The Armed
Forces Covenant Fund Trust (the Trust) has reopened the Hidden Voices programme for applications. This is the second
year of this popular programme with funded projects last year supporting:
-
veterans
in the justice system in
-
LGBT+
veterans
-
victim-survivors
of Military Sexual Violence
-
carers
in armed forces communities
-
foreign
& commonwealth personnel
- And more…!
The Hidden
Voices programme is about ensuring everyone in the armed forces community feels
heard and supported – focusing on those who may not always get the support they
need.
Prevention
and early-intervention mental health support
This is a
mental health and wellbeing programme, specifically for those who have been
underserved or who have faced barriers to support when accessing services.
These groups are ‘seldom heard’ and may be less represented in mainstream
services.
As well as
helping people get the support they need, the Trust is looking for projects
that will help organisations to learn and share how to better support these
groups within the community.
Your project
will need 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.
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.
Partnerships
make great projects!
The Trust is
looking for collaboration between armed forces and non-armed forces
organisations and services. Plus, the voices of your beneficiaries should be at
the core of your project, helping to shape things from the very start.
Anna Wright,
Chief Executive of the Trust explains: “This is your opportunity to provide
tailored support to those who are less heard in our armed forces communities.
Their needs might be less well understood or recognised, and the Hidden Voices
programme aims to tackle this issue head on.”
What’s
available?
Grants of
£3,000 to £25,000 are available for projects lasting up to 12 months.
Preston North
End Community and Education Trust we’re awarded £19,960 in March this year to
provide early-intervention mental health support to older veterans in care
homes. While Rees Foundation were awarded £19,767 to support care leavers with
access to guidance and resources.
Hamish, one of
Rees Foundation’s clients, explained: “Since connecting, I have found so many
like-minded people who have spent time like me in the care system and
understand the difficulties I experienced. Also having emotional support,
having someone to turn to who understands even now the struggles experienced
daily is a lifesaver.”
Find out
more
So, if you’re a
registered charity, CIC or local authority working with under-served groups in
the armed forces community. Why not apply?
Full details
are available on the Trust’s website and the first of two rounds closes on 1
October 2025.
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the mailing list?
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Trust have a newsletter? Get the latest updates and news straight to your inbox
via their website www.covenantfund.org.uk