The last few months have been a challenge for everyone and it seems we will feel the effects of the pandemic for months, at least, to come. So, what does that mean to the Veterans’ Foundation? We realised that we needed to make funds available quickly to organisations that were providing specific support to people suffering from the pandemic. Two examples are that VF funds helped provide food to those who couldn’t reach it and provided phones and tablets through which communication with the vulnerable could be sustained. Organisations received about £300K of money YOU, members of the public, have helped raise, very quickly for this essential support. As the pandemic continues, so the need for grants continues to tackle the ill-effects.
Extraordinarily, the funds being raised by members of the public for the VF, through playing the Veterans’ Lottery or making donations, continue to increase month on month and that means that we can provide more help where it is needed. In the past 16 months, we have passed on almost £2.6M to about 130 charities and other organizations that are delivering charitable work to those with an armed forces or operational seafaring background. We focus on the work of small and medium-charities that are delivering help and most of them have been hard-hit by the pandemic, with fundraising significantly diminished. Your money is needed more than ever.
The VF has 5 trustees who bring their wide experience in the armed forces, social work the operation of charities and business to bear when they are making decisions on where grants should be made. Such decisions are made carefully and we have to do this as we get applications for more money than we have to give out – this month we had bids of over a million pounds. However, with careful research by the VF team and good decisions by the trustees, we ensure the grants reach people who really benefit.
We have various exciting initiatives ahead of us and we are sure you will enjoy participating in them, so please stay in touch on social media. Finally, if you know of a charity or charitable activity that may need funds, please ask them to get in touch with David or Sarah through the link below.
