The Special Forces Club Benevolent Fund
The Special Forces Club Benevolent Fund is a UK registered charity that provides confidential financial assistance and welfare support to former UK and allied Special Forces and Special Intelligence personnel and their dependents, funded solely by donations, corporate sponsorships and fundraising expeditions.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1947
- HeadquartersWilmslow, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What The Special Forces Club Benevolent Fund does
The Special Forces Club Benevolent Fund (SFCBF) is a UK registered charity (Charities Commission 1013628), founded in 1947 as the National Charity of The Special Forces Club, that provides confidential, direct financial assistance and welfare support to former members of the UK and allied Special Forces and Special Intelligence community — including SOE, SAS, SBS, SRR and Special Intelligence veterans — and their dependents. Cases are identified through a discreet referral network within the Special Forces and Special Intelligence communities and typically cover PTSD, cancer, relationship breakdown, debt, care needs, and bereavement, with SFCBF operating an average of up to 10 open cases at any one time across the UK, Australia, New Zealand, France and Greece. The Fund's core "product" is rapid, confidential monetary grants delivered alongside liaison with specialist welfare organisations; its underlying technology stack is a standard Squarespace-hosted website integrated with PayPal (hosted donation button), JustGiving and direct-debit payment processors, supplemented by email, social media (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, X) and custom-audience fundraising advertising via Facebook.
SFCBF's revenue model is entirely donation-based with no commercial product lines, comprising four streams: (1) one-off and recurring public/community donations via the website, with Gift Aid claimed on eligible UK donations; (2) corporate sponsorship of high-challenge fundraising expeditions — exemplified by Jaguar Land Rover as Vehicle Sponsor of the 2025 Nasir, Bekri, Tayi and Lawrence Tribute Trek, alongside Trek Sponsors and Camel Sponsors, with tiered packages offered for the 2027 Dodecanese Expedition (£5K–£25K); (3) limited-edition commemorative merchandise, notably the sold-out Constantin Weisz SFCBF MILSUB watch (100 pieces at a minimum £500 contribution); and (4) participation-based fundraising events (treks, runs, cycles, raffles, Payroll Giving) governed by UK Gambling Commission rules. The 2025 Lawrence Tribute Trek alone — a 1,100 km, 25-day camel re-enactment from Al Wajh (Saudi Arabia) to Aqaba (Jordan) with 5 riders, 10 camels, 4 Land Rover Defender 110s and 11 support personnel — raised over £800,000 for the Fund, generating extensive coverage in The Times, The Telegraph, The Mail Online, Arab News and The National.
Operationally SFCBF runs lean, with 1–10 staff/contracted persons, no disclosed permanent headcount, and no subsidiaries. Governance sits with Royal Patron HRH The Princess Royal and President of The Special Forces Club Lord Sedwill (GCMG FRGS), with fundraising leadership provided by Trek Leader Howard Leedham. The organisation holds no AI/ML capabilities and no traditional equity investors; its controlling relationship is to the parent Special Forces Club membership body. Its strategic focus over the next two years is the April–May 2027 Dodecanese sea-kayak expedition (250 km, £150,000 target) and continued expansion of corporate sponsorship and commemorative merchandise as funding levers beyond direct donations.
The Special Forces Club Benevolent Fund firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Special Forces Club Benevolent Fund
- Legal name
- The Special Forces Club Benevolent Fund
- Website
- https://sfcbf.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1947
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- The Special Forces Club Benevolent Fund is a UK registered charity that provides confidential financial assistance and welfare support to former UK and allied Special Forces and Special Intelligence personnel and their dependents, funded solely by donations, corporate sponsorships and fundraising expeditions.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Special Forces Club Benevolent Fund industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Military Veteran Welfare Services
- NAICS
- Other Grantmaking and Giving Services (813219)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Family Offices & Philanthropic Advisors (Grantmaking) (BPAGAKAD)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Grantmaking & Philanthropic Funds (Institutional Donors) (BPADAOAB)
Keywords
Where The Special Forces Club Benevolent Fund is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Wilmslow
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
The Special Forces Club Benevolent Fund business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales, Personnel
Revenue model
- Public and community donations: Solely donation-funded; revenue comes from contributions by Special Forces community members and the general public via the website (PayPal donate button, direct debit, JustGiving) and one-off or regular gifts. Gift Aid is claimed where applicable.
- Corporate sponsorship of fundraising expeditions: Corporate and philanthropic sponsorship of high-challenge expeditions. The 2025 Lawrence Tribute Trek (Vehicle Sponsor JLR, plus Trek Sponsor, Trek Supporters and Camel Sponsors) raised over £800,000. Forthcoming 2027 Dodecanese Expedition offers tiered sponsorship: Expedition Sponsor £25K, Kayak Sponsor £10K, Expedition Friend £5K, plus technical and media partner packages.
- Limited-edition merchandise sales: Sales of limited-edition commemorative items such as the Constantin Weisz SFCBF MILSUB watch (limited to 100 pieces, minimum £500 contribution). Sold-out issue raised funds directly for SFCBF.
- Fundraising events and supporter participation: Donations tied to participation in fundraising events (treks, runs, cycles, raffles, lotteries) and Payroll Giving schemes; subject to UK Gambling Commission regulations (under-16s excluded from raffle/gaming products).
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Open donations (one-off and recurring) |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Valued Friends recognition (£500+) |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Commemorative MILSUB watch — minimum £500 contribution (SOLD OUT) |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | 2027 Dodecanese Expedition corporate sponsorship tiers |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels7 records
The Special Forces Club Benevolent Fund product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Special Forces Club Benevolent Fund (SFCBF) is a UK registered charity (Charities Commission 1013628) that provides confidential, rapid-response financial welfare assistance to former members of the UK and allied Special Forces and Special Intelligence community (SOE, SAS, SBS, SRR) and their dependents who are experiencing ill health, PTSD, bereavement, debt, care needs or old-age hardship. The charity is funded solely by public donations, community contributions, corporate sponsorship of fundraising expeditions (such as the 2025 Lawrence Tribute Trek), and limited-edition commemorative merchandise (e.g., the SFCBF MILSUB watch), and operates primarily in the UK with active cases in Australia, New Zealand, France and Greece.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Constantin Weisz SFCBF MILSUB: A limited-edition replica of the iconic 5513 Milsub watch (limited to 100 pieces), created in collaboration with Dirk Motz of Constantin Weisz, sold for a minimum contribution of £500 in aid of the Special Forces Club Benevolent Fund.
Products and services
- Confidential Financial Welfare Grants
- SFCBF MILSUB Watch (Constantin Weisz 5513 Replica)
Quantifiable outcome
- The Nasir, Bekri, Tayi and Lawrence Tribute Trek raised over £800,000 for SFCBF in 2025.
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use The Special Forces Club Benevolent Fund
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
The Special Forces Club Benevolent Fund technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration7 records
Feature3 records
The Special Forces Club Benevolent Fund partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered major, supporting, flagship and core.
- Corporate sponsors of the SFCBF Dodecanese Expedition 2027majorSFCBF is currently seeking corporate sponsors, philanthropic supporters, technical partners and media collaborators for the April–May 2027 Dodecanese Expedition. Sponsorship tiers offered: Expedition Sponsor (£25K, full recognition plus event participation), Kayak Sponsor (£10K, brand on kayak and website), Expedition Friend (£5K, website recognition). Benefits include association with a credible expedition, media/storytelling opportunities, branded content, access to celebratory events in Greece, and donor participation opportunities aboard support vessels.
- Jordanian government and royal partners (HRH King Abdullah II, HRH Prince Khalid bin Bandar Al Saud, Jordan Heritage Revival Company, Bedouin Police, Gendarmerie, Governor of Aqaba, Special Branch)majorJordanian authorities hosted and enabled the 2025 Lawrence Tribute Trek, providing route clearances, camels on loan from His Majesty, security escorts, the re-enactment attack on the Hejaz Steam Train, and ceremonial welcomes in Aqaba (including by HRH King Abdullah II and the British Ambassador to Jordan Philip Hall). The Saudi Ambassador to the UK and his staff also facilitated vital clearances, with a thank-you dinner hosted at Stationers' Hall in London on 15 May.
- Trek and Camel Sponsors of the Lawrence Tribute TreksupportingMultiple corporate sponsors supported the 2025 Lawrence Tribute Trek under category groupings: Trek Sponsor, Trek Supporters and Camel Sponsor. Specific named logos visible on the trek page (with brand marks for Kashaf and others) helped fund the £800,000+ raised. Specific sponsor identities beyond JLR (Vehicle Sponsor) are not all clearly named in the source.
- Jaguar Land Rover (JLR)flagshipVehicle Sponsor of the Nasir, Bekri, Tayi and Lawrence Tribute Trek. JLR provided at least four brand-new Defender 110 vehicles (plus one Defender 130 for training) to support the re-enactment of Lawrence's 1,100 km 'Path to Aqaba' through Saudi Arabia and Jordan. JLR's Middle East Academy ran a three-day desert-driving training programme for the SFC riders in the UAE prior to the trek. The Defender vehicles carried riders, medics, cooks, logisticians, camel wranglers, kit, fuel and supplies across the expedition and were returned to JLR Jeddah after completion.
- Special Forces Club (parent organisation)coreSFCBF is the National Charity of The Special Forces Club. Personal data is shared between SFCBF, the Special Forces Club, and Soldiers Trading for administrative purposes. The Special Forces Club provides the overarching membership community and platform through which SFCBF identifies cases and organises fundraising treks and expeditions.
- Constantin Weisz (Dirk Motz)coreCo-developed the limited-edition Constantin Weisz SFCBF MILSUB watch — a reproduction of the 1970s 5513 Military Submariner issued to SBS and Royal Navy Clearance Divers — limited to 100 pieces, sold via www.sfcbf.org/watch at a minimum £500 contribution in aid of SFCBF. Bespoke watches have up to 4-month delivery; issue is now sold out.
- Fundraising payment and platform partners (PayPal, JustGiving, Payroll Giving providers, direct debit organisations, mailing house, CMS providers, IT/cloud providers, content management, advertising platforms)supportingOperational technology and service partners disclosed in SFCBF's privacy notice that process donations, store personal data, send mailings, host the website, or deliver fundraising advertisements. These include the Squarespace CMS, payment services providers (PCI-compliant card handling), Payroll Giving providers, mailing houses, fundraising lottery/tribute page providers and Facebook (for email-matched fundraising ads).
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights3 records
The Special Forces Club Benevolent Fund competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Walking With The Wounded: UK military charity supporting physically and mentally wounded veterans, best known for high-profile expedition fundraising (including polar challenges). Closely comparable in challenge-expedition-as-fundraising-platform model, with a slightly broader veteran beneficiary base.
- Combat Stress: UK charity treating mental health conditions including PTSD among veterans. Closely comparable in beneficiary focus (Special Forces veterans feature prominently in its caseload) and in reliance on donations and challenge-event fundraising.
- Royal Marines Charitable Trust Fund: Welfare charity for Royal Marines and their families, including the Special Boat Service (SBS) — a key component of the UK Special Forces community SFCBF serves. Highly comparable in narrow beneficiary focus and welfare-grant model.
- SAS Regimental Association: The official regimental association of the SAS, providing welfare, benevolence and comradeship support to former SAS personnel and families. SFCBF complements this body as the cross-Service Special Forces benevolent fund, with overlapping beneficiary pools.
Broad incumbents
- Forces in Mind Trust: Funded by the National Lottery Community Fund and LibertyFest to support UK Armed Forces veterans' transition to civilian life. Comparable as a grant-making welfare funder, with a broader thematic remit than SFCBF's Special Forces focus.
- ABF The Soldiers' Charity: The national charity of the British Army, providing welfare grants to soldiers, veterans and their families. Comparable in welfare-grant delivery and donation funding, but Army-wide rather than Special Forces-only.
- SSAFA – the Armed Forces Charity: The UK's oldest Armed Forces charity, providing lifelong support to serving personnel, veterans and their families. Comparable in mission (welfare grants, discretion, rapid response) and donor base, though it serves the whole Forces community rather than the Special Forces subset.
- The Royal British Legion: The UK's largest Armed Forces charity. Comparable in donation- and event-driven fundraising model, Poppy Appeal scale, and welfare-grant mission, but serves the entire ex-Service community rather than specialising in Special Forces.
- Help for Heroes: Large UK military charity providing welfare, recovery and employment support to wounded veterans. Directly comparable as a donation-funded, event-driven fundraiser, but operates across the broader Armed Forces rather than the Special Forces niche.
Emerging players
- Scotty's Little Soldiers: UK military bereavement charity supporting children and young people who have lost a parent in Service. Comparable as a niche, donation- and challenge-event-driven UK military charity, but focused on bereaved military children rather than Special Forces welfare.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Special Forces Club Benevolent Fund social profiles
Digital presenceThe Special Forces Club Benevolent Fund financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Special Forces Club Benevolent Fund leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
The Special Forces Club Benevolent Fund funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Special Forces Club Benevolent Fund M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Special Forces Club Benevolent Fund
What does The Special Forces Club Benevolent Fund do?
The Special Forces Club Benevolent Fund (SFCBF) is a UK registered charity (Charities Commission 1013628) that provides confidential, rapid-response financial welfare assistance to former members of the UK and allied Special Forces and Special Intelligence community (SOE, SAS, SBS, SRR) and their dependents who are experiencing ill health, PTSD, bereavement, debt, care needs or old-age hardship. The charity is funded solely by public donations, community contributions, corporate sponsorship of fundraising expeditions (such as the 2025 Lawrence Tribute Trek), and limited-edition commemorative merchandise (e.g., the SFCBF MILSUB watch), and operates primarily in the UK with active cases in Australia, New Zealand, France and Greece.
Is The Special Forces Club Benevolent Fund a public or private company?
The Special Forces Club Benevolent Fund is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was The Special Forces Club Benevolent Fund founded?
The Special Forces Club Benevolent Fund was founded in 1947. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is The Special Forces Club Benevolent Fund based?
The Special Forces Club Benevolent Fund is headquartered in Wilmslow, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does The Special Forces Club Benevolent Fund make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Public and community donations are the primary driver. The others are corporate sponsorship of fundraising expeditions, limited-edition merchandise sales and fundraising events and supporter participation.
Who are The Special Forces Club Benevolent Fund's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Walking With The Wounded, Combat Stress, Royal Marines Charitable Trust Fund and SAS Regimental Association. Broad incumbents are Forces in Mind Trust, ABF The Soldiers' Charity, SSAFA – the Armed Forces Charity, The Royal British Legion and Help for Heroes. Scotty's Little Soldiers is listed as an emerging player.
Does The Special Forces Club Benevolent Fund have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Special Forces Club Benevolent Fund.
What industry is The Special Forces Club Benevolent Fund in?
The Special Forces Club Benevolent Fund's product category is Military Veteran Welfare Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAKAD, Family Offices & Philanthropic Advisors (Grantmaking), with a secondary code of BPADAOAB, Grantmaking & Philanthropic Funds (Institutional Donors). Its NAICS code is 813219.