What The Veterans' Foundation does

The Veterans' Foundation is a UK-registered grant-giving charity founded in July 2016 by Major General David Shaw CBE, headquartered at 1-2 Thistle Court, Edinburgh, with operations spanning England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Its core function is to fund small and medium-sized military charities serving the armed forces community through a multi-tier grants programme: Small Grants (£500–£5,000), Standard Grants (£5,001–£30,000), Salary Grants (up to £75,000 over three years), and a newly introduced Major Grants tier (£200,000–£500,000). Since inception it has distributed over £30.2 million across 1,100+ projects supporting 543+ charities and reaching 288,687 people.

The Foundation's primary funding mechanism is the Veterans' Lottery, a monthly subscription lottery at £10 per month via direct debit, run by Bee Ethical Ltd under Gambling Commission licence 45407. The lottery has grown from approximately 100 initial players in 2016 to over 150,000 subscribers, with guaranteed monthly prizes and a rollover jackpot of up to £75,000. The Foundation commits to distributing at least 50% of lottery income to good causes, materially above the ~30% pass-through rate of other national lotteries. Complementary revenue streams include one-off and recurring individual donations (Gift Aid-eligible), Memorial Wall tributes and virtual candles, Operation Lifeline veteran sponsorship, and corporate partnerships — most notably a 2024 deal with the Defence Infrastructure Organisation covering 4,900 employees.

The go-to-market is multi-channel: a team of around 20 professional face-to-face fundraisers engages the public in shopping centres and town centres; the lottery website drives self-serve subscriptions; social channels (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, X) and email drive top-of-funnel engagement; and JustGiving plus workplace giving enable third-party and corporate fundraising. Customers on the beneficiary side are highly diversified across mental health, physical rehabilitation, homelessness, employment, family support, and bereavement causes, while on the supporter side the audience is broad-based UK consumers. The Foundation is governed by up to 12 trustees, registered with the Charity Commission (1166953) and OSCR (SC046571), and is a member of Cobseo and Veterans Scotland.

Name

The Veterans' Foundation

Legal name

Veterans' Foundation

Website

https://veteransfoundation.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Veterans' Foundation is a UK-registered grant-giving charity, founded in 2016 and headquartered in Edinburgh, that distributes funds raised primarily through its 150,000+-subscriber Veterans' Lottery to over 543 small and medium-sized military charities supporting armed forces veterans across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charitable Grant Foundation and Veterans Fundraising Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Grantmaking & Philanthropic Funds (Institutional Donors) (BPADAOAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Veterans & Military Family Benefits Administration (BPAIAKAI)

Keywords

• Veterans grant funding
• Armed forces lottery
• Military charity grants
• Online memorial tribute
• Veterans donation services

Headquarters

HQ city

Edinburgh

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Veterans' Lottery: Subscription-based lottery at £10/month via direct debit. Monthly draws with guaranteed prizes including £7,000 first prize, £3,500 second prize, £500 third prize, 100 £100 prizes, and 500 free entry prizes. Rollover jackpot up to £75,000. Objective to distribute at least 50% of total lottery income to good causes.
2. Donations: One-off and monthly donations from individuals. Gift Aid eligible for UK taxpayers, adding 25% to donations. Objective to give 100% of individual donations to helping armed forces community.
3. Memorial Wall Donations: Donations for placing tributes on the Memorial Wall, lighting virtual candles (one-off or monthly). Supports maintenance of the Wall and funding for current veterans.
4. Corporate Donations: Corporate donations and partnerships with companies like Defence Infrastructure Organisation. Some corporate donations used to fund donation fundraising costs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Veterans' Foundation is a UK grant-giving charity that funds military charities supporting serving and former armed forces personnel. Its primary product is the Veterans' Lottery, a £10/month direct-debit subscription lottery with monthly draws offering guaranteed cash prizes and a rollover jackpot up to £75,000, complemented by a four-tier grant programme (Small Grants £500–£5,000, Standard Grants £5,001–£30,000, Salary Grants up to £75,000, Major Grants £200,000–£500,000) and the Memorial Wall online tribute platform. Over £30.2 million has been distributed to 1,100+ projects across 543+ charities since inception in July 2016.

Product overview

The Veterans' Foundation operates as a grant-giving foundation that supports UK armed forces veterans through multiple interconnected products and programmes. Its primary offerings include the Veterans' Lottery (a monthly subscription lottery with prizes up to £75,000), the Memorial Wall (an online tribute platform), and a comprehensive grants programme with four tiers: Small Grants (£500-£5,000), Standard Grants (£5,001-£30,000), Salary Grants (up to £75,000), and Major Grants (£200,000-£500,000). Additional services include direct donation processing, Operation Lifeline sponsorship, and corporate partnership opportunities. The organisation functions as a central hub connecting donors and supporters with frontline veteran charities across the UK.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Veterans' Lottery: Monthly lottery subscription program at £10/month with prizes up to £75,000, established in July 2016
• Memorial Wall
• Operation Lifeline

Products and services

• Veterans' Lottery A monthly subscription lottery for UK residents aged 18+ paying £10/month via direct debit, with monthly draws on the last day of each month offering guaranteed cash prizes (£7,000 first, £3,500 second, £500 third, 100×£100 fourth, and 500×£10 free-entry prizes) and a rollover jackpot up to £75,000, plus a complimentary Gourmet Society membership and Veterans' Lottery membership card.
• Memorial Wall An online national living tribute platform honoring deceased members of the British Armed Forces where users can create tributes, light virtual candles (one-off or monthly), and make donations in memory of veterans, supporting maintenance of the Wall and funding for current veterans.
• Small Grants Programme Rolling funding programme awarding grants of £500 to £5,000 to eligible UK charities and organisations supporting serving and former armed forces personnel, with a limit of one application per quarter and no specific closing date.
• Standard Grants Programme Grant programme awarding £5,001 to £30,000 to UK armed forces community organisations over a 12–16 week decision timeline, supporting activities including homelessness, employment, welfare, mental health, and social integration projects.
• Salary Grants Programme Grant programme providing up to £25,000 per year for up to three years (maximum £75,000), exclusively for salary funding, designed to help UK armed forces organisations hire staff to deliver services.
• Major Grants Programme Partnership-led grant programme investing £200,000 to £500,000 in projects that test new approaches, encourage collaboration, generate insight, and improve support delivery for veterans and armed forces families in the UK.
• Donations Online donation service allowing supporters to make one-off or monthly donations with Gift Aid options for UK taxpayers, processed through a secure payment gateway, with the objective of passing 100% of individual donations to helping the armed forces community.
• Operation Lifeline (Sponsor a Veteran) Monthly sponsorship programme where supporters contribute to fund life-saving assistance for veterans and their families, receiving a lapel badge and regular updates from beneficiaries.
• Corporate Partnerships Partnership programme enabling UK businesses to support the Veterans' Foundation through workplace giving, employee fundraising campaigns and CSR collaborations, handled by a dedicated corporate team.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over £30 million in grants distributed to 1,100+ projects across 543+ charities since 2016
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 30 July 2024DIO is the estate experts for defence, supporting armed forces to enable military capability by planning, building, maintaining, and servicing infrastructure. Their 4,900 employees have pledged to raise money for The Veterans' Foundation through corporate partnership.
• Bee Ethical LtdcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerBee Ethical Ltd runs the Veterans' Lottery on behalf of the Veterans' Foundation. They are licensed and regulated by the Gambling Commission (licence number 044067-N-323193-009). The lottery website and operations are managed in association with Bee Ethical Ltd.
• Gourmet SocietyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerGourmet Society provides complimentary membership to all Veterans' Lottery players. Members receive up to 25% off food and drink at thousands of restaurants nationwide, plus discounts on cinema trips, days out, and retailers. Membership included free with lottery subscription.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Combat Stress: UK charity (since 1919) specializing in mental health treatment for veterans, including PTSD. Already a grant recipient of the Veterans' Foundation (£200,000 Contact Group partnership); comparable as a frontline beneficiary in the same funding ecosystem serving UK veterans with mental health needs.
• Scotty's Little Soldiers: UK charity supporting bereaved Forces children and young people. Currently receives £30,000 grants from Veterans' Foundation; comparable as a frontline beneficiary in the same UK military charity ecosystem.
• Walking With The Wounded: UK charity supporting wounded veterans through employment, mental health, and care programs. Receives funding via the Contact Group partnership from Veterans' Foundation; comparable as a smaller mission-aligned grantee in the same veterans support ecosystem.
• Forces in Mind Trust: UK grantmaking trust funding research and programs supporting the transition of military personnel to civilian life. Comparable as a grantmaking foundation focused on UK veterans outcomes, operating in the same funding space with research-driven grant strategy.
• The Health Lottery: UK society lottery raising funds for health-related causes through ticket sales, with a lower charitable distribution ratio (~30%) compared to the Veterans' Foundation lottery. Directly comparable as a UK cause-specific lottery subscription competitor for consumer discretionary giving.

Broad incumbents

• SSAFA - the Armed Forces Charity: Long-established UK armed forces charity providing lifelong support to serving personnel, veterans, and families. Comparable as a pan-UK military welfare charity with similar beneficiary focus, though SSAFA emphasizes direct casework rather than grantmaking.
• Help for Heroes: One of the UK's largest military charities, providing direct recovery and welfare services to wounded veterans. Comparable as a UK veterans-focused nonprofit, though Help for Heroes operates service delivery directly rather than acting purely as a grantmaking foundation.
• Royal British Legion: The UK's largest armed forces charity, running the annual Poppy Appeal and providing welfare, pension, and advocacy services. Comparable as a broad incumbent military charity serving the same beneficiary population across all four UK nations, with established corporate and individual giving infrastructure.
• ABF The Soldiers' Charity: Large UK grantmaking charity for soldiers, veterans, and their families, with a similar model of distributing funds to other charities and individuals in need. Most directly comparable as a UK military-focused grantmaking foundation competing for similar donor mindshare.

Regional players

• Erskine (Erskine Veterans Charity): Scotland's leading veterans charity providing care homes and rehabilitation. Comparable as a UK military charity serving the same beneficiary base, though with stronger regional (Scottish) focus and direct service delivery rather than grantmaking.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/VeteransFdn
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC9kdIY0QYzPr-X0M8A_gvOg
• Facebookfacebook.com/veteransfoundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/VeteransFoundationUK
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-veterans-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

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 The Veterans' Foundation