Ten years after it began in Edinburgh, the Veterans’ Foundation has awarded more than £40 million to the Armed Forces community – and is aiming for £200 million by 2036
L-R Mark Ormrod OBE; Ambassador Veterans’ Foundation
Charity returns to the city where it began after awarding more than £40 million to the Armed Forces community ad reaffirms ambition to invest more than £200 million by 2036.
The Veterans’ Foundation has marked its 100th anniversary in Edinburgh, the city where it was founded, celebrating a decade in which it has awarded more than £40.9 million through more than 1,500 grants to more than 600 organisations supporting veterans, serving personnel and their families across the UK.
Ten years after it was founded in Edinburgh, the Veterans’ Foundation has celebrated a decade in which more than £40.9 million has been awarded to organisations supporting veterans, serving personnel and their families across the UK – and set out an ambition to invest more than £200 million by 2036.
The milestone was marked at Merchants’ Hall last night, where the Foundation launched the Armed Forces Pledge, a nationwide campaign calling on people across Britain to show the UK’s 1.8 million veterans that their service and sacrifice have not been forgotten.
Since it was founded by Major General David Shaw in 2016, the Veterans’ Foundation has awarded more than 1,500 grants to more than 600 organisations working with the Armed Forces community.
Its growth over that decade has been significant. In its first year of grant-making, the Foundation awarded 17 grants worth £57,353. Last year, it awarded 232 grants worth £8.85 million.
The anniversary event brought together more than 130 guests, including grant recipients, members of the Armed Forces community, veterans’ organisations, supporters and partners from across the UK, alongside representatives from the military, government and business.
Andrew Anderson, Chairman of the Veterans’ Foundation, paid tribute to the Foundation’s founder, staff, trustees, supporters and the organisations delivering support across the Armed Forces community.
He said:
“Our return on investment is not financial, it’s all about impact, and we invest with intention. It’s not just one-off grants, but sustained funding that gives charities the confidence to hire people, build programmes and plan for the long term.
“We amplify impact through collaboration, bringing together organisations and funding to back projects that no single organisation could achieve independently.”
Over its first decade, the Foundation has invested £22.3 million in health and wellbeing, £6.9 million in community and relationships, £4.4 million in employment, education and skills, £4 million in tackling disadvantage and £2.9 million in housing and homelessness.
The scale of its grant-making has also grown significantly, from 17 grants worth £57,353 in FY2017 to 232 grants worth £8.85 million in FY2025.
A nationwide thank you to veterans
The anniversary event also saw Veterans’ Foundation Ambassador, former Royal Marine and Invictus Games athlete Mark Ormrod MBE formally launch the Armed Forces Pledge.
The campaign aims to create Britain’s biggest thank you to veterans, inviting people across Britain to add their names and leave personal messages of support for the more than 1.8 million veterans living across the UK.
People can sign the Armed Forces Pledge now at: veteransfoundation.org.uk/signthepledge and add their own message of thanks and support.
The Pledge is designed to send a simple message to veterans: that their service and sacrifice have not been forgotten, and that the country continues to value and support the Armed Forces community long after service has ended.
Mark, who lost both legs and his right arm after being seriously injured by an improvised explosive device while serving in Afghanistan in 2007, spoke about the support that helped him rebuild his life and why he is determined to use his platform to represent veterans whose stories are rarely heard.
He told guests:
“My generation of veterans is disappearing from view.”
He spoke about the thousands of veterans and families who continue to live with the consequences of their service, whether the rest of the country sees those struggles or not.
Urging people to make the Pledge, he added:
“Show that you haven’t forgotten about us. Remember the sacrifices we made. And remember that for some of us, when the uniform comes off, the battle continues.”
Guests watched a special film featuring people sharing their reasons for making the Pledge, highlighting the importance of standing alongside veterans, serving personnel and their families long after their service has ended.
Jane Gurney, Chief Executive of the Veterans’ Foundation, said:
“It was fantastic to celebrate our tenth anniversary back in our hometown of Edinburgh, where it all began. We’re incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved over the past decade. More than £40 million has been invested into organisations doing extraordinary work with veterans, serving personnel and their families, and we know there is still so much more to do.
“The Armed Forces Pledge marks an exciting new chapter. We want people across Britain to come together and show the Armed Forces community that we see them, we value their service and we stand with them.”
People across Britain can sign the Armed Forces Pledge and leave a message of support at veteransfoundation.org.uk/signthepledge.
