, guidance and details about the application process can be found on the Hidden Voices webpages.
Contact details for the programme are:
Hidden Voices
The Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust
3rd Floor
3 Wellington Place
Leeds
LS1 4AP
Email: info@covenantfund.org.