Older People Grants & Funding
There are 639 UK funders offering grants for older people charities, with typical awards from £50 to £200,000.
With an ageing population, UK funders are increasingly investing in services that support older people to live well, stay connected, and maintain independence. Grants in this area cover a wide spectrum: befriending and social isolation reduction, dementia support, falls prevention, digital inclusion for older people, day centres, and care home activity programmes. Several dedicated trusts — such as the Dunhill Medical Trust and the Rayne Foundation — focus specifically on ageing. Larger general funders like the Big Lottery Fund and Henry Smith Charity also prioritise projects for older people. Community-based approaches are strongly favoured: lunch clubs, intergenerational projects, community transport, and age-friendly neighbourhood initiatives. The pandemic accelerated funder interest in tackling loneliness among older people, and this remains a key funding priority. Grant-makers value projects that treat older people as active participants rather than passive recipients, and organisations that involve older people in governance and service design score well in applications.
Quick Stats
- Total Funders
- 639
- Grant Range
- £50 - £200,000
- Open to Applications
- 60%
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Clear filtersFilters use programme details verified from each funder's own published guidance. Funders we haven't verified yet are listed separately below, never hidden.
Older People Funders
36 of 639 match your filtersChecked against verified programme data for 88 of 639 funders. 551 not yet verified are listed below; 52 that don't fit were excluded.
Addington Fund
Verified openMatching programme: Emergency Relief (Forage Aid)
The Addington Fund is an independent UK charity established in 2001 in response to the classical swine fever and foot-and-mouth outbreaks, dedicated t...
Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, UK Branch
Verified openMatching programme: Short Term Conference and Travel Grant to Students and Young Academics in Armenia
The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation UK Branch, established in 1956 from the bequest of Armenian oil magnate Calouste Gulbenkian, is a London-based arm ...
Chalk Cliff Trust
Verified openMatching programme: Chalk Cliff Trust – Main Grant Programme
Chalk Cliff Trust is a family-led charitable foundation with a mission to advance grassroots charitable activity benefiting local communities through ...
Cole Charitable Trust
Verified openMatching programme: Cole Charitable Trust grants
The Cole Charitable Trust is an independent grant-making trust dedicated to fostering positive change in local communities through support for small g...
Community Foundation for Wiltshire & Swindon
Verified openMatching programme: Community Grants
Wiltshire and Swindon Community Foundation, founded in 1975 as an independent charity (formerly Community Foundation for Wiltshire & Swindon), tackles...
Community Foundation North East
Verified openMatching programme: General Application
Community Foundation North East, established in 1988 by local business and civic leaders in North East England, serves as the UK's largest community f...
Cornwall Community Foundation
Verified openMatching programme: Small Grants (under £5,000)
Cornwall Community Foundation, established in 2003 as a registered charity and company limited by guarantee, is the sole community foundation serving ...
Duke of Devonshire's Charitable Trust
Verified openMatching programme: Duke of Devonshire's Charitable Trust
The Duke of Devonshire's Charitable Trust is a family-led foundation embodying stewardship, heritage responsibility, and community flourishing through...
E H Smith Charitable Trust
Verified openMatching programme: General Charitable Grants
The E H Smith Charitable Trust, family-founded in 1944, embodies community responsibility by reinvesting business profits to uplift local communities ...
Gay and Peter Hartley's Hillards Charitable Trust
Verified openMatching programme: Main Grants Programme
Gay and Peter Hartley's Hillards Charitable Trust is a grant-making charity founded by the Hartley family, rooted in the legacy of the Hillards grocer...
Geoffrey Watling Charity
Verified openMatching programme: General Grant Programme
The Geoffrey Watling Charity embodies entrepreneurial generosity, local pride, and civic friendship, channeling resources to vitalize communities thro...
Gerald Micklem Charitable Trust
Verified openMatching programme: Main Grant Programme
The Gerald Micklem Charitable Trust, established in 1988 by the will of G.H. Micklem C.B.E., is a grant-making trust dedicated to advancing public ben...
Guildford Lions Club (CIO)
Verified openMatching programme: Community Grant Making
Guildford Lions Club (CIO), established in 1967 as a volunteer-driven branch of Lions Clubs International, is a Guildford-based charity dedicated to m...
Hadfield Charitable Trust
Verified openMatching programme: Hadfield Trust Grants
The Hadfield Charitable Trust is a grant-making charity rooted in community stewardship and local impact, dedicated to addressing social needs by empo...
Innholders' Charitable Foundation
Verified openMatching programme: Charity Committee Grant Programme
The Innholders' Charitable Foundation, established in 2014 as the charitable arm of the Worshipful Company of Innholders—a City of London Livery Compa...
James Knott Family Foundation
Verified openMatching programme: Main Grants Programme
The James Knott Family Foundation, known as the Sir James Knott Trust, was established in 1924 by Tyneside shipowner Sir James Knott to honor his sons...
Liverpool Merchants' Guild
Verified openMatching programme: Liverpool Merchants' Guild Support
Liverpool Merchants' Guild upholds a historic mission of relieving poverty, hardship, and distress among older people through targeted financial suppo...
Liversage Trust
Verified openMatching programme: Household Fund
The Liversage Trust, a historic almshouse charity founded in 1529 in Derby, England, under the will of Robert Liversage, remains dedicated to relievin...
London Freemasons Charity
Verified openMatching programme: Standard Grants Programme
The London Freemasons Charity (LFC), established in 2000 as the London Masonic Charitable Trust and run by trustees from the Metropolitan Grand Lodge ...
Marsh Christian Trust
Verified openMatching programme: Grants Programme
The Marsh Charitable Trust (formerly Marsh Christian Trust), established in 1981 by Brian Marsh OBE, is a UK-based funder dedicated to sustaining smal...
Matthews Wrightson Charity Trust
Verified openMatching programme: General Grant Programme
The Matthews Wrightson Charity Trust advances social welfare by empowering smaller charities and individuals delivering direct benefits to disadvantag...
Milton Keynes Community Foundation Limited
Verified openMatching programme: Community Roots Project
Milton Keynes Community Foundation is an independent place-based funder with a mission to strengthen communities and improve quality of life by channe...
Northcott Devon Foundation
Verified openMatching programme: Grants to Individuals and Families
The Northcott Devon Foundation is dedicated to alleviating distress and hardship through practical financial assistance delivering long-term benefits ...
Northern Powergrid Foundation
Verified openMatching programme: Energy Resilience Grants Programme
Northern Powergrid Foundation champions energy resilience and social equity for communities ravaged by extreme weather, with a mission rooted in preve...
Ogilvie Charities
Verified openMatching programme: Specific Charitable Projects
Ogilvie Charities is a longstanding UK funder rooted in Suffolk and Essex, now supporting communities across England and Wales, with a mission to assi...
Percy Bilton Charity
Verified openMatching programme: Grants to Individuals in Need
The Percy Bilton Charity is a grant-making trust rooted in a philanthropic mission to relieve hardship and enhance quality of life for the most disadv...
Peter Kershaw Trust
Verified openMatching programme: Ordinary Grants
The Peter Kershaw Trust, established in 1974 by Peter Kershaw, then Chairman of Joseph Holt Brewery, is a grant-making charity dedicated to combating ...
Price Parry Charitable Trust
Verified openMatching programme: General Grant Programme
The Price Parry Charitable Trust is an unincorporated grant-making trust established under a 1995 will and registered as a UK charity in 2018, rooted ...
Professionals Aid Council
Verified openMatching programme: Further Education
The Professionals Aid Council, operating as the Professionals Aid Guild (PAG) since its founding in 1914, is a longstanding UK occupational charity de...
Roger & Douglas Turner Charitable Trust
Verified openMatching programme: Core funding
The Roger & Douglas Turner Charitable Trust embodies a family-founded vision of community wellbeing, prioritizing quality of life enhancements, opport...
Schroder Charity Trust
Verified openMatching programme: Schroder Charity Trust
Schroder Charity Trust is an independent UK grant-making family trust with a mission to empower disadvantaged children, young adults, and vulnerable c...
Talbot Village Trust
Verified openMatching programme: Small Grants Programme
Talbot Village Trust, an independent grant-making charity founded in 1850 by Victorian sisters Georgina Charlotte and Mary Anne Talbot, embodies their...
Two Ridings Community Foundation
Verified openMatching programme: Small Grants Fund
Two Ridings Community Foundation, established in 2000 by former Chief Constable David Kenworthy, inspires local giving and channels philanthropic inve...
Whitehead Monckton Charitable Foundation
Verified openMatching programme: Whitehead Monckton Charitable Foundation Main Grant Programme
The Whitehead Monckton Charitable Foundation, established in 2010 by Whitehead Monckton Solicitors, is a Kent-focused grant-maker dedicated to support...
William Adlington Cadbury Charitable Trust
Verified openMatching programme: United Kingdom (The Religious Society of Friends)
The William Adlington Cadbury Charitable Trust, established in 1923 by Quaker philanthropist William Cadbury—former Lord Mayor of Birmingham—advances ...
Wixamtree Trust
Verified openMatching programme: Main Grant Programme
The Wixamtree Trust, an independent grant-making charity established in 1962 by Sir Humphrey Whitbread, focuses on enhancing the wellbeing and develop...
551 funders not yet verified against these filters
We haven't confirmed these funders' programme details yet, so they may or may not fit. Showing the first 10.
Tips for Applying to Older People Funders
Demonstrate co-design with older people in your application, showing how they have shaped your project from the outset rather than being consulted after decisions are made. Funders increasingly expect older people to hold meaningful roles in governance, delivery, and evaluation. If your project addresses loneliness or social isolation, use validated measurement tools such as the UCLA Loneliness Scale or the De Jong Gierveld Scale to establish baselines and track outcomes — subjective wellbeing measures are valued alongside activity attendance figures. Address digital inclusion as a component of your work, explaining how you help older people access technology confidently while ensuring your project remains accessible to those who are not digitally connected. Describe any intergenerational programming that brings older and younger people together with genuine mutual benefit rather than tokenistic contact. If your project serves people with dementia, explain your dementia-friendly approach including environmental design, communication methods, and staff training. Show an understanding of the diversity within the older population — avoid treating over-65s as a homogeneous group, and explain how your project reaches those most at risk of isolation including older men, people from ethnic minority communities, LGBTQ+ older people, and those in rural areas. Strong applications balance practical support with respect for autonomy and choice.
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Frequently Asked Questions about Older People Grants
What grants are available for older people charities in the UK?
There are 639+ UK funders offering grants for older people charities. These range from small community grants under £5,000 to large multi-year funding programmes exceeding £100,000. Use Fundermatcher to find the best match for your organisation.
How much funding can older people organisations get?
Grant amounts for older people charities vary widely depending on the funder and project. Typical grants range from £1,000 to over £100,000. Many funders offer multi-year funding for established organisations with a strong track record.
How do I apply for older people grants?
Start by identifying funders whose priorities align with your older people work. Fundermatcher matches your charity's profile against 639+ funders to find the best fit. Our AI assistant can then help you draft compelling grant applications.
How to Find the Right Older People Funders
Describe Your Charity
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Our AI ranks all 639 older people funders by how well they fit your specific work.
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Which of These 639 Funders Are Right for You?
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