Headley Court Charity

Headley Court Charity, established in 1940 and acquiring its Surrey estate in 1947, originally provided specialist medical rehabilitation for Royal Air Force pilots and aircrew injured in World War II, later expanding to all British Armed Forces personnel. Its enduring mission advances rehabilitation, research, and holistic wellbeing for serving and former military members, rooted in values of innovation, impact, and military welfare. Following the 2021 sale of its facility to Stanford Hall and a shift to legacy grant-making, it strategically disperses reserves to perpetuate its ethos through large-scale investments in partner organizations.

It funds transformative projects in armed forces rehabilitation, including state-of-the-art orthopaedic centres (e.g., £6m Veterans’ Orthopaedic Centre at RJAH Hospital), clinical research like the ADVANCE Study, multi-disciplinary health initiatives, mental health/trauma support, and welfare services. Beneficiaries are exclusively UK armed forces personnel and veterans, with grants emphasizing facilities, research capacity, specialist training, and sustainable wrap-around care delivered UK-wide.

Eligible entities are UK-registered charities and academic institutions, preferably established medium-to-large organizations like NHS Trusts with proven delivery for the military community; no strict income thresholds apply, but smaller groups are atypical. Grants range from £500,000 to £6 million as one-off capital/project investments. Strictly invite-only with no unsolicited applications, deadlines, or forms—trustees proactively select and invite proposals ad hoc during board meetings.

Distinctive for its military heritage, clinical expertise, and time-limited wind-down focused on high-impact legacy projects, it excludes non-armed forces work, speculative requests, or small-scale/core funding, positioning it as a premier specialist funder for veterans’ rehabilitation charities.