Tuesday 25 April 2023

New Service Pupil Support Programme - part of exciting new funding opportunity from the Armed Forces Families Fund






Exciting new funding opportunity from the Armed Forces Families Fund

The Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust (the Trust) is delighted to announce the launch of the new Service Pupil Support Programme – an MOD funded programme, part of the Armed Forces Families Fund (AF3).

Specifically supporting Service pupils aged 4-18 years, this programme will focus on those pupils from currently serving families and will support them along their educational pathways.

Who’s it for?

Schools, academies sixth form colleges, Further Education colleges and local authorities can apply. The Trust has set up a dedicated programme page on their website featuring full eligibility details.

The programme will award grants of £5,000 to £80,000 to one-year, stand-alone, projects that meet one of three priorities.

* Closing the gap in attainment between Service and non-Service pupils, using data led evidence.

* Addressing the needs of Service pupils with additional needs through early identification and intervention using a collaborative and coordinated approach.

* Identifying and addressing the needs of small cohorts of Service pupils within educational settings.

The Trust anticipates that most grants awarded will be around £40,000 or less, and successful applications will need to clearly show good value for money.

Supporting Service pupils across the UK

Sonia Howe, Director of Policy and Communications at the Trust, said: “This programme offers opportunities to access funding for both schools who have large numbers of Service pupils on role, and also those with small numbers. By working together as clusters of schools, those Service pupils based in less military heavy areas can also benefit.”

The application deadline is 5pm on 31 May 2023. 

For more details on the programme and to apply click here

Find out more

Did you know there are also three more programmes coming soon under the Armed Forces Families Fund? The Trust has partnered with the MOD to deliver each programme, with launch dates on the way.

To stay up-to-date with the latest news, awards and opportunities from the AF3 programmes, sign up to the Trust’s dedicated AF3 specific newsletter today.








Background information:

The Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust is a charity and an MOD sponsored Non-Departmental Public Body (NDPB) that manages the grant programmes funded by the Covenant Fund. They also run wider funding programmes that support the Armed Forces community.

The Trust makes grants that have an impact on the lives of Armed Forces communities, including serving personnel, Armed Forces families, veterans, and their families. The Armed Forces Covenant is a promise by the nation ensuring that those who serve or who have served in the Armed Forces, and their families, are treated fairly. All the grants that we award support the values of the Covenant. For more information on the Armed Forces Covenant, visit the Covenant website www.armedforcescovenant.gov.uk 

People can register for specific updates on the Armed Forces Families Fund via this link

About the Armed Forces Families Fund

The Armed Forces Families Fund (AF3) was launched in September 2022 and amalgamated existing education-focused funds, under one umbrella, broadening their scope in support of the delivery of the AF Families Strategy in its entirety, through the AF3 programmes.

The MOD partnered with the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust to administer the MOD Education Support Fund (ESF) within the AF3 programme; along with two new programmes to support Armed Forces families, the Early Years programme for pre school aged Service children, and specialist grants to support

The following grants have been awarded under the Armed Forces Families Fund in 2022/23

Early Years programme: 18 grants totalling £903,546

Supporting Partners programme: 12 grants totalling £483,144

Education Support Fund: 54 grants totalling £2,045,593

An additional grant of £119,647 for a project supporting Armed Forces families based overseas to have access to better electronic child health records