Meet Cobseo’s Members: RAF Benevolent Fund

Tell us about your organisation…

For over 100 years the RAF Benevolent Fund has been supporting and empowering serving and former personnel, and their families. We exist to improve the quality of life, independence and wellbeing of the RAF Family through tailored and lasting support. Our promise is simple: One day’s service, a lifetime of support.

How does your organisation support the Armed Forces Community?

The RAF Benevolent Fund provides financial support, benefits advice and advocacy, aimed at improving the quality of life for RAF serving and former personnel and their families. We also offer practical assistance for specific needs, for example mobility aids, home adaptations, and respite care. Alongside this, we deliver a Listening and Counselling Service to thousands of serving personnel, veterans, and family members each year, community engagement support for veterans, and our children and youth work programme Airplay is delivered at units across the RAF to thousands of young people each year. We would encourage anyone in the RAF community to contact us if they are struggling, and our Welfare Navigators will talk through the options available to support them.

We are proud of the support we offer across the sector through our External Grants, to support specific military charities providing specialist services to RAF veterans or serving personnel and their families.

What makes you proud of the work in the sector?

We are proud to work within a sector that is committed to supporting the serving community through collaboration, compassion, and shared purpose. We work with empathy, integrity, and professionalism to respond to complex needs, often at the most challenging points in people’s lives. Working with other military charities to address the changing needs of the RAF Family is a source of real pride for us. We welcome other military organisations supporting members of the RAF Family to connect with us and explore how, together, we can ensure no one who is serving – or has served – in the RAF feels that they have nowhere to turn.

How does being a Member of Cobseo help you to do your work?

Being a Cobseo Member enables us to connect with organisations across the Armed Forces charity sector, share insight, and contribute to collective approaches to supporting the Armed Forces community. Through its networks and working groups, Cobseo helps amplify our voice, supports informed advocacy, and encourages effective partnership working, all of which strengthen the impact of our support for the RAF Family.