GRANTS TO CHARITIES & ORGANISATIONS

Our Grants Committee normally sits three times a year in February (new partner and existing charities/organisations), June and November, with an additional Scottish Committee (dealing with requests from existing and new partner charities/organisations for activities based solely in Scotland) being held in April.

Please read the guidelines below as they will help you in establishing your eligibility and in making your application the best it can be to ensure success.

Application guidelines for a charitable grant

Read through these guidelines before writing your application. These include information as follows:

1. Which organisations are eligible to apply for a grant.
2. New Partner Applications
3. What the Charity is unlikely to fund.
4. What our Grants Committee/Trustees look for in an application.
5. Checklist of what to email to us.

1.  Which organisations are eligible to apply

All registered charities and other organisations which support the Army community, which includes veterans, serving soldiers, their families and immediate dependants, may apply.

We are unable to fund Government bodies and/or Councils.

We support a broad range of charities, with a preference to members of COBSEO/Veterans Scotland.

If you are a charity or organisation providing mental health services to members of the Army family we would normally expect you to be a member or at least signed up to the Quality Network for Veterans Mental Health Services (QNVMHS) https://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/improving-care/ccqi/quality-networks-accreditation/qnvmhs run by the Royal College of Psychiatrists on behalf of the sector.

When appropriate we consider applications on a case-by-case basis from:

• Not-for-profit organisations & Community Interest Companies (CICs)
• Community Projects
• Housing Associations

2.  New Partner Applications

Any charity we have not supported in the previous 24 months must always contact us in advance by emailing [email protected] before making a formal submission.

Your email must:

• • outline the scheme, the reasoning why it is needed
  • detail the outcomes to be achieved
  • the amount you will be requesting vs total cost
  • how you will sustain funding going forward

We will get back to you as soon as possible with our decision on whether a formal application should be made. If we ask for an application, it will normally be considered at the end of our Financial Year at the February meeting for UK applications and April for activities based solely in Scotland. Where an application is made from an organisation with which we have no established relationship, any award is likely to be below £15,000 and it would be prudent to pitch accordingly. Every application will be considered on a case-by-case basis but failing to follow the above procedures may result in your application being rejected.

3.  What the Charity is unlikely to fund

Our Charity supports a wide range of organisations, but areas which are not normally funded include:

• applications from those organisations that do not support serving soldiers, veterans and their immediate families, and/or the wider Army community.
• funding request made within 12 months of the outcome of a previous application, whether a grant was received or not.
• some educational and training activities, such as gap years, study trips, fundraising expeditions or sponsorship. Sponsorship referrals should be passed to the Charity’s communications department.
• The Charity does not normally fund specific (i.e. named) posts and salaries. Trustees will consider contributing to an organisation’s core operating costs of which we recognise general salary costs will be a part of this. This is primarily because grants are single-year commitments.
• The Charity will not fund the full cost recovery of any project but may consider a request to contribute towards this.
• Typically grants are made for a single year; however, the Charity’s Trustees may consider making a grant spread over a number of years at their discretion if they feel this would be appropriate.
• The Charity tends not to support umbrella organisations, preferring to support those organisations working directly with beneficiaries at a grassroots level.

4.  What our Grants Committee/Trustees look for in an application

Applications for grants to charities are considered individually by our Grants Committee and confirmed by Trustees if appropriate. In assessing applications, we follow the COBSEO Funding Principles, which are available to download here, and in particular will be taking the following issues into consideration:

The Governance of the organisation

• The Committee will look closely at any evidence provided to prove that the organisation is effectively managed and has in place satisfactory operating and risk management procedures. This includes ensuring that core services are adequately resourced and stable before expanding into new projects, locations or services.

The financial viability of the organisation including reserves

• Organisations that are relatively stable financially tend to be in a better position to run effectively and deliver the quality of services for which the charity was created. The Committee look for signs that the charity/organisation is financially  stable – including, but  not limited to, past history, local support, an appropriate level of reserves, statutory and local council funding/grants from other charities, trusts or corporate organisations.
• Where the Charity or Organisation is operating in the mental health space we will normally expect as a minimum that the organisation is a member of COBSEO and has agreed and signed up to the COBSEO guiding principles for the delivery of Veterans’ and Service Families’ Mental Health Care.

The degree of need for the project requiring funding

• There are many ways to evaluate this, however, indicators include the level of local commitment to the project, evidenced by such things as fundraising activity, volunteer effort, local authority support, and most importantly the number of Army veterans, family members or serving soldiers the project will reach, or has reached, and the most importantly the outcomes achieved.

The amount spent on administration and fundraising as compared to the charitable activities

• Along with a range of other considerations, the Committee review applications in light of the financial health of the organisation, including costs incurred in relation to expenditure on meeting charitable objectives.  The Committee expect that administration costs are kept at a reasonable level and they consider these in light of the type and size of the organisation.

The ability to gain sufficient funding to meet the appeal target/requirement

• The Committee are keen to assist projects where they can have a high degree of confidence that the necessary funds can be secured from relevant sources.   It is therefore important to demonstrate the level of funds already secured and from what sources, as well as the likely targets to address any shortfall. The Charity will wish to know whether any organisations receive funding based on contractual arrangements – payment by results. Any Government funding, including that received through the AFCTF will be taken into consideration when deciding whether to award a grant.

The recognition our Charity will receive

• Critical to any application will be how our grant will be formally recognised by the receiving organisation and their willingness to work with our communications team in providing suitable case studies and material to support our Charity in further fundraising.

5.  Application checklist

Please check that you have completed all sections of the application form before emailing it to [email protected] along with:

• A copy of the most recent Annual Report and audited Accounts (charities required to submit their report and accounts or an Annual Information Return to the Charity Commission should also provide confirmation that this has been done).
• Any supporting documentation you feel will contribute to our understanding as appropriate, e.g. case studies, architectural plans etc.

Our Grants Committee normally sits three times a year.  February (new partner and existing charities/organisations), June and November, with an additional Scottish Committee (dealing with requests from existing and new partner charities/organisations for activities based solely in Scotland) being held in April.

The application window for the February 2025 Grants Committee is now open and will close on 17 January 2025.

Grants Committee Applications

The Grant Application Form for the February 2025 Grants Committee is available to download until 17 January 2025, click here.  Please note only one application can be made to the Committee.

Having read the supporting information on this website and the application form should you have any questions email these to [email protected].

For those charities and organisations considering making an application please note:

• Our individual grants programme will take priority over awards to other charities.
• Charities must not assume a grant will be awarded. Given the current situation and our focus on individual awards it would be prudent to anticipate either no award or reduced funding from any historical norm.
• Awards approved may be funded in a stage approach rather than the total award in one payment.
• A set of Terms & Conditions will need to be signed before any grant is paid.  These will be issued with the award letter.

New Partner Applications

Any charity we have not supported in the previous 24 months must always contact us in advance by emailing [email protected] before making a formal submission.

Your email must:

• • outline the scheme, the reasoning why it is needed
  • detail the outcomes to be achieved
  • the amount you will be requesting vs total cost
  • how you will sustain funding going forward

We will get back to you as soon as possible with our decision on whether a formal application should be made. If we ask for an application, it will normally be considered at the end of our Financial Year at the February meeting. Where an application is made from an organisation with which we have no established relationship, any award is likely to be below £15,000 and it would be prudent to pitch accordingly. Every application will be considered on a case-by-case basis but failing to follow the above procedures may result in your application being rejected.