Scottish Veterans Fund - Main Funding Stream

Legal Person

Applicant organisations must constitute a “legal person”, meaning it is legally constituted and can enter into a contract in its own right. For example, in respect of the organisations that typically apply to the SVF, applicants may be a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO), a new legal form for registered Scottish charities, or a registered company. Registered company applicants (whether a limited company or a company limited by guarantee) will typically be not-for-profit and may also have separate charitable status as a registered charity. Statutory bodies are also eligible to apply.Please note that unincorporated organisations, even where a registered charity, are not eligible to apply. In that event, the Scottish Government recommends that consideration is given to becoming a SCIO or registered company to apply in future.

Presence in Scotland 

Organisations applying for funding must have a presence in Scotland. Alternatively, applications submitted by a partnership must include a lead organisation based within Scotland. For the purposes of this Fund, ‘a presence in Scotland’ means that the applicant must comply with one of the following: 

(a) be a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (“SCIO”); or

(b) be a Company registered (under the Companies Act 2006) with their Head Office in Scotland; or

(c) be a charity registered in Scotland (under the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005); or

(d) occupy offices or premises in Scotland provided these will be used in connection with the use or administration of funds paid to organisation through this Fund. 

Applications submitted by a partnership must include a lead organisation based within Scotland. There must be a named Project Manager in Scotland who can discuss progress of the project with grant providers, as and when required. It will be the Scottish-based applicant organisation who will enter into the grant contract and have overall responsibility for delivery, including management of the budget.

Projects outwith the Scottish Veterans Fund

The SVF will not provide funding for:

• Projects based outside of Scotland.

• Projects solely aimed at serving members of HM Armed Forces, except for projects with a clear, evidence-based benefit to enable successful transition to civilian life and on why the need is not met by Ministry of Defence’s obligations to personnel.

• Direct payments to ex-Service personnel.

• The funding of capital works, such as buildings or infrastructure.

• Reunions, receptions or activities for which other funding sources (such as the Big Lottery Fund) could be used.

• The erection, maintenance or repair of a memorial.

• The ‘gap filling’ of a service that is or should be provided by others.

• Retrospective payments for activity that has already been carried out

• Projects which include a substantial proportion of core administration, personnel or running costs.

Support to Families

The Scottish Government recognises that, in many cases, veterans’ spouses, partners and families provide valuable support to aid veterans’ transition. Projects that help meet these wider family needs are therefore welcomed. The benefit the project brings to ex-Service personnel and their families in Scotland will be the primary measures of its value, not the scale of the project.

The SVF is aimed at any projects that are attempting to deliver support to veterans. Those which are proposing a new or innovative approach to veterans’ issues, or that seek to develop areas and activities not currently funded by either the Scottish Government or the Ministry of Defence are desirable but not essential. This includes new ways of delivering existing outcomes to reflect changes in circumstance or technology.

The benefit the project brings to ex-Service personnel and their families will be the primary measure of its value, not the scale of the project. The Scottish Government recognises that, in many cases, veterans’ spouses, partners and families provide valuable support to aid veterans’ transition. Projects that help meet these wider family needs are therefore welcomed.

Veterans of the UK Armed Forces and their families resident in Scotland are the intended beneficiaries of this SVF and the panel’s assessments will consider how well the application meets the criteria outlined below and in its enduring value to the veterans community. The Scottish Government applies the existing Ministry of Defence definition of a veteran which is:

Any person who has served for any length of time in the Armed Forces of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (whether Regular or Reserve, including National Servicemen). The veterans’ community also includes their widows/widowers and spouses and dependants. Exceptionally, this definition also includes former members of the Merchant Navy who took part in legally defined UK military operations. 

This definition of veterans includes Early Service Leavers, which are defined as being those that leave the Armed Forces within four years of joining.

All applications must set out who will benefit from any project supported by a SVF grant, state clearly what the defined outcomes, outputs and measurable impact will be (such as number of beneficiaries or similar) and provide timescales in which they will be achieved. Guidance can be found later in this document  under ‘Project Bid Details’ with further information on how to detail the impact, inputs, outcomes and outputs of your project.

Funds Transfer and Evaluation

Once decisions are taken, applicants will be notified of the outcome before the end of the 2025/26 financial year.

All successful applicants for single year funding will submit a mid-year report after 6 months and then an end of year report no later than 6 weeks following the end of the financial year in which the grant is received. All successful applicants will be expected to undertake effective measurement of, and reporting against, any and all outcomes as agreed in the Letter of Grant.

These reports should also all include a statement of income and expenditure showing income from all sources and an appropriate breakdown of expenditure for the project in question. The statement of income and expenditure should be signed by authorised personnel. A standard progress report pro-forma will be shared alongside the grant letter.

Applications

Only applications made on the application form and submitted by the closing date will be considered. Augmenting material in support of an application may be provided under separate cover.

Before recommending a bid, the SVF panel must be satisfied that the applicant organisation has sufficient competency to deliver the project and to apply sound financial management. All projects must demonstrate a strong and robust business case, including sound financial and management arrangements. It is essential that all bids represent value for money and include evidence that grants will be spent effectively. Applicants must submit a summary copy of their last three audited accounts as evidence of current financial viability (or reports since trading commenced).

Panel members will have a large amount of paperwork to consider so please note and respect the word count for each part of the form.

Decision Making Process

All applications will be considered by the SVF panel. This panel will be selected and chaired by the Scottish Veterans Commissioner, and will include representation from individuals with experience of veterans issues and/or grant-making in Scotland. Panel assessments and recommendations will be submitted to the Minster for Veterans who will make the final decision to support, or otherwise, projects. Scottish Ministers are under no obligation to accept recommendations of the panel and their decision is final. However, applicants may make fresh applications in respect of unsuccessful bids in subsequent years.

Organisation’s Safeguarding Policy.

All applicant organisations are required to have an appropriate safeguarding policy in place and provide a copy of this along with their application. According to the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR):

“Safeguarding is the action that an organisation takes to promote the welfare of children and vulnerable adults to protect them from harm including physical, emotional, sexual and financial harm and neglect. This includes making sure that the appropriate policies, practices and procedures are put in place. Safeguarding includes child protection but goes further and extends to all vulnerable beneficiaries.”

For further advice on what a policy may include please see the guidance provided by the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) https://www.oscr.org.uk/guidance-and-forms/safeguarding-guidance-keeping-vulnerable-beneficiaries-safe/ or the guidance provided by the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) https://scvo.org.uk/running-your-organisation/staff-volunteers/safeguarding.

Preferred Bids

The SVF is aimed at any projects that are attempting to deliver support to veterans. Those which are proposing a new or innovative approach to veterans’ issues, or that seek to develop areas and activities not currently funded by either the Scottish Government or the Ministry of Defence are desirable but not essential. This includes new ways of delivering existing outcomes to reflect changes in circumstance or technology.

In addition, projects that address red-rated recommendations made by the Scottish Veterans Commissioner to the Scottish Government are desirable. The Commissioner's progress reports can be accessed here: Progress | Scottish Veterans Commissioner. Where possible please identify which recommendations are addressed by your project and how.

Project Bid Details

Overview of the Project. This is intended to allow for the provision of a narrative summary of the project, the benefits it will bring and how it meets one or more of the aims of the SVF. It should include:

a.    An explicit statement of which of the aims of the SVF the project will address;

b.    An explanation of any engagement you have had with those who will benefit from the project and how this has informed the development of the project;

c.     An explanation of the areas of the veterans community the project will benefit, such as service leavers, spouses or children;

Need for Project. This should provide an explanation of how the need for the project was identified and identify any evidence that has been gathered to support the identification of this need. If possible, this evidence should be quantifiable rather than anecdotal.

Delivery of Project. This should outline how you intend to deliver this project and the skills and experience that your organisation or delivery partners have in the delivery of this type of project or other relevant activities. All projects must demonstrate that they are realistically achievable with the resource available. They should be demonstrate sound financial and management arrangements, as well as adherence to Scottish Government Fair Work principles.

Project Outcomes. This asks the applicant to list up to three outcomes for their proposed project, along with the associated outputs for the outcomes, to illustrate the impact of the project. When writing these, it is useful to clearly distinguish between inputs, outputs, outcomes and impact in order to provide clear information on the measurable impact that a project is intended to have. There are no absolute rules for defining whether something is an outcome or an output, but the following are included as a rough guide.

Impact

Project impact should reflect the contribution that your project will make on the veterans community in line with its higher level aims. This impact should be measurable or able to be assessed in some manner.

Inputs

The resources that are to be used to run the project; the money, people, equipment etc.

Outputs

Outputs are the direct, measurable results of activities undertaken as part of the project. Achievement of the outputs should provide the conditions necessary to achieve the outcome, which will in turn contribute to the impact.

Outcomes

The project outcomes should identify what will change and who will benefit as a result of the project. The achievement of the outcomes will see the see the realisations of the project’s aims and the resultant impact on the veterans community.

Hard outcomes can be things such as: reduced debt, increased employment, reduced homelessness, reduced family breakdown, reduced crime. Soft outcomes are much harder to measure but can include things such as: increased self-esteem, increased confidence, improved relationships, reduced isolation.

Performance Measures: These are the tools or methods that you will use to track the performance of the project against its stated aims. Ideally these should rely on quantifiable evidence, such as from surveys or changes in reported date such as homelessness rates, but we accept that for many outcomes (particularly soft outcomes) you may be reliant on anecdotal evidence.

Targets: Where possible, a quantifiable target must be set for each outcome. If this is not possible because of the nature of the outcome, then an alternative means of measuring progress must be suggested.

Project Funding

Requested Funding. This section should outline the funding you are seeking from the SVF and include a high level breakdown of what the funding will be spent on – examples could include materials, labour, recruitment costs, advertising, IT, venue hire etc. This breakdown should be completed by quarter for financial year 26/27 and yearly thereafter.

Delivery partners. Projects where additional partners deliver specific aspects of the programme on behalf of the applicant should highlight the roles of these partners and the value of work assigned to them here. Please only include details in this section if applicable.

Fair Work in Scotland

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring all workers in Scotland experience fairness at work. This benefits not only individuals and their families, but also their employer, communities and the Scottish economy. The Fair Work Convention’s Framework describes Fair Work as work which offers workers respect, fulfilment, opportunity, effective voice and security; these dimensions underpin the Scottish Government’s approach to embedding Fair Work in workplaces across the country. Therefore, organisations wishing to access Scottish Government funding will be required to demonstrate their commitment to Fair Work First, and as a minimum to commit to:

• appropriate channels for effective voice, such as trade union recognition.

• investment in workforce development.

• no inappropriate use of zero hours contracts.

• action to tackle the gender pay gap and create a more diverse and inclusive workplace.

• payment of the real Living Wage.

Applicants may find it helpful to read more about what Fair Work means in practice, here. In order to ensure high quality outcomes from projects, applicants should demonstrate their commitment to Fair Work First, including what action they are currently taking and how they will progress fair working practices through the life of the project. This will be considered in the assessment process.

LGBTQI+ Requirement

In light of the grave injustices highlighted through the Independent LGBT Veterans Review, and as part of the Scottish Government’s commitment to addressing and indeed going beyond the suggestions made to us, recipients of grant funding from the Veterans Unit are required to implement policies and procedures which demonstrate inclusivity and accessibility for the LGBTQI+ community, either through joining an accreditation scheme or carrying out this work independently.

This grant condition stipulates a requirement to work towards and meet the condition by the end of the grant funding period. In your mid-year and end of year reports you will be asked to evidence your progress towards this. These reports would provide an opportunity to highlight the work you are doing, as a result of being a member of an accreditation scheme or other activity, to support inclusivity and accessibility for the LGBTQI+ community.

Any relevant accreditation scheme will be accepted. A relevant accreditation scheme is one which provides assistance and guidance to organisations on how to be inclusive and accessible for the LGBTQI+ community. Examples include:

• Fighting with Pride’s Pride in Veterans Standard – Pride in Veterans Standard (fightingwithpride.org.uk)

• LGBT Youth Scotland’s Charter Programme – LGBT Charter for Education - LGBT Youth Scotland

• Stonewall’s Diversity Champions – Diversity Champions Programme | Stonewall

• Stonewall’s Workplace Equality Index – UK Workplace Equality Index | Stonewall

• Equality Network’s LGBTI+ Rainbow Mark – Scottish LGBTI+ Rainbow Mark - Equality Network (equality-network.org)

If an organisation chooses not to join a relevant accreditation scheme you must commit to working towards implementing policies and procedures that demonstrate the same inclusivity and accessibility. Policies and procedures include:

• Ensuring that staff have a clear understanding of the needs of LGBTQI+ veterans, their experiences and the challenges they can face in accessing services and support.

• Visible branding to signify that the organisation is open and welcoming to LGBTQI+ veterans and their families.

• Promoting LGBTQI+ inclusion across all projects and workstreams.