SSAFA

What SSAFA does

SSAFA, founded in 1885 and operating as a registered charity in England, Wales, Scotland, and the Republic of Ireland, is the United Kingdom's oldest national tri-service military welfare organization. It delivers lifelong support to serving Armed Forces personnel, veterans, and their families across the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force. The service portfolio spans mental and physical wellbeing programs, housing assistance, debt and benefits advisory services, specialist support for Gurkha veterans and those in the Veterans in Criminal Justice System, and Forcesline, a dedicated helpline. Delivery occurs through a distributed model combining a national network of local branches, Serving Community Teams embedded at UK and overseas military bases in Cyprus, Gibraltar, Brunei, and Nepal, the Forcesline helpline, and digital channels.

SSAFA's operations are resourced by more than 350 employees and approximately 3,000 trained volunteers. A wholly owned subsidiary, Military Wives Choirs, connects roughly 2,200 women across 75 choirs, extending the SSAFA ecosystem into community-led identity programming. Beneficiary reach scaled notably in 2025, with 13,227 individuals supported by Serving Community Teams and an 82% increase in individual grant recipients versus 2024. The operational infrastructure includes a Salesforce-based CRM, a redesigned digital platform, peer support tools, and integrated referral pathways with NHS and other statutory providers.

SSAFA's revenue model is multi-stream and donation-led, drawing on individual giving, fundraising events (London Marathon, Battle Proms), corporate partnerships (MBDA, Sodexo), a lottery, gifts in wills, and grants from charitable trusts and foundations, most prominently the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust. Royal patronage and 140 years of operating history underpin the brand's intangible asset base, while partnerships with statutory bodies and corporate sponsors extend service reach.

Name

SSAFA

Legal name

Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen and Families Association – Forces Help

Website

https://ssafa.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1885

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

SSAFA, founded in 1885, is the United Kingdom's oldest national tri-service military welfare charity, delivering lifelong support to serving personnel, veterans, and their families across all three services through approximately 350 staff, 3,000 volunteers, local branches, and Serving Community Teams at UK and overseas bases.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: SSAFA raises funds through individual donations, corporate partnerships, trust and foundation grants, and community fundraising events such as the London Marathon, 13 Bridges Challenge, Battle Proms concerts, golf days, and raffles.
2. SSAFA Lottery: A subscription lottery programme offering participants the chance to win prizes while supporting the charity on an ongoing basis.
3. Gifts in Wills (Legacies): SSAFA encourages supporters to leave a gift in their Will, described as a way to help transform the lives of future generations of those in the Armed Forces community.
4. Trusts and Foundations: SSAFA secures funding from trusts and foundations, including grants from the Armed Forces Covenant Fund (AFCFT), for specific programmes such as domestic abuse counselling and Short Breaks for families with disabled children.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

SSAFA provides lifelong, free and confidential welfare, practical, financial, emotional and mental health support to serving members of the British Armed Forces, veterans, and their families. Core services delivered include the Forcesline telephone helpline and live chat, Welfare and Benefits advice, Mental Wellbeing support, Disability Support (including the Short Breaks programme), Joining Civvy Street transition support, Serving Community Teams at UK and overseas bases, Military Families Support, Supporting Older Veterans, Veterans in the Criminal Justice System, Glasgow Helping Heroes, Gurkha Services, RAF Personal Support and Social Work Service, and SSAFA Community Health Overseas. The Military Wives Choirs network (a subsidiary) supports over 2,200 women across 75 choirs.

Product overview

SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity is the UK's oldest national tri-service military charity established in 1885, offering a comprehensive portfolio of support services to serving personnel, veterans, and their families. The organisation provides a unified service offering through multiple interconnected programmes including: Forcesline (telephone helpline), Welfare and Benefits services, Mental Wellbeing support, Disability Support (including Short Breaks), Veterans in the Criminal Justice System services, Glasgow Helping Heroes, Serving Community Teams, Military Wives Choirs, Gurkha Services, RAF Personal Support, and Community Health Overseas. SSAFA also runs fundraising initiatives including the SSAFA Lottery, 13 Bridges Challenge, Armed Forces Day campaigns, and Big Brew Up. The charity operates through a network of over 350 employees and 3,000 volunteers across the UK and overseas bases, providing lifelong support whenever it is needed.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Forcesline telephone helpline and live chat Free, confidential telephone helpline (0800 260 6780) and online live chat service for serving personnel, veterans and their families, open Monday–Thursday 09:00–17:00 and Friday 09:00–16:00.
• Welfare and Benefits service Social care, benefits advice and housing support delivered to serving personnel, veterans and their families through SSAFA caseworkers.
• Mental Wellbeing service Mental health and bereavement support service helping members of the Armed Forces community cope with injury, bereavement and other forms of stress.
• Disability Support service Disability support service for serving personnel, their families and veterans, encompassing advice, grants and the Short Breaks activity holiday programme at Calvert Lakes and Calvert Devon.
• Joining Civvy Street transition support Support services for Forces personnel transitioning to civilian life, providing practical guidance and emotional support during the transition process.
• Military Families Support Welfare services for family members of the Armed Forces community, providing practical and emotional support to spouses, children and parents.
• Supporting Older Veterans Physical and emotional support services specifically designed for older veterans.
• Veterans in the Criminal Justice System (VCJS) Support Service VCJS Support Service providing practical and emotional support, financial assistance, family support and travel assistance to veterans in custody, on release or on probation, delivered via Prison-In-Reach volunteers and Regional Hubs.
• Serving Community Teams (SCTs) Volunteer-led teams embedded at UK military bases (Aldershot, Brize Norton, Plymouth and others) and overseas bases (Cyprus, Germany, Gibraltar, Brunei, Nepal) providing financial, practical and emotional support to serving personnel and their families. In 2025, SCT volunteers supported 13,227 beneficiaries.
• Glasgow Helping Heroes SSAFA's flagship collaboration programme delivering coordinated support services to veterans in Glasgow through partnership with statutory and charity sector providers.
• Gurkha Services Specialist Nepali language welfare and reconnection services for members of the Brigade of Gurkhas and their relatives.
• RAF Personal Support and Social Work Service Dedicated Welfare Officers delivered by SSAFA for the RAF community, providing personal support and social work services at RAF bases.
• SSAFA Community Health Overseas Health and social care support for armed forces personnel and their families who are deployed overseas.
• Military Wives Choirs network A wholly-owned SSAFA subsidiary providing community singing and peer support across 75 choirs in the UK and at overseas bases for over 2,200 women with military connections.
• Short Breaks activity holiday programme Activity breaks for Armed Forces families whose children have additional needs and/or disabilities, run at Calvert Lakes and Calvert Devon centres (canoeing, archery, abseiling, high ropes, rock climbing).
• Safe to Serve A confidential support service for members of the Armed Forces community, listed in SSAFA's core help offering alongside Forcesline and other welfare programmes.
• SSAFA Lottery Subscription lottery programme offering participants the chance to win prizes while supporting the charity on an ongoing basis.
• SSAFA Online Shop E-commerce storefront selling merchandise including books, cards and products featuring supporter artwork (e.g. Sherin Aminossehe's 'isolation art' project) to raise funds for the charity.

Quantifiable outcome

• 66,000 veterans, serving personnel, and families supported in 2021
• +8 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

AI capability1 record

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• RBSLcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerRBSL (Rolls-Royce李家rena Solutions) is a sponsor of SSAFA's Short Breaks programme for Armed Forces families with disabled children, helping fund activity holidays at Calvert Lakes and Calvert Devon.
• MBDAcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMBDA has been supporting SSAFA for over 15 years and continues to sponsor the Short Breaks programme for families with disabled children, providing critical funding for the activity holiday breaks.
• LeonardocoreGTM or Marketing PartnerLeonardo is a sponsor of SSAFA's Short Breaks programme, contributing to activity breaks for Armed Forces families with disabled or additional needs children.
• Army Central FundcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerThe Army Central Fund supports SSAFA's Short Breaks programme, helping fund activity holidays for Armed Forces families with disabled children at Calvert Lakes and Calvert Devon.
• SodexocoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSodexo is a long-standing corporate partner of SSAFA, having made multiple donations including a £35,000 contribution to support the Armed Forces community. Sodexo employees participate in SSAFA events including the 13 Bridges Challenge, raising nearly £3,000.
• BoeingcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerBoeing is a corporate partner providing support through the Boeing Emergency Fund and to SSAFA's Mentoring Service. Employee Simon O'Brien has raised over £5,400 for SSAFA with Boeing's support.
• Landmarc and ESS Defence (SENTA)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerEmployees from Landmarc and ESS Defence (SENTA) completed the Welsh Three Peaks challenge raising funds for SSAFA, demonstrating corporate employee engagement with the charity.
• British Weight LiftingminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBritish Weight Lifting partnered with SSAFA to create the Big Scottish Lift Up, a virtual weightlifting competition to raise funds for the Armed Forces community in Scotland. £15 of each £20 registration fee goes to SSAFA.
• Battle PromscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerBattle Proms has been SSAFA's chosen charity since 2018. The concert series has raised more than £500,000 for the charity through orchestral performances with live cannon fire at stately homes across the UK.
• Musketeer SolutionsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMusketeer Solutions sponsored the Lancaster Bomber taxi ride prize in the Ultimate Forces Experience Raffle at Cleethorpes Armed Forces Weekend. Many Musketeer Solutions employees are former servicemen and women.
• Vulcan to the Sky TrustminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDonated the 'Vulcan Bomber engine run for two' as a prize in the Ultimate Forces Experience Raffle supporting SSAFA and the Lincolnshire Armed Forces community.
• Darlton Gliding Club, RAF College Cranwell Flying Club, RAF Cranwell Gliding ClubminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFlying vouchers donated as prizes in the Ultimate Forces Experience Raffle at Cleethorpes Armed Forces Weekend supporting SSAFA.
• Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage CentreminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDonated a family pass to the Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre as a prize in the Ultimate Forces Experience Raffle.
• Calvert Trust (Calvert Lakes and Calvert Devon)coreOthersCalvert Lakes and Calvert Devon (Calvert Trust) provide the venues for SSAFA's Short Breaks programme — activity holidays for Armed Forces families with disabled or additional needs children, offering canoeing, archery, abseiling, high ropes, and rock climbing.
• Military Wives ChoirscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMilitary Wives Choirs is an independent charity and subsidiary of SSAFA run by, for and with women in the military community. SSAFA works side by side with them to support their mission relieving need among the Armed Forces community. The network comprises 2,200 women across 75 choirs.
• Veterans Village at Cleethorpes Armed Forces WeekendminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSSAFA Lincolnshire sponsored the Veterans Village at Cleethorpes Armed Forces Weekend 2026, part of the largest Armed Forces Day event on the East Coast attracting over 200,000 visitors.

Scale indicators16 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SSAFA
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/SSAFAForcesHelp
• Facebookfacebook.com/SSAFAOfficial
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ssafa
• Instagraminstagram.com/ssafaofficial
• TikToktiktok.com/@ssafaofficial

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SSAFA