The Veteran and Family Well-Being Fund provides grants and contributions to private, public or academic organizations to conduct research and implement initiatives and projects that support the well-being of Veterans and their families.

• Grants: up to $250,000 per fiscal year
• Contributions: up to $1 million per fiscal year

If your research, project or initiative will have a positive and lasting impact on the Veteran community, apply now. The fund could support a wide range of projects, such as suicide prevention research, an initiative that helps homeless Veterans find housing, or any innovative projects that contribute to the well-being of Veterans and their families. Whatever it may be, we encourage you to share your idea and submit an online application to the Veteran and Family Well-Being Fund.

To qualify, you must be a:

• Non-profit organization; or
• For-profit organization (provided that the nature and intent of the activity is non-commercial, not intended to generate profit, and supports program priorities and objectives);
• Research organizations/institute;
• Educational institution;
• Public health and social services institution; or
• Indigenous organization.

Please read the Veteran and Family Well-Being Fund Guidelines before submitting your application.

Apply online

The 2021 call for applications for the Veteran and Family Well-Being Fund is open until 8 February 2021. You can find the application here.

Please note: This program supports initiatives that support the well-being of Veterans as defined by Veterans Affairs Canada. Visit our website for the full definition of a Veteran.

If you have any questions about the Veteran and Family Well-Being Fund, please contact: vac.veteraninnovation.acc@canada.ca.

2019 funding recipients

Meet the organizations that received funding from the Veteran and Family Well-Being Fund in 2019:

1. A New Dynamic Enterprise Inc.
   A New Dynamic Enterprise, Inc. (ANDE), based in Edmonton, is receiving Veteran and Family Well-Being funding for its Transitions Lifeshops seminars across Canada. These seminars help women Veterans and wives or partners of Veterans to map out a successful transition to post-service life while creating a women’s support network aimed at personal and professional growth.
2. Calian Group Ltd.
   With funding from the Veteran and Family Well-Being Fund, Calian Group Ltd. in Ottawa, ON, will conduct a study in order to create a reference guide for physicians and other medical professionals who work with Veterans and their families.
3. Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness
   The Calgary-based Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness will use funding from the Veteran and Family Well-Being Fund for its Built for Zero Canada Project. This project will pilot a community-based approach to ending Veteran homelessness in Canada.
   The Calgary-based Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness will use funding from the Veteran and Family Well-Being Fund for its Built for Zero Canada Project. This project will pilot a community-based approach to ending Veteran homelessness in Canada.
4. Canadian Women’s Wellness Initiative
   The Canadian Women’s Wellness Initiative, based in Seabright, NS, will use its funding from the Veteran and Family Well-Being Fund to offer stress reduction training in the form of a transcendental meditation program to Veterans and their families suffering from toxic stress injuries, occupational stress injuries, and PTSD-related symptoms.
5. Challenge Factory
   With funding from the Veteran and Family Well-Being Fund, the Toronto-based Challenge Factory will develop a playbook that raises awareness of Veterans as a talent pool to small- and medium-sized businesses. It will also adjust best practice programs, tools and processes used in larger companies for Veteran hiring for small- and medium-sized business owners with limited human resource and recruitment capacity.
6. Fredericton Homeless Shelters
   Fredericton Homeless Shelters will use funding from the Veteran and Family Well-Being Fund to support its Homeless Veteran Pilot Project. This project will identify Veterans who are experiencing homelessness in the Fredericton and surrounding areas, and provide them with temporary housing and case management services.
7. Good Shepherd Refuge Social Ministries
   Funding from the Veteran and Family Well-Being Fund will go towards the Good Shepherd Refuge Social Ministries’ Veteran Housing Navigation Team in Toronto, ON. This project will support and intervene on behalf of Veterans at risk, allowing them not only to find and sustain housing, but also to build social skills and support networks as well as manage health issues.
8. Helmets to Hardhats Canada
   Helmets to Hardhats Canada, based in Ottawa, will use funding from the Veteran and Family Well-Being Fund to assist Veterans with obtaining careers in the construction and maintenance industry through apprenticeship programs and direct hires with registered employers.
9. Lawson Health Research Institute
   With funding from the Veteran and Family Well-Being Fund, the Lawson Health Research Institute in London, ON, will study Veterans’ beliefs about medical and research confidentiality as well as attitudes toward the disclosure of moral injuries. This will include the assessment of Veterans’ beliefs about confidentiality and reporting rules held by mental health professionals.
10. Legacy Place Society
    The Legacy Place Society in Calgary, AB, will use funding from the Veteran and Family Well-Being Fund to provide transitional housing to Veterans and to conduct research about the value of transitory housing towards the wellness of Veterans in crisis.
11. Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia
    Funding from the Veteran and Family Well-Being Fund will support the Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia’s Landing Strong 12-week day-treatment program. This program supports Veterans and their families by helping them to address mental, moral and physical aspects of injury. The funding will also support year-round workshops, Community Connection days and social media education and support initiatives.
12. Old Brewery Mission
    Old Brewery Mission, based in Montreal, QC, will use funding from the Veteran and Family Well-Being Fund to support the Les Sentinelles program. This program offers psychosocial support to Veterans who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless, supports housing integration, promotes residential stability and strives to better understand the needs and experiences of homeless Veterans.
13. Ottawa Innercity Ministries
    The Ottawa Innercity Ministries will use funding from the Veteran and Family Well-Being Fund to open a new drop-in and support for homeless and at-risk Veterans and their families, with the goal of offering social inclusion, community and one-on-one support to improve their quality of life.
14. Prince’s Operation Entrepreneur
    With funding from the Veterans and Family Well-Being Fund, the Toronto-based Prince’s Operation Entrepreneur will enhance its one-day workshop for Canadian Veterans and their families and increase the number of workshops across Canada. The workshop gives participants the opportunity to explore entrepreneurship and self-employment as a career option.
15. Prospect Human Services Society
    Prospect Human Services Society is an organization based in Calgary that will use funding from the Veteran and Family Well-Being Fund to enhance its Forces@Work program. Forces@Work ensures effective transition into the post-service workforce for Veterans and their family members.
16. Respect Campaign
    The Respect Campaign, based in Montreal, QC, will use funding from the Veteran and Family Well-Being Fund for its Respect Forum, a national networking initiative designed to promote collaborative approaches to service delivery for Veterans, first responders, and their families.
17. Serene View Ranch
    Serene View Ranch in Stratford, PE, will use funding from the Veteran and Family Well-Being Fund to pilot new treatment approaches involving individual Veterans and couples and renovate its premises for group programming.
18. Soldier On
    Soldier On of Ottawa, ON, will use funding from the Veteran and Family Well-Being Fund for a pilot project that will support the participation of Canadian Veterans and members of the Canadian Armed Forces in sport and physical activity to help them overcome mental and physical injuries and illnesses.
19. The Mustard Seed
    With funding from the Veteran and Family Well-Being Fund, the Mustard Seed will partner with Homes for Heroes to create a village of self-contained tiny homes in the Calgary area for homeless Veterans. The program will help these Veterans transition out of homelessness and gain independence to secure permanent housing.
20. True Patriot Love Foundation
    True Patriot Love Foundation, a national charity based in Toronto, ON, will use funding from the Veteran and Family Well-Being Fund to create a Mental Health Technology Advisory Council. This council will assess Veterans’ technological needs and evaluate the efficacy of existing digital platforms and online mental health programs. The funding will also support the development of a program implementation plan, including the launch and evaluation of a pilot that addresses barriers to care for Veterans with mental health needs.
21. Women Warriors’ Healing Garden
    With funding from the Veteran and Family Well-Being Fund, the Ottawa-based Women Warriors’ Healing Garden will establish a permanent therapy program for women and LGBTQ2S+ Veterans. It will also recruit and train one peer support worker on an annual basis, and expand its model to other communities across Canada.
22. Wounded Warriors Canada
    Wounded Warriors Canada, a charity based in Whitby, ON, will use funding from the Veteran and Family Well-Being Fund for its Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Service Dog Program.