The Forces in Mind Trust (FiMT), established to help ex-Service men and women make a successful transition back to civilian life, has strengthened its policy and grants functions with the addition of two new staff.

Lucy Caruana joins FiMT as Grants Manager and brings more than 12 years’ experience of working in grant-making to the role.  She previously worked at the Heritage Lottery Fund advising on all areas of grant-making from project conception through to project completion.

Sam Freston has joined as Assistant to Head of Policy, Meri Mayhew, former Development Manager.  Sam joins FiMT on a 12-month placement through the Charityworks graduate scheme, which aims to place graduates who are keen to pursue a career in the third sector within their charity partner organisations.  Sam has already worked with a number of non-profit organisations in the UK and overseas, including the International Citizen Service, National Citizen Service and TREE AID.

Chief Executive of the Forces in Mind Trust, Ray Lock, said: “After 3 years substantial growth in disbursement and influence, it is time now for the Trust to build a more sophisticated approach.  As part of our plan to deliver 85% of our annual awards from 2016 proactively, developing a coherent theory of change model to underpin as well as to guide all our work is the key strategic enabler.  The Board has been highly supportive of the creation of the Policy, Influence and Evaluation branch, led by Meri Mayhew, and I warmly welcome our first Charityworks graduate trainee Sam to the Trust, where an idealistic and unpolluted approach will provide challenge and innovation.  Equally, with 29 projects currently underway, the experience Lucy brings to the Grants Manager position will ensure that our own policies result in the most coherent and effective programme possible.

“Taken together with the recently announced Mental Health Research Programme, coordinated by Research and Support Manager Kirsteen Waller, Forces in Mind Trust has moved decisively to capitalise on our burgeoning reputation as an independent and credible evidence generator, and to ensure we are best configured going forward to fulfil our aim to inform and influence policy makers and service deliverers, so as to help ex-Service personnel and their families lead successful civilian lives.”

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Notes to Editors
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About the Forces in Mind Trust (FiMT):

  • FiMT came about from a partnership between the Big Lottery Fund (The Fund), Cobseo (The Confederation of Service Charities) and other charities and organisations. FiMT continues the Fund’s long-standing legacy of support for veterans across the UK with an endowment of £35 million awarded in 2012. Since 2004 the Fund has given more than £88 million to programmes supporting veterans http://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/.
  • The aim of FiMT is to provide an evidence base which will influence and underpin policy making and service delivery in order to enable ex-Service personnel and their families to lead successful civilian lives.
  • FiMT awards grants (both reactive and proactive) and commissions research along three key themes: Evidence, Innovation and Collaboration. All work is published to a high standard of reportage to add to the evidence base from which better informed decisions can be made. Read more about those FiMT have helped and reports they have published at the links below:

About Charityworks

 For more information about Charityworks visit www.charity-works.co.uk