THE FORCES IN MIND TRUST
The Trust provides grants to UK not-for-profit organisations to support ex-Service personnel and their families transition to civilian life in UK. Grants are awarded in the general categories of Health, Housing, Employment, Finance, Relationships and Criminal Justice.
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o Application deadline: none – applications may be made at any time, initially via the Trust’s online Eligibility Checker.
o Funder: The Forces in Mind Trust (founded 2011. Charity number 1145688. Total charitable expenditure during the year ended 31 December 2023: £2,683,597).
o Who can apply: UK not-for-profit organisations, including small voluntary groups, registered charities and educational institutions such as universities.
o Key words: Ex-Service Personnel and the Families, Armed Forces Veterans, Relief of Poverty, Mental Health, Physical Health, Criminal Justice, Employment, Finance, Health and Wellbeing, Housing, Relationships, United Kingdom.
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The objectives of the Forces in Mind Trust are:
o The prevention and relief of poverty, the protection of mental and physical health and the relief of sickness and need amongst serving and former serving members of the Armed Forces by means of the provision of mentoring, services, facilities and equipment to support their treatment, rehabilitation, resettlement, education, training and employment and thereby support their transition to civilian life, and
o The protection of the mental and physical health and the relief of poverty of the families and dependants of serving and former serving members of the Armed Forces.
UK not-for-profit organisations that are working to benefit ex-Service personnel and their families may apply for a grant.
Grants tend to be discretionary and awarded on a case-by-case basis – there is no minimum or maximum awards levels.
During the year ended 31st December 2023, the Trust awarded grants totalling £1,656,662 (2022: £4,433,235) in the following fields:
o Criminal Justice – ex-Service personnel and their families avoid adverse contact with the Criminal Justice System, with effective support being available if needed.
o Employment – all ex-Service personnel and their spouses achieve successful employment outcomes.
o Enabler – the enablement of measures to promote and support coordinated initiatives benefiting the wider ex-Service community.
o Finance – all ex-Service personnel and their families achieve an appropriately sustainable and stable financial state according to their circumstances and needs.
o Health – all Veterans and their families enjoy a state of positive physical and mental health and wellbeing, enabling them to contribute to and benefit from wider society.
o Housing – all veterans and their families are able to access good quality, affordable, secure and sustainable accommodation solutions, and
o Relationships – all ex-Service personnel can access effective support to enjoy positive inter-personal relationships in family, professional and social environments.
Funding is not available for:
o Churches or other religious bodies where the grant will be used for religious purposes.
o General appeals.
o Individuals.
o Ongoing costs for a project which is already established.
o Organisations whose unrestricted reserves equate to more than one year of operations.
o Profit-making organisations, unless the objective is in support of Service men or women, or their families as part of a corporate social responsibility programme.
o Retrospective funding.
o Service delivery unless it is required as part of a broader project where the primary purpose of the project is to support one or more of the four change mechanisms.
o Work that does not benefit Service men or women, or their families.
o Work that does not have a direct benefit to the UK, although this does not preclude support for foreign and commonwealth groups that have served in the UK Armed Forces, or
o Work that is primarily the responsibility of central or local government and statutory providers, such as local authorities and Primary Care Trusts, or projects which directly replace statutory funding.
The Trust has a 2-stage application process, as follows:
o Stage 1 – submission of an initial online Eligibility Checker on the Trust’s website.
o Stage 2 – organisations that meet the Trust’s criteria may then be invited to complete a Full Application form.
Further information, guidance and details about how to apply is available on the Trust’s website.
Applications may be made at any time. The Trust can take between 12 and 16 weeks to complete the appraisal of applications.