The Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust (The Trust) is excited to share that applications are now open for the new round of the Early Years programme.
Part of the MOD’s Armed Forces Families Fund (AF3), The Early Years Programme will award grants between £5,000 and £80,000 towards projects that enable early childhood education and childcare settings to meet specific needs of young service children.
What’s the programme all about?
The Early Years programme is designed to help armed forces families access good quality early childhood education and childcare provision close to where they live or serve.
The programme is designed to address barriers that service families may experience in accessing good quality childcare for their preschool aged children and will support projects lasting up to two years that can meet one of the four outcomes:
- Expanded capacity in early years settings, allowing more service children to attend.
- Enhanced learning environments that better support the educational development of service children.
- Improved staff skills and knowledge through targeted training and professional development.
- Establishing collaborative networks and shared resources through clusters to effectively address the needs of service children.
Thinking of applying?
There will be two deadlines for applications this financial year:
- Round one applications will close midday, 4 June 2025 and you’ll receive a decision by the end of August 2025.
- Round two applications will close midday, 8 October 2025 and you’ll receive a decision by the end of December 2025
There is more information on the Early Years Programme Page on the Trust website.
Programme guidance and funding priorities have altered compared to previous rounds of the programme, so do have a read to make sure you’re up to date with the latest eligibility rules and funding themes.
Are you on the mailing list?
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