Grants

The Air Cadet Charity provides support and funding for activities for young people which develop their skills, capacities and capabilities to enable them to participate in society as mature and responsible individuals.

We provide grants for activities that fall within the following categories and align to the RAF Air Cadets vision:

Aviation

The Air Cadet Charity currently provide funding for the RAF Air Cadets Drones initiative and will continue to look at ways we can support aviation.

Adventure training

Grants are available to support equipment and activities that will enhance the cadet adventure training programme as well as making it more affordable. In the past the charity has supplied funding and grants for:

Overseas and UK expeditions
Water sports
Specialist instructors
Equipment

Exploiting technology

The Air Cadet Charity, in partnership with the RAF Charitable Trust, has recently joint funded Xbox devices and VR headsets as part of the Air, Space and Cyber Cadet Program Package, helping to prepare cadets for the challenges of the digital age, with a particular focus on space.

Alongside this the charity has also funded a significant number of laptops to allow students who cannot afford their own devices to access the BTEC qualifications on offer, helping to alleviate digital poverty and increase social mobility.

Immersive training

The Air Cadet Charity will continue to support learning methodologies that provide a realistic and experiential environment for learners by leveraging emerging technologies such as VR, AR, and MR to create a highly engaging and interactive learning experience, for example using VR for flight simulation.

We would support immersive training that places individuals in an interactive learning environment, either physically or virtually, to replicate possible scenarios or to teach particular skills or techniques.

Enhance education

The Air Cadet Charity continues to provide funding for BTECs, Scottish Qualification Awards (SQAs), Extended Project Qualifications (EPC) and Crest Awards and has recently approved funding for a Sustainability BTEC award for cadets.

The charity is also enthusiastic about supporting music and art initiatives that provide cultural experiences that are accessible to all cadets and offer wider educational enhancement.

Improve employability

Through the Air Cadet Development Scheme the charity provides grants for cadets and junior adult volunteers with their transition into full-time employment through grants for training or personal/professional development courses they wish to fund via the bursary.

We also support the Duke of Edinburgh Awards Scheme and can provide support to cadets to reduce the cost of participating in DofE Expeditions for Gold, Silver and Bronze.

Health and wellbeing

As sport plays a vital role in the wellbeing of young people the Air Cadet Charity are proud to support sport for cadets. The Air Cadet Charity provides funding for the RAF Air Cadets Sports Leaders Courses and provides grants to support cadets and adult volunteers to participate in RAF Air Cadet sporting events.

Welfare

The Air Cadet Charity fund personal accident insurance for cadets, cadet force adult volunteers and civilian committee members as well as funding insurance for overseas trips.

We have also provided funding for Starlink capability to allow cadets the opportunity to stay connected with friends and family when taking part in national activities away from home such as the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT).

Air Cadet Development Scheme

The Air Cadet Development Scheme (formally RAF Air Cadets Development Trust) was conceived as part of the Air Training Corps’ (ATC's) 75th anniversary celebrations in 2016. It aims to provide a legacy for current and future generations of cadets and junior adult volunteers which will support their transition into full time employment, be that via college or university education, training courses, personal or professional development, work placements or apprenticeships.

The bursary is available to cadets who are 16 or over and have been a member of the ATC or CCF(RAF) for a minimum of 2 years. Junior adult volunteers aged under 25, who have been a member of either the ATC or CCF(RAF) for a minimum of 4 years are also eligible to apply. Please download the Air Cadet Development Scheme Application Form along with the Policy and Guidance to find out more.

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