GrantRadar

The Veterans' Foundation and Invictus Games Birmingham 2027

Access Unconquered: Adaptive Sport Grants

A UK-wide programme from the Veterans' Foundation and Invictus Games Birmingham 2027 giving grants of £1,000 to £15,000 to charities and not-for-profits that open up adaptive sport to wounded, injured and sick (WIS) veterans and serving personnel. Projects must have WIS veterans and serving personnel as their only direct beneficiaries, include a clear adaptation (equipment, coaching, rules or delivery), improve physical and mental health, and be delivered between January and May 2027. Applicants need income under £1 million, 12 months of examined or audited accounts and substantial recent experience of supporting the Armed Forces community.

Apply on the funder’s site
You could get
£1,000 – £15,000
Deadline
30 days left
4 December
Effort
Moderate
full application with documents

Who can apply

  • Registered charities and other not-for-profit organisations anywhere in the UK that support wounded, injured and sick veterans and serving personnel; exempt charities can apply with details of their principal regulator
  • Not eligible: individuals; organisations with annual income above £1,000,000; unincorporated organisations; statutory bodies (local authorities, NHS, educational institutions); private limited companies; CICs limited by shares; charities or CICs based outside the UK; charities or CICs without substantial recent experience of supporting the Armed Forces community; and organisations without at least 12 months of independently examined or audited accounts
  • Current Veterans' Foundation grant holders and organisations already working with the Invictus Games can apply (the latter must show the project is distinct)

What it funds

Projects that open up opportunities for WIS veterans and serving personnel to access and participate in adaptive sport, with a clear adaptation such as modified equipment, coaching, rules or delivery methods, contributing to improved physical and mental health. Eligible costs:

  • Staffing: fixed-term staff time (delivery, administration, volunteer management), freelancers or sessional staff, professional coaching
  • Equipment: activity materials (e.g. sports, games or outdoor equipment), delivery tools such as phones, laptops and IT equipment, and essential equipment hire or purchase for project delivery
  • Delivery and travel: costs of additional places for WIS serving personnel and veterans in UK-based adaptive sport, organising event days or taster sessions, supporting access to and inclusion in events and trips, and reasonable travel for staff, volunteers or beneficiaries
  • Training: training for staff or volunteers on the safe and effective use of newly purchased adaptive equipment, and specialist training to support inclusive delivery for WIS serving personnel and veterans
  • Reasonable overheads, including storing and transporting items and wear and tear on private vehicles

Projects can be part of an established programme or standalone; where an existing programme is expanded, only additional places that increase participation or bring in new participants can be funded. Projects that build organisations' accessibility and inclusion, or reach under-represented groups within the WIS community, are particularly welcome. Grants must be spent by 31 May 2027.

What it will not fund

  • Projects that are not focused on the WIS of the Armed Forces community
  • Individual bursaries or trip fees
  • Personal mobility equipment for an individual's personal use, such as wheelchairs
  • Training for individuals or single staff members, or training not directly related to project delivery
  • Activities that take place overseas
  • Organisations' core work or existing services
  • Projects providing holidays, short breaks or respite care
  • Clinical interventions
  • Projects that duplicate existing MOD provision during the transition to civilian life
  • Projects that duplicate existing provision from the Naval Service Recovery Centre, Personal Recovery Units or Personnel Recovery Centres

How to apply

  1. Read the Access Unconquered guidance and the application form questions on the Veterans' Foundation 'Apply for a grant' page
  2. Complete the online eligibility quiz; if eligible you are taken to the application form
  3. Complete the form, using 'Save and Resume' and the emailed return link (valid 30 days; file uploads and signatures must be re-added when you return)
  4. Upload the supporting documents and up to three additional documents, and submit by 4 December 2026
  5. The Veterans' Foundation Grants Team and a representative of Invictus Games Birmingham 2027 assess applications; outcomes are emailed in mid-December 2026
  6. If funded, deliver between January and May 2027 (aiming to finish within 16 weeks of award) and send a final monitoring report within four weeks of completion (by 30 June 2027)

The closing date may be brought forward or extended depending on demand, so apply as soon as you are ready. Grant holders may be invited to take part in the University of Birmingham's evaluation.

Have ready

  • Constitution or Articles of Association
  • Latest annual approved accounts
  • Safeguarding policy
  • A reference from an organisation that works with the Armed Forces community and knows your work (if you have not had a Veterans' Foundation grant before), covering your outcomes, ability to deliver and work with other Armed Forces organisations
  • A breakdown of project costs

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