Armed Forces Education Trust

Armed Forces Education Trust

The Armed Forces Education Trust (AFET) is a charity working for children and young adults whose education has been compromised or put at risk as a result of parents’ past or current service in our Armed Forces. The Trust has been supporting Service children for over 150 years. They do this through grants to individuals and schools.

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What is the Collective Grants funding purpose?

The Collective Grants programme will award grants up to £50,000 towards a project being delivered over a period of up to one year, starting in September 2026, to supporting Service children along their educational pathway.

School funding can be for anything that helps Service children to overcome disadvantages resulting from their parent’s service.

This could be relating to:

• Mobility, deployment and separation
• Gaps in learning
• Supporting mobile pupils with ALN.

Applications will be considered in support of schools or groups of of schools with Service children but could be School, Local Authority or University outreach led.

NOTE: The AFET may also be able to help with a grant to assist an individual child to overcome difficulties linked to their parents’ service and mobility.

Previous grants have included funding for programmes such as:

• Transition support
• Running county-wide Festival of Friends projects
• Setting up a Service pupil support teacher
• Play therapy for a group of Service children
• Emotional support provision
• Support for ALN in a cluster of schools.

Projects should be able to measure improvement and be self sustainable beyond end of grant.

 What are the priorities?

• Help fund the education of the children of Service men and women who have been disadvantaged by the service of their parent(s)
• Ensure children do not miss out because of their parents’ service, regardless of age, ability or their parents’ rank or past or current service
• Provide schools with funding for additional resources to support the education of children whose parents serve or have served in our Armed Forces.

Application deadline: 8th May 2026 (TBC). With outcomes received by the end of June.

NOTE: applicants are required to submit an expression of interest and meet with the AFET Chief Executive Officer prior to accessing the application form. We advise you do this no later than 17th April 2026.