The Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust (the Trust) and the Directory of Social Change have published an evaluation report exploring the impact of just under £11.5m of grant funds that the Trust has awarded through the Covenant Fund to support forces families who were experiencing difficult challenges.
The Trust awarded these grants under two different funding programmes: the £4.35m Families in Stress programme and the £7.12m Removing Barriers to Family Life programme.
Removing the barriers
The aim in both programmes was to reduce barriers that exist for forces families.
These barriers can come in many forms and the Trust’s funding programmes encouraged charities to work with units to meet those needs that families themselves identified as challenges.
Evaluating the positive impact
The evaluation has shown that both programmes have had transformative effects for communities, including the development of support networks, improvements to health and wellbeing, and building confidence.
Sonia Howe, Director of Policy for the Trust, explains: “We’re delighted to share the stories of our grant holders as part of this evaluation. Their work has reached forces families across the UK, delivering innovative work to reduce domestic violence, supporting military spouse and partner employment and the development of the co-working hubs opening at or near various military bases, and supporting those families transitioning out of the forces, or becoming more dispersed.
Projects have been able to support service children during significant life events including deployment, illness/injury of a parent, moving home and school, parental divorce/separation, and distance from extended family.”
Never Such Innocence
The charity Never Such Innocence (NSI) was awarded £100,000 for their ‘Voices of Armed Forces Children’ project, aimed at giving young people from forces families a creative outlet.
The organisation has shared the story of 10-year-old Jacob [pictured above], who used poetry to share his experiences as a child from a Naval family. To read his poem and learn more about the project, click here
Find out more
To read the Trust’s evaluation reports and see examples of the funding awarded, visit www.covenantfund.org.uk