Under the Reducing Veteran Homelessness programme, the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust will award grants on behalf of the Office for Veterans’ Affairs (OVA), towards projects that contribute to the aims of the government’s ambition to reduce veteran homelessness and end rough sleeping.

This new round of the programme will provide funds to further improve the capacity of services in supported housing to meet the needs of vulnerable veterans.

Eligibility

We invite applications from the following types of organisation:

• A registered charity which can demonstrate relevant experience and engagement in the direct provision of housing for veterans
• A registered social housing provider or registered social landlord in Scotland
• A local authority

A full list of eligibility is available in the programme guidance below.

What’s available

You can apply for up to £300,000 per organisation towards a project being delivered over a period of up to nine months.

We would expect high-complex need projects to have a higher cost per head and low-to-medium complex need projects to have a lower cost per head. Where an organisation is bidding for multiple schemes (locations), you should cost each scheme separately, but combined as a single application. 

You can also apply for an Enhanced Award of up to an additional £200,000, if you can show us that extending your project will fill a significant level of currently unmet need. See the guidance document below for further details of Enhanced Awards.

Your project can be up to two years in length, and should begin within two months of the date of award.

If you are already in receipt of an RVH grant then you will be expected to confirm the end date for your current funding in the application form and plan to start your new project after this date.

All projects must complete by 31 March 2026.

Themes and priorities

We want to support projects that improve the capacity of services in supported housing to be better able to help Veterans with a range of needs.

Your application will need to show us how you will meet this aim. We’ve provided a comprehensive list of details you will need to provide, in our Programme Guidance document below, on page 6.

Deadlines and dates to note

The deadline for applications is 12 noon on 31 March 2025. Applications received by this deadline will receive a decision by the end of May 2025.

All successful projects must conclude by 31 March 2026.

Guidance and resources

Before making your application to this programme, we strongly recommend you read our Programme Guidance document below to ensure you make the best application you can.

We also recommend all applicants read the interim evaluation of the work of the Reducing Veteran Homelessness programme to date.

The Trust also commissioned Alma Economics to conduct an independent piece of consultative research to understand the current unmet and insufficiently met needs of veterans facing (or at risk of) homelessness in the UK. The Executive summary of this research is available to read on our website and can help with your application.

Programme news