Someone receiving advice from The Royal British Legion

On this page you will find information about:

  • The grant schemes provided by the Women's Section.
  • The Eligibility criteria for the grant schemes.
  • How to apply to each grant.

The Women's Section has two separate grant schemes, The Children's Welfare Scheme and The President's Award Scheme.

The Children's Welfare Scheme

The Children's Welfare Scheme can award grants for current and former service personnel and their partners towards the cost of essential items required by their dependent children in times of need or financial hardship.

To be eligible for assistance the children must be financially dependent on the service person or their partner and:

  • 16 and under, not in further education
  • or under the age of 21 and in full-time education, and
  • be medically dependent.

The Maximum grant size per household is £750 and limited to one grant within a 12-month period.

The President’s Award Scheme

The President's Award Scheme (PAS) was set up by the Royal British Legion Women’s Section to assist those in financial need with costs linked to educational needs. The Scheme can provide two different types of financial support:

  • Educational Grants
  • Educational Scholarship - University Accommodation Costs

Educational Grants

Education Grants are one-off grants that can be awarded to students to assist with costs linked to education, such as:

  • course fees
  • public transport costs to attend courses
  • textbooks
  • course equipment (stethoscopes, chemistry equipment, etc)
  • laptops
  • printers
  • software (relevant to course)
  • specialist clothing, or
  • childcare costs linked to course attendance.

      Please note that assistance is not limited to this list and applications should still be submitted if you require help with a cost that is not shown above. The Committee will consider each application on its merits, and will make exceptions where needed, so please detail your request in the application as much as you can.

      Eligibility Criteria

      To be eligible for an Education Grant, applicants must be:

      • current/former service personnel
      • partners of current/former service personnel, or
      • dependents of current/former service personnel (children under 18, in full-time education, or medically dependent).

      And:

      • undertaking an educational course lower than post-graduate level and not related to a work placement
      • applying for a grant for the first time (unless circumstances are exceptional)
      • the course being studied for is in the UK.

      How to apply

      Download and complete the Education Grant Application Form and return it to the email or postal address listed below.

      Download the application form to begin your application

      Applications must be completed by the person who is studying, unless that person is too young, in which case applications can be completed by a parent/guardian on their behalf.

      Send in your application

      Send in your application along with any relevant evidence before the deadline.
      By email: [email protected]
      By post: Central Grants Team - PAS The Royal British Legion, Haig House, 199 Borough High Street, London SE1 1AA

      The committee meet to review applications three times a year, in January, June, and September. The deadline for applications to be considered is the 1st of the month before the meeting. For example, for your application to be considered in June, you must submit it by 1st May.

      Applications submitted with incomplete sections or missing evidence may not be considered.

      Educational Scholarship - University Accommodation Costs

      Educational Scholarships can assist the dependents of current/former service personnel with the costs of accommodation while studying at university away from home.

      Scholarships are up to £2,000 per academic year. Scholarships can be re-applied for each academic year that you are studying, up to a maximum of 3 years total.

      Eligibility Criteria

      To be eligible for an Accommodation Scholarship Grant, applicants must be:

      • under the age of 21 (when applying for the first time)
      • a dependent of a current/former service person
      • staying away from home to attend university
      • undertaking an undergraduate course

      The Committee is unable to consider applications for assistance with accommodation for post-graduate studies.

      How to apply

      Download and complete the Accommodation Scholarship Grant Application Form and return it to the email or postal address listed below.

      Download the application form to begin your application

      Send in your application

      Send in your application along with any relevant evidence before the deadline.
      By email: [email protected]
      By post: Central Grants Team - PAS The Royal British Legion, Haig House, 199 Borough High Street, London SE1 1AA

      To find out more about the support the RBL could offer you, contact us via

      Telephone: 0808 802 8080
      Telephone overseas: +44 (0)20 3376 8080
      Calls are free from UK landlines and main mobile networks
      Email: [email protected]

      Open our online chat function

      Other support available

      There is also more in-depth information on provisions available to children of Armed Forces families, including advice on childcare options, the Children's Education Advisory Service and how the Armed Forces Covenant supports service children.

      Read more guidance on education and support opportunities for children of service families.

      Additionally, the Royal British Legion is here to provide a range of other support to the Armed Forces community.

      Learn about how the Royal British Legion might be able to support you.

      Additional grants

      We also administers funds on behalf of specialist ex-service organisations. 

      Find other grants

      If you, or someone you know, might be eligible for a grant from one of the organisations below, please contact [email protected] or call our helpline on 0808 802 8080.

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      Grants finder

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