Frequently asked questions
We are a specialist organisation, with a long history of working in the field of domestic abuse but we have not previously been able to successfully engage with armed forces communities. Can we apply for funding from this programme?
Domestic abuse charities which do not also have experience of working with the armed forces community, can apply but it is essential that you will be delivering your project with another organisation or organisations which do have clear and demonstrable experience and expertise in supporting members of the armed forces.
Our organisation’s primary purpose is to improve the lives of armed forces communities. Can we apply for funding from this programme?
We welcome applications that involve collaboration between organisations and recognise that charities supporting serving personnel, veterans and their families are often well placed to engage trusted and established networks within armed forces communities.
However, for this programme, we believe that specialist domestic abuse providers, including charities and local authorities with relevant expertise, are best placed to lead applications.
We expect organisations with limited experience of working with armed forces communities to benefit from partnering with, or seeking advice from, armed forces-focused organisations. These partnerships can help strengthen understanding of the unique experiences and needs of armed forces communities. Further information about our expectations regarding partnership working is available in the programme guidance.
Can Community Interest Companies (CICs) apply for funding from this programme?
We recognise that many Community Interest Companies (CICs) take a professional, innovative and effective approach to addressing social challenges, and we fund CICs through a number of our programmes.
For the Free from Fear programme, however, we believe the programme aims and outcomes are most likely to be achieved through applications led by specialist charities or local authorities with relevant expertise in domestic abuse. We also consider these organisations to be best placed to meet the programme’s requirements around governance, safeguarding and risk management.
We do, however, welcome applications that involve CICs as project partners, where their skills, experience or specialist knowledge can strengthen the proposed project.
Further information about our expectations regarding partnership working can be found in the programme guidance.
Does our project have to meet all the programme outcomes?
Projects must meet one or more of the main programme outcomes. We will consider applications for well planned projects which take the most appropriate approach to the issue of domestic abuse, including projects which have a necessarily narrow focus and those with a broader approach.
In addition to the main project outcomes there are two optional outcomes. These relate to additional targeting of beneficiaries and to partnership working. Full information is included in the Programme Guidance regarding all programme outcomes.
Why is there a minimum request amount of £100K and why do projects have to be two years long?
We want to ensure that funding goes towards the most impactful and sustainable projects. To meet the challenge of preventing and addressing domestic abuse in armed forces communities, we feel offering a small number of medium – large grants of between £100,000 and £250,000 over a two-year period will best achieve this aim, as these projects will have time to gain trust with the communities they serve, build momentum and achieve the strongest outcomes.
Can we apply for funding towards therapy-related work through our project?
The Trust will fund therapeutic interventions that are non-clinical in nature, examples may include life or wellness counselling, peer support, or mindfulness. Any therapeutic interventions need to be proven to work, through credible published evidence. We would not expect projects to be wholly made up of one-to-one therapy sessions for beneficiaries, they will need to form part of a wider package of support within the project.
Awards made
| Year awarded | Programme | Funder | Organisation name | Project title | Project description | Project location | Grant amount | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Free from Fear | Covenant Fund | Aurora New Dawn | Armed Forces Domestic/Sexual Violence/Stalking Helpline | Aurora New Dawn will develop a UK-wide helpline for victims of domestic/sexual violence/stalking within armed forces communities. It will provide free, confidential information and support to serving personnel, Reservists, and their families. This is a two-year pilot, building on Aurora New Dawn’s experience in preventing domestic/sexual violence/stalking in armed forces communities and running helplines. | England/South East | 150,000.00 | |||||
| 2024 | Free from Fear | Covenant Fund | Independent Domestic Abuse Services (IDAS) | Specialist Military Domestic Abuse Service | This project will work alongside the military and external support agencies to provide a specialist military Domestic Abuse Service to serving members of the armed forces and their families at military bases across North Yorkshire. | England/North East | 117,665.00 | |||||
| 2024 | Free from Fear | Covenant Fund | North Devon Against Domestic Abuse (NDADA) | Education, Safety & Support (ESS) | The ESS project offers dedicated Independent Domestic Violence Advisor (IDVA) support for military personnel and their families experiencing domestic abuse. By partnering with current military welfare services, NHS and local authorities, ESS aims to promote healthy relationships, provide training and empower individuals, fostering a safe, supportive environment at Chivenor and Lympstone Military bases. | England/South West | 135,900.00 | |||||
| 2024 | Free from Fear | Covenant Fund | Reducing the Risk (RtR) | Military Domestic Abuse Torch Bearer | The Military Domestic Abuse Torch Bearer project will: increase domestic abuse awareness within Oxfordshire’s military community; improve safety, wellbeing and potentially save the lives of victims; reduce harm and risk for victims; empower victims; and mobilise the community to reduce the risk of domestic abuse. | England/South East | 150,000.00 | |||||
| 2024 | Free from Fear | Covenant Fund | West Mercia Women's Aid | The Penelope Project | The Penelope Project is a partnership between The Garrison at Credenhill and Clive Barracks in Shropshire with West Mercia Women’s Aid (WMWA). Working together, they will better enable domestic abuse victims to access confidential and independent advice and support, and achieve safety and recovery for themselves and their children. | England/West Midlands | 149,931.00 | |||||
| 2025 | Free from Fear | Covenant Fund | FearFree | Military Interpersonal Trauma Response Service | FearFree and Military Medical Teams will partner to address intimate partner violence in the military. Together, they’ll break down barriers, offering compassionate, unbiased support. FearFree will train medical teams to identify early signs of abuse and provide a secure pathway to support. | England/South West | 150,000.00 | |||||
| 2025 | Free from Fear | Covenant Fund | Trevi | Guiding Light Project | The Guiding Light Project supports women, including service personnel and spouses affected by domestic abuse, by helping them navigate the right support pathways. It aims to help them understand and make sense of their trauma, recognise how it may impact their behaviour, and empower them to begin moving forward in life. | England/South West | 148,614.00 | |||||
| 2025 | Free From Fear | Covenant Fund | Citizens Advice Rushmoor | epali Domestic Abuse Support | The project will scale-up an existing successful regional project, delivering trauma-informed, culturally sensitive domestic abuse support for Nepali families of serving armed forces personnel across the UK. | UK-wide | 115,174.00 | |||||
| 2025 | Free From Fear | Covenant Fund | Freeva | Freeva Forces of Change Project | Freeva (Free from Violence & Abuse) will deliver trauma-informed, confidential support to armed forces families across the East Midlands affected by domestic abuse. This includes holistic services for perpetrators to change their behaviour, safety and recovery support for victims, and interventions to help children heal from the impact of abuse. | England/East | 149,653.00 | |||||
| 2025 | Free From Fear | Covenant Fund | SafeLives | Whole Picture: Delivering the Covenant | The project will work with local authorities to strengthen responses to domestic abuse in serving armed forces communities by identifying barriers to support, improving local systems, and building stronger relationships with military stakeholders. | UK-wide | 149,934.00 | |||||
| 2025 | Free From Fear | Covenant Fund | ManKind | Initiative Male Domestic Abuse Awareness Programme | The project will deliver training and awareness courses for armed forces personnel alongside an online programme for armed forces men who have experienced domestic abuse. | UK-wide | 75,650.00 | |||||
| 2025 | Free From Fear | Covenant Fund | Victim Support Scotland (VSS) | Safe & Supported Scotland | This project will improve safety and support for victims of domestic abuse in Scotland’s armed forces communities, through specialist training, awareness raising and direct support, The project will be delivered in partnership with Victim Support Scotland and Scottish Women’s Aid. | Scotland | 148,023.00 | |||||
| 2025 | Free From Fear | Covenant Fund | West Mercia Women's Aid | The Penelope Project | The Penelope Project is a partnership between Royal Air Force Shawbury, Royal Air Force Cosford and West Mercia Women’s Aid (WMWA). Working together to better enable domestic abuse victims to access confidential and independent advice and support, and achieve safety and recovery for themselves and their children | England/West Midlands | 148,524.00 |
