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THE ROYAL AIR FORCE BENEVOLENT FUND 67 Portland Place, London W1B 1AR
https://www.rafbf.org/
EXTERNAL GRANT PROGRAMME – GUIDELINES
ABOUT THE RAF BENEVOLENT FUND
The RAF Benevolent Fund is the RAF’s leading welfare charity. Through our individual benevolence
programme we help members of the RAF Family deal with a wide range of issues from childcare and
relationship difficulties to injury and disability, and from financial hardship and debt to illness and
bereavement. As part of this work we are pleased to provide grants to other charities and organisations that
also provide tangible assistance to members of the RAF Family, working together for the benefit of those in
need.
WELCOME TO OUR EXTERNAL GRANTS PROGRAMME
Please take time to read these guidance notes carefully. They explain who can apply, the kinds of things
we will fund, how to apply, what you need to send with your application form and what happens when we
receive your application. If you have any queries please do contact us via e-mail in the first instance at
The RAF Benevolent Fund operates an open grants programme enabling applicants to apply at any time
during the year, although organisations are limited to one application per year, and ordinarily retrospective
applications will not be considered. If you currently have an existing grant from us you can only apply again
during the final six months of your existing grant period and any future award will be conditional upon the
completion of a satisfactory post grant report (details below).
We fund charitable organisations whose focus is on the military community and who deliver services or
projects to members of the RAF Family, that are in line with our Charitable Objectives and Impact
Framework.
CHARITABLE OBJECTIVES AND IMPACT FRAMEWORK
(See page 6 for our Impact Framework)
Organisations applying for a grant must be able to demonstrate their ability to meet one of our charitable
objectives, as well as at least one of our nine Welfare Outcomes from our Impact Framework (which can be
viewed on page 6 of this guide).
Our main charitable objectives are:
1) To provide assistance to the RAF family, when they are in need.
2) To support the morale and wellbeing of the serving RAF.
Impact:
Our overall aim is to enable all within the RAF Family to live with dignity, purpose and peace of mind. We
measure our achievement against this using the following nine Welfare Outcomes which are our welfare
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priorities:
1) Increased financial means
2) Increased mobility
3) Increased ability to live at home safely for longer
4) Improved home environment
5) Improved employment prospects
6) Increased engagement in vocational activities.
7) Improved relationships with others
8) Reduced isolation and loneliness
9) Improved mental well‐being
POLICY AND CRITERIA
In order to ensure that the Fund’s benevolence is being distributed appropriately, there are some principles
that are applied in considering applications. These are:
The assistance given is demonstrably of benefit to the RAF Family.
A grant is awarded on the basis of real need and strong evidence that it will meet at least one of the
Fund’s charitable objectives and welfare outcomes.
The assistance given provides additional support for members of the RAF Family, rather than just a
contribution to general expenses.
If your charity/organisation meets our principles above, you can apply to the External Grants Programme if
you meet the following eligibility criteria:
Your charity or organisation is a member of the Confederation of Service Charities (Cobseo) or a
component of the Armed Forces.
If not a member of Cobseo, you are a registered charity or have charitable aims that specifically
provide for the RAF Family.
Your income does not generally exceed £15 million per annum
You do not have free reserves equating to over 12 months running costs.
You may not request an amount that exceeds 10% of your overall annual income as per the most
recent annual accounts.
Retrospective applications will only be considered in extenuating circumstances.1
1 For example, a course provider, whose course outcomes are in line with the Fund’s Impact Framework, who seeks to cover costs
per person for attendees post course completion. Such applications must be made within three months of the course finish date.
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GRANT TERMS AND CONDITIONS
If you are successful in your application, please be aware that you must meet the following grant terms and
conditions. These and any additional requirements specific to your grant will be communicated in writing if
your application is successful. Failure to comply may impact on future applications you may submit:
Submit a Post Grant Report within 12 months of the grant being awarded, outlining how the monies
were spent and how the Fund’s welfare outcomes were met, with detail on the impact this has had
in accordance with the Fund’s Impact framework.
The Fund should be recognised by the receiving organisation in an appropriate manner.
The Fund is entitled to publicise our benevolence in support of your organisation on our website
accordingly.
HOW MUCH CAN YOU APPLY FOR?
Unless your charity/organisation has a specific contract with the RAF Benevolent Fund, the maximum award that can be made is £25,000. It should be noted that the Fund’s grant will ordinarily be a contribution to the costs attributable to RAF Family members only.
WHAT WE FUND
Projects, for example, a particular time-limited activity that benefits our beneficiaries;
Services, for example, to provide a support or welfare service to our beneficiaries;
Capital projects, for example, to build a facility or to purchase equipment for the benefit of our
beneficiaries.
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WHAT WE DON’T FUND
Hospices and Care Homes – Although individual Care Home Top Up Fees can be considered via
our individual benevolence process, please see our website or contact our Welfare helpline, 0800
1692942 for further details.
Memorials or group or individual visits to Service memorials or graves.
Start-up costs.
Activities that the state has a legal obligation to provide.
Endowments.
Loans, interest payments or debts.
Fundraising activities for your charity/organisation or any other group or activity.
Contingency costs.
PR/Marketing costs.
HOW TO APPLY
Once you have read these guidelines and decided that it is appropriate for your organisation to make a grant application, please complete the External Grant Application form, available to download on our website. Please note that we are unable to process incomplete applications and may return them with a request for any missing information. If you require any advice please contact the Grants team via e-mail in the first instance at [email protected] Application Form Notes:
Please ensure that the application form is completed fully. We can not process incomplete applications.
Failure to produce all documentation required will result in a delay to your application being processed.
Please avoid the use of technical terms, acronyms and jargon, and if using abbreviations please ensure that you put them in full in the first instance for example, Wellbeing and Employment Pathway (WEP).
If you are unable to provide a link for your Annual Accounts, please ensure you send a copy with your completion application form.
If you are applying for a grant that will be used for a project/service being delivered on an RAF Station or in direct support of an RAF Station, please ensure you include a statement or letter of support from the Station Commander.
Completed forms should be e-mailed to the Grants team,( [email protected]) along with a copy or link to your Annual Accounts and Report. You can also post completed application forms to:
External Grants Team
C/O Welfare Programmes and Development Dept 67 Portland Place
London W1B 1AR
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WITHDRAWING AN APPLICATION
If for any reason you need to withdraw your application, you may do so at any time by first calling us on
0207 307 3436 and then sending us a letter signed by the main contact for your application.
DATA PROTECTION ACT 1998
By sending us an application you give your explicit consent for us to use data relating to your organisation
for the purposes outlined here. The RAF Benevolent Fund complies with the Data Protection Act 1998.
Information on the use of personal data by the RAF Benevolent Fund is available from The Director of
Strategy and Fundraising, RAF Benevolent Fund, 67 Portland Place, London, W1B 1AR.
RAF BENEVOLENT FUND – IMPACT FRAMEWORK
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