The Invictus Games Foundation is delighted to announce that the Endeavour Fund has been transferred across from The Royal Foundation and into the work of the Invictus Games Foundation. The Endeavour Fund will continue to support the ambitions of wounded, injured and sick service personnel and veterans but will now expand its activities across the international Invictus community.
The Endeavour Fund was established by The Duke of Sussex in 2012 when he was patron of The Royal Foundation. Since the time of its inception, the Endeavour Fund has granted over £3,000,000 across over 100 endeavour activities that have supported over 6,000 wounded, injured and sick service personnel and veterans (WIS) to re-engage with sport or adventurous challenge after sustaining injury or falling ill during their time in the military. This includes being responsible for establishing and funding the original Invictus Games in 2014, and this transfer now presents an exciting opportunity for both organisations to further their support for international members of the WIS community.
Dominic Reid, CEO of the Invictus Games Foundation said, “The Endeavour Fund has been doing incredible things for many years and we believe that together, both organisations will have a positive and sustained impact on the recovery and rehabilitation journeys of many from around the world who have experienced injury or illness during service.”
Driven by a desire to make a difference together, The Royal Foundation is the primary philanthropic and charitable vehicle for The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and previously The Duke and Duchess of Sussex. The programmes support a broad and ambitious spectrum of activities, bringing people, ideas and resources together to understand issues, explore creative solutions and be a catalyst for long-term impact. The overall ambition is for the programmes to grow and expand within The Foundation, before successfully becoming their own independent charities or aligning with other charities in similar areas to support and grow other charities in similar sectors.
Jason Knauf, CEO of The Royal Foundation said, “The Endeavour Fund has played an important role in ensuring that those injured in service have the opportunity to rediscover their self-belief and fighting spirit through physical challenges over the years. The Royal Foundation is proud of its role in creating both Endeavour Fund and the Invictus Games, and the impact that both have had on the WIS community. We look forward to seeing their continued success, together.”
David Wiseman, who competed in the Invictus Games London 2014, Orlando 2016, and Toronto 2017 has led the Endeavour Fund from the beginning and will transfer to the Invictus Games Foundation with the programme. He said, “The whole world has changed in recent months, but the spirit of Invictus and the Endeavour Fund has always emanated from overcoming adversity and fostering post-traumatic growth. The Endeavour Fund will evolve in its new home and in the new post-COVID environment but what will not change is our support to recovery, rehabilitation and growth through the power of sport and adventurous challenge.”
