Frequently asked questions
Please note, we will add to this list if and when we receive queries from applicants.
Who can apply for this programme?
The full eligibility criteria can be found in the programme guidance document. You should ensure your organisation meets all eligibility requirements before applying.
How do I submit an application?
Applications must be submitted through the online grants portal. You can find further details in the programme guidance, programme page and the applicants hub. Applications sent by email or post will not be accepted.
I have an idea for a project but I’m not sure if it will be funded. Can I talk it through with someone at the Trust before I submit my application?
The information included in the programme guidance and application resources published on our website should help you to decide whether to apply to this programme. We cannot comment on proposals, or elements of proposals, ahead of receiving an application. To ensure that all applicants are treated fairly, we are unable to provide additional, individualised advice.
Can I save or edit my application before submitting it?
Yes. The online system allows you to save a draft, return to complete it later, and share drafts with colleagues before final submission.
What happens after I submit my application?
You will receive confirmation once your application is submitted. Your application will then be reviewed against the programme criteria, and we may contact you to clarify details. Further details can be found in the programme guidance.
How are funding decisions made?
Final decisions will be made by the Grants Committee or Board of Trustees. Applications are assessed against programme criteria as detailed in the programme guidance. If your application is unsuccessful, you will receive feedback.
Does my project have to meet all the programme outcomes?
No. Projects must meet one or more of the programme outcomes. We will give equal consideration to applications for projects that take a range of approaches to address the needs of partners of serving personnel. This includes those with a specific focus on one programme outcome and those with a broader or blended approach.
What is meant by partners who are non-UK nationals?
A non-UK national is defined as a person who is not a British citizen (a national of any member State other than the United Kingdom). Projects can look to address the needs of partners of UK serving personnel, where the partner of the service person may themselves be a non-UK national.
Can we use AI to help us apply?
Yes. You may use AI to support drafting your application, provided all information is accurate, evidence-based and written in your organisation’s own voice. AI must not be used to invent content, quotes or statistics. See more advice about using AI in the Guidance document. You should also remain mindful of your organisation’s data protection responsibilities and compliance with UK GDPR.
Awards made
| Year awarded | Programme | Funder | Organisation name | Project title | Project description | Project location | Grant amount | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | AF3 Supporting Partners | Armed Forces Families Fund | Armed Forces Community HQ CIC | GM Partner Peer Support | This project will enable Armed Forces Community HQ to pilot an innovative blended approach to enabling peer to peer support for the partners of Serving personnel, Regular and Reserve, delivered across Greater Manchester. | England/North West | 46,090.00 | |||||
| 2023 | AF3 Supporting Partners | Armed Forces Families Fund | Army Families Federation | Positive Futures for Military Partners | This project will help to ensure that service spouses and partners are provided with clear, easily accessible, effective partner employment support while undertaking a review of the current and future, holistic needs, of partners and service spouses. | UK-wide | 50,000.00 | |||||
| 2023 | AF3 Supporting Partners | Armed Forces Families Fund | Career Pursuit | Online career support platform | This project will enable Career Pursuit, through their 'Online career support platform' project to create a tool for military spouses and partners to find employment and business support. | UK-wide | 30,000.00 | |||||
| 2023 | AF3 Supporting Partners | Armed Forces Families Fund | Forces Employment Charity | MyForcesEmployment : Families | This project delivers an innovative digital platform, ‘My Forces Employment: Families’, which complements Forces Employment Charity’s successful Families Programme. The year-long initiative will deliver a digital resource constructed to strengthen military spouses’ and partners’ access to employment, education, and training opportunities. It aims to reduce the employment challenges associated with military life. | UK-wide | 50,000.00 | |||||
| 2023 | AF3 Supporting Partners | Armed Forces Families Fund | Home-Start Berkshire East | Connected Families | The Connected Families Project' will provide a programme of practical and emotional support for the partners of serving personnel, to help reduce stress and manage the challenges of family life, enabling them to feel connected to others and services. | England/South East | 31,490.00 | |||||
| 2023 | AF3 Supporting Partners | Armed Forces Families Fund | The Partner Employment Working Group CIC | The Overseas Employment Guide | This project will help Armed Forces families being posted overseas gain access to, and an understanding of, the requirements of being able to work in their new location. This could include working for themselves, their current UK employer, or for a host nation company. | UK-wide | 46,500.00 | |||||
| 2023 | AF3 Supporting Partners | Armed Forces Families Fund | RAF Brize Norton | The Big Brize Partner Project | The Big Brize Partner Project' will bring together existing projects supporting military partners at the UK's largest RAF Station, guided by a steering group of military partners and community leaders, The project will improve existing services and develop new, innovative activities to meet unmet needs and foster peer support | England/South East | 35,000.00 | |||||
| 2023 | AF3 Supporting Partners | Armed Forces Families Fund | RAF Valley | Spouses and Partners Support Project | Project delivered/partially delivered, with some funding not used | Wales | 29,000.00 | |||||
| 2023 | AF3 Supporting Partners | Armed Forces Families Fund | RAF Wittering | Supporting Partners at Wittering | Project delivered/partially delivered, with some funding not used | England/East | 39,100.00 | |||||
| 2023 | AF3 Supporting Partners | Armed Forces Families Fund | RFS Career Academy | Recruit For Spouses App | The project will see the creation of an interactive app; enabling partners of serving personnel to receive a bespoke pathway facilitating access to employment, education and training, or wider support tailored to their unique situation. | UK-wide | 50,000.00 | |||||
| 2023 | AF3 Supporting Partners | Armed Forces Families Fund | University of Chester | Employment Experiences of Serving Partners | Project delivered/partially delivered, with some funding not used | UK-wide | 49,000.00 | |||||
| 2024 | AF3 Supporting Partners | Armed Forces Families Fund | Army Families Federation | Delivering positive futures for partners | The project will provide service partners with clear and easy access to effective employment support, by implementing several recommendations from the Positive Futures research report. Extending reach and sustainability whilst building an evidence base and partnerships for future delivery of long-term recommendations in spousal employment support. | UK-wide | 72,600.00 | |||||
| 2024 | AF3 Supporting Partners | Armed Forces Families Fund | Bath Spa University | Supporting Partners into Educational Careers | The aim of this project is to create a hub to support service partners in career pathways into education. It will support individuals to gain post-16 qualifications in education from level one through to qualified teacher status. | UK-wide | 70,825.00 | |||||
| 2024 | AF3 Supporting Partners | Armed Forces Families Fund | Battling On CIC | Fresh Start | The Fresh Start Project provides an end-to-end service supporting partners and spouses of those serving in the armed forces, and reservists, to reach their full potential and gain meaningful employment. | England/South West | 75,000.00 | |||||
| 2024 | AF3 Supporting Partners | Armed Forces Families Fund | Catch22 | Digital Workplace Skills For All | Project delivered/partially delivered, with some funding not used | UK-wide | 59,836.00 | |||||
| 2024 | AF3 Supporting Partners | Armed Forces Families Fund | The Family Foundation | Project Restart | Project Restart will provide targeted skills, education, and training to improve employability. By providing impactful training for beneficiaries through a hands-on approach. Delivering accredited work focused qualifications on the doorstep to ensure partners of serving personnel or reservists have access to what they need to thrive as a family unit. | Wales | 55,000.00 | |||||
| 2024 | AF3 Supporting Partners | Armed Forces Families Fund | Home-Start Berkshire East | Elevating Partners | The Elevating Partners project will provide several interventions to provide tailored support, build self-confidence, and promote the skills of veterans, and partners of serving personnel/reservists. This is with the aim of improving community cohesion and minimising the effect that service life has on the partners’ careers. | England/South East | 68,781.00 | |||||
| 2024 | AF3 Supporting Partners | Armed Forces Families Fund | The Milspo Network | Milspo Launch Accelerator Business Course | A business startup course created and taught by experienced entrepreneurs from the military spouse community who understand the unique challenges faced. Participants will launch their own sustainable businesses with support from a network of peers built during the course. | UK-wide | 33,000.00 | |||||
| 2024 | AF3 Supporting Partners | Armed Forces Families Fund | NDNA | Employment Opportunities in Early Years | This project aims to offer a 16-week paid training and employment programme within the Early Years sector to partners of serving personnel and reservists to recognise the important skills and experience partners can bring to the childcare environment. | UK-wide | 71,800.00 | |||||
| 2024 | AF3 Supporting Partners | Armed Forces Families Fund | RACPD | Qualifications and confidence for spouses/partners | This project, delivered through RACPD, a charity training provider, helps service spouses and partners get back into learning, earn qualifications, boost confidence, morale, and job prospects. It tailors learning paths by analysing needs and providing personalised advice and guidance. | England/South West | 73,000.00 | |||||
| 2024 | AF3 Supporting Partners | Armed Forces Families Fund | RAF Akrotiri Families Centre | Returning to UK Employment Training | Families returning to the UK often face having to find new employment after their time in Cyprus. The project will provide training to help with a return-to-work programme, including CV writing and interview techniques to make the participants as employable as possible. | Overseas | 30,000.00 | |||||
| 2024 | AF3 Supporting Partners | Armed Forces Families Fund | RFS Career Academy | Pilot Community Workshop Series | The Pilot Community Workshop Series will host workshops in targeted military communities in the UK to benefit spouses and partners of serving personnel and reservists who are looking to secure employment or to access new employment opportunities. | UK-wide | 60,626.00 | |||||
| 2024 | AF3 Supporting Partners | Armed Forces Families Fund | Royal British Legion Industries (RBLI) | RBLI Lifeworks Families | RBLI Lifeworks Families aims to support spouses, partners, and families of serving military and reservists to gain work via employability training. Identifying potential future employment, improving confidence and gain skills through mock interviews, continuous professional development and providing monthly support into employment. | England/East | 60,000.00 | |||||
| 2024 | AF3 Supporting Partners | Armed Forces Families Fund | Voluntary Action LeicesterShire | Supporting Partners Education, Employment, Development | The project will provide employability support and volunteering to armed forces partners and spouses in the Leicester, Leicestershire, and Rutland (LLR) cluster area, empowering positive steps towards new opportunities. | England/East | 64,348.00 | |||||
| 2025 | AF3 Supporting Partners | Armed Forces Families Fund | Aurora New Dawn | RAF families support (domestic/sexual abuse/stalking) | Aurora New Dawn will recruit a dedicated independent specialist advocate to support partners of serving RAF personnel/reservists who have experienced – or may be at risk of – domestic/sexual abuse/ stalking, reducing isolation and increasing wellbeing for RAF families in the UK. | UK-wide | 60,000.00 | |||||
| 2025 | AF3 Supporting Partners | Armed Forces Families Fund | Battling On CIC | Refreshing Start | The Refreshing Start Project provides individualised person centre end-to-end service to support partners and spouses of those serving in the armed forces to develop the confidence, self-esteem and skills to reach their full potential, build the necessary support networks to work towards and gain meaningful employment. | England/South West | 60,000.00 | |||||
| 2025 | AF3 Supporting Partners | Armed Forces Families Fund | Forces Employment Charity | Supporting Partners into Tech Careers | The project supports spouses and partners of serving personnel in raising their aspirations, building their confidence, and developing the skills necessary to secure fulfilling employment and promoting the diverse opportunities available within the technology industry, aiming to empower individuals to consider careers in a rapidly evolving field. | UK-wide | 50,000.00 | |||||
| 2025 | AF3 Supporting Partners | Armed Forces Families Fund | Global Support Organisation/National Support Element North Italy | Professional Development for Spouses | The aim of the project is to support spouses who have accompanied their partners to Italy. Due to restrictions, spouses are unable to work, therefore this project will aim to help develop new skills, build confidence on return to the workforce or completely map a new career for themselves. | Overseas | 60,000.00 | |||||
| 2025 | AF3 Supporting Partners | Armed Forces Families Fund | Greater Rushmoor Nepali Community(GRNC) | Excel together | Excel Together will support spouses and partners of serving personnel, including reservists, particularly non-UK nationals, in transitioning to life in the UK by providing mental health awareness, practical and social skills. Hybrid sessions (face-to-face and virtual) will help build resilience and help tackle challenges like social isolation and career instability. | England/South East | 57,000.00 | |||||
| 2025 | AF3 Supporting Partners | Armed Forces Families Fund | HMNB Clyde | Submariner Families "Lighthouse" Programme | This project aims to improve the mental health and wellbeing of spouses and partners, of serving personnel, by providing local community programmes offering wellness activities, and promoting fitness, mental health, and community integration. | Scotland | 54,751.00 | |||||
| 2025 | AF3 Supporting Partners | Armed Forces Families Fund | Home-Start Richmondshire | Catterick Connections | Home-Start Richmondshire will improve the wellbeing, community connections and transferable skills of partners of serving personnel through our volunteer befriending and support programme. | England/North East | 39,938.00 | |||||
| 2025 | AF3 Supporting Partners | Armed Forces Families Fund | Preston North End Community and Education Trust | Tackling Life Together | Working with 4th Battalion, The Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment, ‘Tackling Life Together’ is an early intervention approach towards improving the mental health and wellbeing of spouses and partners of reservists. Co-produced with beneficiaries, a weekly programme of group-based wellbeing activities will tackle loneliness, improve mental wellbeing, and create healthy aspirations. | England/North West | 40,623.00 | |||||
| 2025 | AF3 Supporting Partners | Armed Forces Families Fund | RAF Valley | S&P Community Connections Support Project | The aim of this project is to bring service spouses and partners together by engaging them in a variety of positive health and wellbeing activities, to tackle isolation and loneliness, while also enabling the development of informal support networks. | Wales | 30,000.00 | |||||
| 2025 | AF3 Supporting Partners | Armed Forces Families Fund | Solent Mind | Anchoring Minds: Mental Health Navigator | This project aims to expand an existing emotional wellbeing service (with RNRMC) by extending support to Army and Air Force families. It will introduce a mental health navigator who will operate a triage system, providing appropriate signposting and referrals based on the individual’s location and the challenges they face. | England/South East | 54,343.00 | |||||
| 2025 | AF3 Supporting Partners | Armed Forces Families Fund | DEFENCE MEDICAL WELFARE SERVICE (DMWS) | Supporting Military Community Spouses/Partners | DMWS will provide independent, person-centred support to military partners in Hereford and Salisbury to improve mental wellbeing through practical and emotional support, advocacy, and links to wider support. | England/South West | 57,765.00 | |||||
| 2025 | AF3 Supporting Partners | Armed Forces Families Fund | Suffolk Family Carers | Caring Forces | This project aims to improve the mental health and wellbeing of spouses and partners with family caring roles by providing one-to-one and peer group support. It will also work across communities to raise awareness of the challenges they face and explore ways to overcome them. | England/East | 57,000.00 | |||||
| 2025 | AF3 Supporting Partners | Armed Forces Families Fund | Suffolk Mind | Frontline Partners | Frontline Partners will engage a Wellbeing Outreach Worker to build trust and connections with partners/spouses of serving personnel. This relationship-building will facilitate co-production and delivery of services which support partners/spouses’ mental health and eases integration into unfamiliar living and working environments while they’re based in Suffolk and for future postings. | England/East | 59,717.00 | |||||
| 2025 | AF3 Supporting Partners | Armed Forces Families Fund | The Warrior Programme | Supporting and Empowering Service Partners | The project aims to enhance the self-esteem, confidence, and resilience of tri-service partners and spouses. By enhancing self-awareness and communication skills, it will improve family relationships, help individuals better cope with the challenges of service life, and support the development of a vision for their futures along with the networks to achieve these goals. | UK-wide | 60,000.00 | |||||
| 2025 | AF3 Supporting Partners | Armed Forces Families Fund | University of Central Lancashire | Education a pathway to wellbeing | Working within the North West’s Further/Higher Education organisations, this project will educate practitioners on the needs of armed forces partners as potential students and employees. Through developing pathways to address the unique challenges partners face, raising confidence, aspirations and improving wellbeing through opportunities to study and work in the FE/HE sector. | England/North West | 57,919.00 | |||||
| 2025 | AF3 Supporting Partners | Armed Forces Families Fund | RFS Career Academy | FLOURISH | This one-year project will support the mental wellbeing and personal development of military spouses and partners, in the UK and overseas. Grounded in lived experience, it offers emotional support, peer connection, and skills-building opportunities - empowering participants through services shaped by the very communities they are designed to support. | UK-wide | 45,907.00 | |||||
| 2025 | AF3 Supporting Partners | Armed Forces Families Fund | Army Welfare Service- Donnington & Tern Hill | Supporting Spouses | Supporting Spouses is a programme operating at Donnington and Tern Hill bases that aims to support partners of serving personnel. This is through a number of sessions including Early Help drop-in, Family Fun Night and Walk & Talk. | England/West Midlands | 10,000.00 | |||||
| 2025 | AF3 Supporting Partners | Armed Forces Families Fund | Hull FC Community Foundation | Common Purpose | This project offers a weekly programme of wellbeing, personal development, and family learning activities, ‘Common Purpose’ is an innovative approach towards meeting the mental health needs of partners of service personnel. Co-produced with potential beneficiaries living on Normandy Barracks, activities aim to improve mental health and wellbeing, foster cohesion, and inspire aspirations. | England/North East | 46,290.00 | |||||
| 2025 | AF3 Supporting Partners | Armed Forces Families Fund | National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) | Employment Opportunities in Early Years | National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) is the UK’s foremost provider of professional early education and childcare training. NDNA offers a proven training and employment programme within the early years sector to partners of serving personnel or reservists that recognises the range of skills and experience they bring to the workplace. | England/North East | 62,202.00 | |||||
| 2025 | AF3 Supporting Partners | Armed Forces Families Fund | The Milspo Network | The Business Launch Accelerator Course | An online business start-up course supporting military partners to build flexible, sustainable businesses that work around military life. This funding will allow the course to be updated and extended, offering a further 120 people the chance to start something of their own - wherever they’re posted. | UK-wide | 34,901.00 | |||||
| 2025 | AF3 Supporting Partners | Armed Forces Families Fund | Active Plus | Military Partner Career Pathways | The Military Partner Career Pathways project will work with partners of serving personnel (including reservists) in Cornwall and Isles of Scilly to increase employment opportunities, access to education, training and to grow in confidence and self-belief. Tailored one-toone support will be provided by a lived-experience Military Partner Change Coach. | England/South West | 70,000.00 | |||||
| 2025 | AF3 Supporting Partners | Armed Forces Families Fund | Forces Employment Charity | The Families Programme | The Families Programme assists partners of serving personnel in enhancing their aspirations, boosting their confidence, and acquiring the skills needed to find fulfilling employment, including whilst posted overseas. The project will empower individuals to maximise their potential, whilst improving their financial stability and reducing isolation. | UK-wide | 70,000.00 | |||||
| 2025 | AF3 Supporting Partners | Armed Forces Families Fund | X-Forces Enterprise | Enterprise Pathways for Forces Partners. | This project will deliver a business start-up support programme for partners of serving members of the armed forces. Delivery will be in the UK, overseas bases and on-line, enabled by our partnerships with HIVE and welfare support. The programme includes group work and 1-1 mentoring with specialist support for specific businesses. | UK-wide | 61,748.00 | |||||
| 2025 | AF3 Supporting Partners | Armed Forces Families Fund | Adferiad | Employment and Volunteering Pathway | Adferiad will deliver an 18-month, Wales-wide programme supporting armed forces partners into volunteering and employment. Through tailored outreach, training, and placements, the initiative boosts confidence, skills, and career prospects. It prioritises inclusivity, mental well-being, and long-term impact, empowering participants while promoting systemic change across organisations and the wider armed forces community. | Wales | 70,000.00 | |||||
| 2025 | AF3 Supporting Partners | Armed Forces Families Fund | BFBS | AI Skills for Military Partners | An online and in person training programme offering military partners worldwide the skills and confidence to use artificial intelligence tools in everyday life and work. Through self-paced learning and live support, the project promotes wellbeing, digital confidence, and new opportunities for employment, self-employment or further learning. | Overseas | 66,884.00 | |||||
| 2025 | AF3 Supporting Partners | Armed Forces Families Fund | Hambleton Community Action | Outpost Leeming | This project will support family members of serving personnel living at RAF Leeming, helping to improve their overall wellbeing through volunteering, building resilience through development of selfadvocacy skills, mitigating for transport challenges, running recreational and skills-based workshops and offering a holistic advice and signposting service to partners and families. | England/North East | 67,394.00 | |||||
| 2025 | AF3 Supporting Partners | Armed Forces Families Fund | Bath Spa University | Skills for careers and wellbeing | This project aims to support partners of serving armed forces personnel by helping them acquire in-demand skills, access flexible and portable employment opportunities or start their own businesses and increase their confidence and wellbeing. The project focuses in Wiltshire, with some elements being available nationally and internationally via online delivery. | England/South West | 69,208.00 | |||||
| 2025 | AF3 Supporting Partners | Armed Forces Families Fund | CatZero | CATZERO LECONFIELD SUPPORTING PARTNERS PROGRAMME | CatZero will deliver a two-year programme, improving the skills, confidence, mental health and wellbeing of partners of serving members of the armed forces at Defence School of Transport, Leconfield, East Yorkshire. The codesigned programme will meet individual needs, address social isolation and provide practical support to overcome barriers to employment. | England/North East | 57,835.00 | |||||
| 2025 | AF3 Supporting Partners | Armed Forces Families Fund | RACPD | Spouses/Partners – Confidence Through Learning | RACPD is a charitable training provider supporting service partners and dependants through tailored learning programmes. These initiatives enhance essential skills, promote wellbeing, and foster educational success. By celebrating achievement and progression, this project will upskill individuals to develop academic qualifications and create opportunities for career entry or progression. | England/South East | 70,000.00 | |||||
| 2025 | AF3 Supporting Partners | Armed Forces Families Fund | Citizens Advice Rushmoor | Gurkha Resilience, Knowledge Access Project | This project will improve access to advice and support services for partners of serving personnel, especially non-UK nationals from Gurkha regiments, across Aldershot and Larkhill Garrisons. It removes language and cultural barriers through bilingual advice, outreach, and advocacy delivered by Citizens Advice Rushmoor, a national leader in Gurkha community support. | England/South East | 69,077.00 | |||||
| 2025 | AF3 Supporting Partners | Armed Forces Families Fund | British Loan Service Oman | Oman Partners' Arabic Kick Start | The project will provide introductory (survival) Arabic lessons to partners of tri-service personnel serving on Loan Service in Oman. Whilst there is provision for language training for serving personnel, no such provision exists for partners, so this project seeks to redress this disparity and demonstrate investment in partners' personal development. | Overseas | 60,000.00 | |||||
| 2025 | AF3 Supporting Partners | Armed Forces Families Fund | British Gurkhas Nepal | Thrive Beyond Borders | The project supports partners of serving personnel in Nepal, restricted from working locally. It helps them gain new skills, build confidence, and prepare for future careers or enhance existing abilities, ensuring smoother reintegration and personal and professional growth upon their return to the UK. | Overseas | 34,250.00 |
