GrantRadar

BFBS

The BFBS Welfare Fund

The BFBS Welfare Fund supports amenities, activities and projects that promote the efficiency of the Armed Forces (regular and reserve) but which do not generally attract public funds - past examples include children's play areas on military bases, equipment to keep families in touch with loved ones deployed abroad, expeditions, and media equipment on ships and submarines. It has three strands: Welfare Grants, Sports Grants and Adventurous Training Grants. Critically for civilian applicants, this is not a fund charities can apply to: applications must be made through the applicant's parent military Command headquarters, which forwards them to BFBS with recommendations. Forces charities are pointed instead at the separate BFBS Big Salute, which invites charity applications each year.

Apply on the funder’s site
You could get
Amount not specified
no fixed round
Deadline
Rolling
apply any time
Effort
Moderate
full application with documents

Who can apply

  • Plainly: this is not open to charities, community groups or voluntary organisations applying in their own right
  • It is for units and personnel of the UK Armed Forces, regular and reserve
  • Applications must be made to BFBS through the applicant's parent Command headquarters - PJHQ for operational deployments, or Fleet, Land or Air for everything else - which then forwards them to BFBS with its recommendations and comments
  • Applications for Armed Forces level sport and Inter Services competitions should go first to the UK Armed Forces Sports Board, which may approach BFBS if a compelling case can be made for support beyond the annual block grant
  • Adventurous Training expeditions must already be formally endorsed by the relevant service AT authority
  • Forces charities wanting BFBS money should look at the separate BFBS Big Salute, where BFBS invites forces charities each year to apply for grants for specific projects for the serving military, families or veterans

What it funds

  • Welfare Grants: anything that improves the quality of life and wellbeing of service personnel and their families, with priority where necessary to those on operational deployments or living in arduous conditions
  • Where the application is for equipment, grants will generally only cover capital costs, with running costs the applicant's responsibility
  • Sports Grants: in general only competitive sport at Armed Forces level and Inter Services competitions; BFBS also makes a substantial annual block grant for this, administered by the UK Armed Forces Sports Board
  • Adventurous Training Grants: tri-service or major single-service Adventurous Training expeditions that have been formally endorsed by the relevant service AT authority, and which are both ambitious in aim and unique in delivery or environment; successful applicants are expected to plan and exploit media opportunities across a range of channels

What it will not fund

  • Anything that is an appropriate charge to public funds
  • Running costs of equipment - grants are generally for capital costs only, with running costs the applicant's responsibility
  • Costs already incurred in anticipation of approval - "The BFBS Trustees will not reimburse an application for any costs incurred in anticipation of its approval"
  • Single-service level sport, for which funding is readily available from other sources such as sports lotteries

How to apply

  1. Confirm the project promotes the efficiency of the Armed Forces and is not an appropriate charge to public funds
  2. Prepare a written request - BFBS says there is no specific format
  3. Submit it to your parent Command headquarters: PJHQ for operational deployments, or Fleet, Land or Air for all others
  4. Your Command HQ forwards it to BFBS with recommendations and any additional comments, by email to welfarefund@bfbs.com

for Armed Forces level sport and Inter Services competitions, apply first to the UK Armed Forces Sports Board, not to BFBS

if awarded, send letters of acknowledgement and/or photographs to Welfare Fund, BFBS, Chalfont Grove, Narcot Lane, Chalfont St Peter, Buckinghamshire SL9 8TN - BFBS and its auditors use these as official confirmation

funded items should be labelled or fitted with a plaque by the parent unit acknowledging BFBS, and kept on a miscellaneous stores account

if a unit cannot use a funded item, Trustees prefer it is transferred to another unit or, as a last resort, sold, with an appropriate proportion of the proceeds returned to BFBS via Command HQ

Have ready

  • An explanation of the project or activity and justification of how it will promote the efficiency of the Armed Forces
  • A breakdown of costs, including the amount sought from the BFBS Welfare Fund
  • Confirmation that the project is not an appropriate charge to public funds
  • A statement of other possible sources of non-public funds, including sponsorship
  • The number of personnel who will benefit directly
  • An indication of how the project will be publicised, including the outlets (radio, TV, social media) used for media exploitation
  • Confirmation that the applicant has assessed and can meet any future running and maintenance costs
  • Details of how payment should be made if the grant is approved
  • The name and contact number/email of the Project Officer for queries

More like this

Other grants open to organisations like yours.