In May 2025, we once again invited members of the VC… community to nominate initiatives they thought would be worthy of a £10,000 Veterans Can… Enable grant. As previously mentioned, these projects had to be Veteran-led or focus on positivity for Veterans.
We received 21 submissions in all from VC… members running Ltd companies, CICs and charities, and our selection panel assessed all submissions against a set of criteria before we announced a short-list of 5, to be voted on by our members.
Sally Williams from Veterans With Dogs entered an engaging submission stating their grant would be used to support the purchase and socialisation of two assistance dog puppies and their participation in their first residential training course. Additionally, they’d use the funds for the delivery of a PALS™ (Partner Animal Life Skills) residential course for 2 Veterans and their puppies to provide an essential foundation for the unique Veteran-dog partnership.
Before the vote, Veterans Can… were contacted by BBC1’s The One Show, who were interested in making a piece about the Veterans Can… grant process, featuring all five “finalists” – with those who received the most votes being announced, by JJ Chalmers, on the programme.
On the 23rd June, Veterans With Dogs were announced as a recipient of a £10,000 2025 Veterans Can… Enable grant.
Craig MacLellan, CEO of Veterans With Dogs
“As a small charity, this grant means more to us than words can fully express. On behalf of all of us at Veterans With Dogs, I want to say a heartfelt thank you to Veterans Can… and to every single person in the Veterans Can… community who voted for us. To receive this £10,000 grant, especially knowing it was chosen by veterans themselves, makes it all the more meaningful. It’s a powerful reminder that the work we do is valued by the very community we exist to serve. Your belief in us will help us continue changing lives through our life-saving assistance dog partnerships with veterans experiencing mental health challenges. Thank you for standing with us and we look forward to demonstrating the impact of your support going forward.”
