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Supporting UK Merchant Navy seafarers and their families

The Merchant Navy Fund is a much-needed collaborative initiative set up in 2012 by two long-established charities, the Merchant Navy Welfare Board and The Seafarers' Charity, to exclusively support Merchant Navy seafarers.

Thanks to our generous supporters, to-date the Fund was able to support vital research and award grants to maritime welfare charities totalling more than £700,000. All the money raised is used to help finance those charities supporting UK Merchant Navy seafarers and their families at times of need.

Download our latest newsletter to see how your money helps those in need and please donate today to help our serving and retired Merchant Navy seafarers and their families.

Grant Funding

We work with organisations supporting UK Merchant Navy seafarers in need and their families.

Your organisation can apply to the Merchant Navy Fund’s Grants Programme, provided it meets our eligibility criteria. To take the eligibility test, please Apply for a Grant following the link below.

Apply for a Grant

Donate to the Merchant Navy Fund

Your support is vital to Merchant Navy seafarers and their families at times of need.

Thanks to our supporters, this year we were able to award more than £58,000 in funding to five organisations supporting UK Merchant Navy seafarers, but more help is needed.

Donate now

Our impact

Since its launch in 2012, the Merchant Navy Fund has awarded more than £700,000 in grants to organisations supporting UK Merchant Navy seafarers and their families in times of need.

Find out more

Fly the Red Ensign for Merchant Navy Day

Since 2000, Merchant Navy Day on 3rd September has honoured the brave men and women who kept the UK afloat during both World Wars, and celebrated our dependence on modern day merchant seafarers who are responsible for more than 90% of the UK’s imports, including almost half the food we eat, much of the fuel we use, and virtually all the products and goods we tend to take for granted.

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Latest News

Merchant Navy Fund newsletter - Autumn 2021

See the latest grants your donations have helped to fund so far this year, the success of our annual Fly the Red Ensign campaign, and how our delivery partners have used previous grants to support Merchant Navy seafarers and their families over the last year.

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To our Merchant Navy… THANK YOU.

Our Fly the Red Ensign for Merchant Navy Day annual campaign continued its success with the British Merchant Navy’s official flag flown on September 3rd across the UK, highlighting the vital role of merchant seafarers.

More details

The Merchant Navy Fund is administered by The Seafarers’ Charity (Seafarers UK, formerly King George’s Fund for Sailors), and supported by the Merchant Navy Welfare Board.

Merchant navy welfare board
Seafarers charity
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