Aims/priorities: The funding is intended to help Armed Forces families access good quality early childhood education and childcare provision that is located close to where they are living or serving.
Who can apply? Applications will be accepted from:
- Early childhood education and childcare providers operating where armed forces families live or work. The setting must offer group-based childcare and have 5 service children on roll as a minimum. They must be registered with, and inspected by, one of the following:
- Ofsted (England),
- Care Inspectorate (Scotland),
- Care Inspectorate (Wales)
- Early Years Teams within Health and Social Care Trusts (Northern Ireland)
- Local authorities who wish to supply specific training to early childhood education and childcare providers supporting service children aged 0-5 years and provide a shared resource working across multiple settings.
To be eligible, applicants must:
- Be based in the UK.
- Be a registered charity, a CIC, or a company limited by guarantee or a local authority in one of the four countries of the UK.
There are three ways to apply to this programme:
- Settings with less than 40% service children on roll.
- Settings with more than 40% service children on roll.
- As a local authority.
Grant amount: Grants of £5,000 to £80,000 are available for a standalone project being delivered over a period of up to two years
Application process: The programme guidance, FAQs and the online application form can be found on the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust website.
Deadline: Wednesday, 15 July 2026, 12 noon.
Contact information: Email: info@covenantfund.org.uk
Website: AF3: Early Years programme - Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust