Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust

16/10/2026

📣 We're seeking projects that support serving personnel, veterans and their families who provide care or have additional support needs.

Together we can help families:
✔️ Access the right support
✔️ Build resilience
✔️ Reduce isolation
✔️ Feel more confident about the future

📅 Applications close on 4 November 2026.
https://covenantfund.org.uk/programme/family-focus-programme-2025-26/

16/10/2026

“Nothing about us without us”

In this clip from the latest episode of our FieldNotes podcast, Dr Mary Keeling from the Scar Free Foundation explains why people with lived experience of conflict-related intimate scarring and loss of function are helping shape their research, and how their involvement can support better evidence-based help now and in the future.

👉 Watch the full episode at: https://vimeo.com/1234161636/f89cff580e?share=copy&fl=sv&fe=ci
⚠️ Content note: this clip discusses the impact of serious injury and intimate scarring.

Scar Free Foundation

15/10/2026

As we continue to focus on Making Space for recovery this week, we wanted to remind you about our Family Focus programme which is currently accepting applications.

📣 If you organisation can help armed forces families with care needs to access support, improve wellbeing and resilience, and prepare for the future, why not apply?

👉 Full details on our website: https://covenantfund.org.uk/programme/family-focus-programme-2025-26/

14/10/2026

Have you watched the latest episode of our Field Notes podcast?

It’s a sensitive, but important conversation between our Chief Exec Anna and Dr Mary Keeling from the Scar Free Foundation about the impact of conflict-related intimate scarring and loss of function.

They explore the effects on relationships, intimacy and sexual wellbeing, and their roll in overall wellbeing.

⚠️Content note: this clip discusses the impact of serious injury and intimate scarring. https://vimeo.com/1234161636/f89cff580e?share=copy&fl=sv&fe=ci

Scar Free Foundation

13/10/2026

Behind every serving person who's wounded or becomes injured or sick, there may be a family learning how to adapt.

This week, we’re making space to look at the everyday realities families can face: caring, appointments, children’s worries, changes at home and the need for support from people who understand. We’ll also be sharing how funded projects are helping families feel less alone and more confident about the future. Look out for our Making Space: recovery content all this week!

https://covenantfund.org.uk/every-recovery-is-a-shared-journey/

When a serving person is wounded or becomes injured or poorly, the impact doesn’t stop with them. Family life can change quickly and deeply - routines can shift, relationships adapt. Partners, parents and close family members may find themselves becoming carers, advocates, organisers and emotional...

13/10/2026

Why research matters

Recovery is not only physical. In our latest FieldNotes podcast episode, Anna speaks with Dr Mary Keeling about a study exploring intimate scarring, relationships, sexual function and psychological wellbeing among seriously injured veterans.

The conversation is sensitive and carefully handled, and it helps show why listening to hidden experiences matters when shaping future support.

https://vimeo.com/1234161636/f89cff580e?share=copy&fl=sv&fe=ci

⚠️ Content note: this episode discusses intimate scarring, sexual function, relationships, psychological wellbeing and the impact of serious injury. It may not be suitable for younger listeners.

Scar Free Foundation

09/10/2026

A new posting. A long deployment. Another fresh start.

For armed forces families, change is often part of everyday life. While service life brings unique opportunities, it can also mean navigating frequent moves, building new support networks, and coping with time apart from loved ones.

Today, we're launching Together for Service Families, our new open programme designed to help families thrive through relocation and separation.

We're looking to fund projects that strengthen connections, reduce isolation, and provide practical support for serving families.

✅ Grants from £5,000 to £75,000
✅ Projects lasting 12 months to 3 years
✅ Applications close 16 December 2026

If your organisation has an idea that could make a real difference to service families, we'd love to hear from you: https://covenantfund.org.uk/programme/together-for-service-families-open-programme/

01/10/2026

3 open programmes. 3 opportunities for funding to help support the armed forces community 🤩

🧠 Reveal & Respond will award grants up to £300K for projects that enable access to mental health and wellbeing support for underrepresented groups in the armed forces community

👪 Together for Service Families open programme will award grants up to £75K for projects that reduce the impact of service-related separation and relocation for families of serving personnel and reservists.

💟 Family Focus will award grants up to £200K for projects that help armed forces families with care needs to access support, improve wellbeing and resilience, and prepare for the future

Full details on our open programmes page: https://covenantfund.org.uk/find-funding/open-programmes/

28/09/2026

The Collaboration Lab online survey closes this Weds 30 Sep

If you've not yet had your say, click the link below to take part and help develop our next three-year grant strategy, which will shape the grants we make from April 2027-March 2030.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/LWPQ6TY

28/09/2026

🍂 September's nearly over already! Here's 9 things we've been up to this month: 👇

📊 We continued to seek your views in our Collaboration Lab (closing this week!) https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/LWPQ6TY

💭 Our Senior Managers had a future strategy planning day

🏥 Our Strategy Director Claire spoke at the Veterans Covenant Health Alliance conference in Birmingham

🗣 Our CEO Anna spoke on an expert panel as part of the launch of Forces in Mind Trust's new 'Challenges' programme' https://www.fim-trust.org/news-policy-item/forces-in-mind-trust-launches-new-challenges-to-turn-evidence-into-change/

🧐 Our project coordinator Lottie; Head of Research and Evaluation Tom; and Chair Hans Pung joined the Thrive Together programme leads and the Office of Veterans' Affairs to hear about interim findings from the programme, and how it can continue to inform VALOUR

🚀 We launched 2 programmes supporting armed forces families https://covenantfund.org.uk/find-funding/open-programmes/

✅ Our Trustee Board met to make award decisions on 2 OVA programmes

💻 We underwent an internal audit of our grant making processes to make sure we're as good as we think we are 😉

📩 We reached out to over 4,000 of you in our latest e-newsletter

Here's to another busy month... and onwards to October! 🎃