Greenwich Hospital has awarded a £75,696 grant to the Service Children’s Progression Alliance (SCiP Alliance) to help transform how organisations measure and improve support for Service children.
The 18-month grant represents 50% of the funding for the Evaluation for Impact pilot project, with the remaining 50% provided by the Veterans’ Foundation. Together, the funding will enable the SCiP Alliance Impact Centre to create, test and refine a scalable evaluation support service that helps organisations embed robust evaluation into programmes designed to improve outcomes for children from Armed Forces families.
Hosted by the University of Winchester and supported by the Ministry of Defence, the SCiP Alliance is dedicated to helping Service children thrive by bringing together practitioners, researchers, policymakers and funders. Its Impact Centre is establishing a national hub to help organisations understand what works, build evidence and maximise the impact of their investment.
This new pilot responds to growing demand across the military charity sector for practical, evidence-based decision making informed by rigorous evaluation of organisations’ own data. As the needs of Service children continue to evolve, organisations face increasing pressure to demonstrate impact, target resources effectively and ensure every pound invested delivers meaningful outcomes. The Evaluation for Impact project will develop a sustainable model that not only supports organisations working with Service children but has the potential to benefit the wider Armed Forces charitable sector.
The project also reflects Greenwich Hospital’s commitment to collaboration. Jointly funded with the Veterans’ Foundation, the initiative builds on the shared ambition of both organisations to strengthen support for Service families through better evidence, closer partnership and more effective use of charitable resources.
The evaluation framework developed through the pilot will be trialled across up to eight projects, including the Go Learn pilot programme (providing free online tuition to serving Royal Navy families) helping to shape future investment and improve support across the sector.
Funding has been awarded subject to an agreed outcomes framework and monitoring arrangements with Greenwich Hospital and the Veterans’ Foundation.
Dr Maria Thefanous, Research and Education Grants Manager at Greenwich Hospital, said:
“By working in partnership with the Veterans’ Foundation and the SCiP Alliance, we are helping to develop a practical evaluation service that will enable organisations across our sector to demonstrate impact, learn from their work and deliver even greater value for the families they support. We believe this collaborative approach has the potential to benefit not only Royal Navy Service children, but the wider Armed Forces charity sector.”
Phil Dent, Director at the SCiP Alliance, said:
“This investment from Greenwich Hospital, alongside the Veterans’ Foundation, is a significant step forward in strengthening the evidence base that underpins support for Service children.
“The Evaluation for Impact project will help build that capability by creating a scalable evaluation service that enables charities and providers to embed robust evaluation into their work. In turn, this will lead to better-informed decisions, stronger collaboration and more effective use of resources, ensuring that funding has the greatest possible impact for Service children and their families.”
