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
163 of 639 match your filtersChecked against verified programme data for 204 of 639 funders. 435 not yet verified are listed below; 41 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...
Anchor Society CIO
Verified openMatching programme: Emergency Grants for Individuals
Anchor Society CIO, established in 1769 as a voluntary association inspired by Edward Colston's philanthropy, is a historic Bristol-based charity dedi...
Association of Jewish Refugees
Verified openMatching programme: Educational Grants
The Association of Jewish Refugees (AJR), founded in 1941 by Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi persecution, is the UK's specialist nationwide charity dedic...
Ballinger Charitable Trust
Verified openMatching programme: Project / Capital Grant
The Ballinger Charitable Trust, founded in 1994 by the Ballinger family with deep personal ties to North East England, supports UK-registered charitie...
Baring Foundation
Verified openMatching programme: Strengthening Civil Society Programme
The Baring Foundation, an independent London-based charitable foundation established in 1969 as Barings Bank's corporate arm and fully independent sin...
Baron Davenport's Charity
Verified openMatching programme: Emergency Grants
Baron Davenport's Charity, an endowed trust established in 1914 by the will of Baron Charles Davenport in Birmingham, is dedicated to alleviating acut...
Bartlett Taylor Charitable Trust
Verified openMatching programme: Individual Applications
The Bartlett Taylor Charitable Trust, established during the lifetime of Ernest Bartlett Taylor from Witney, Oxfordshire, is a lean, community-driven ...
Bernard Sunley Foundation
Verified openMatching programme: Bernard Sunley Foundation Grants
The Bernard Sunley Foundation, established in 1960 by property developer Bernard Sunley and endowed with £300,000 in shares, is an independent family-...
Bolton Community and Voluntary Services
Verified openMatching programme: Bolton Housing Partnership Grants – Individuals
Bolton Community and Voluntary Services (Bolton CVS) is a registered charity and local infrastructure organisation dedicated to strengthening the volu...
Bolton Guild of Help
Verified openMatching programme: Grants for Emergency and Essential Household Items
Bolton Guild of Help, established in 1905, is a longstanding charitable organization dedicated to relieving hardship and distress among vulnerable res...
Brace
Verified openMatching programme: BRACE Research Grants
BRACE Alzheimer’s Research, founded in 1987 in Bristol by families affected by dementia, is an independent charity dedicated to defeating dementia thr...
BT Benevolent Fund
Verified openMatching programme: BT Benevolent Fund (single programme for individuals)
The BT Benevolent Fund is an independent charity with a foundational mission to relieve acute financial distress and poverty among past and present BT...
Buckinghamshire Community Foundation
Verified openMatching programme: Health Equity Fund
Buckinghamshire Community Foundation, operating as Heart of Bucks, serves as a catalyst for social change by connecting philanthropy to local causes, ...
Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust Charitable Fund
Verified openMatching programme: Charitable Funding (Trust Colleagues)
Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust Charitable Fund drives the Trust's strategic aims by funding enhancements beyond statutory NHS provision, elevati...
Burden Trust
Verified openMatching programme: Burden Trust grants
The Burden Trust is a historic Bristol-based grant-making charity founded in the early 20th century by Reverend Harold Nelson Burden, whose philanthro...
Byfleet United Charity
Verified openMatching programme: Community Grants
Byfleet United Charity is a longstanding local grantmaker rooted in relieving poverty and supporting individuals in need through practical financial a...
C B and H H Taylor 1984 Trust
Verified openMatching programme: Birmingham & West Midlands County
The C B and H H Taylor 1984 Trust, a family-founded charitable trust rooted in Quaker heritage, pursues a mission to advance peacebuilding, social jus...
Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, UK Branch
Verified openMatching programme: Project Grants (Armenian Communities Department)
The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation UK Branch, established in 1956 from the bequest of Armenian oil magnate Calouste Gulbenkian, is a London-based arm ...
Carlile Foundation Charitable Trust
Verified openMatching programme: Carlile Foundation Charitable Trust (via Ludlow Funding Enquiry Gateway)
The Carlile Foundation Charitable Trust advances general charitable purposes through inclusive, flexible grantmaking aligned with UK charity law, embo...
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 ...
Cheshire Community Foundation Limited
Verified openMatching programme: Active Futures Programme
Cheshire Community Foundation Limited, established in 2011, is an independent regional charity serving Cheshire East, Cheshire West, and Warrington wi...
Clan Trust Limited
Verified openMatching programme: Clan Trust Grant
Clan Trust Limited is an independent charitable trust based in Norfolk, established in the 1960s by a local farmer who endowed it with his farm, land,...
Clifford Chambers Relief in Need Charities
Verified openMatching programme: Education Fund
Clifford Chambers Relief in Need Charities embodies practical localised compassion and community stewardship, dedicated to relieving hardship, distres...
Coal Industry Social Welfare Organisation
Verified openMatching programme: Education grants
The Coal Industry Social Welfare Organisation (CISWO), established in 1920 with charitable status since 1995, is the UK's sole national charity dedica...
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...
Combined Harpole Charitable Trust
Verified openMatching programme: CHCT Education Grant
The Combined Harpole Charitable Trust is a community-rooted funder with a historic mission to relieve poverty and advance education among Harpole pari...
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...
Connolly Foundation (UK) Limited
Verified openMatching programme: Old people
The Connolly Foundation (UK) Limited, established in 2004 as the Kathleen and Michael Connolly Foundation and renamed in 2020, is a Bedfordshire-based...
Consolidated Charity of Burton Upon Trent
Verified openMatching programme: Financial Assistance for Individuals (Education, Personal Development, Sport, Arts)
The Consolidated Charity of Burton upon Trent is a centuries-old endowed charity rooted in local philanthropic traditions, dedicated to delivering pub...
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 ...
Cripplegate Foundation
Verified openMatching programme: Disability Fund
Cripplegate Foundation drives lasting social change to build an equal society free from poverty and inequality, empowering residents to access opportu...
Croydon Relief in Need Charity
Verified openMatching programme: Individual Grant (via Third-Party Organisation)
Croydon Relief in Need Charity (CRiN), rooted in ancient endowments consolidated under Croydon Almshouse Charities Trustee Company Limited, is a local...
Daisy Trust
Verified openMatching programme: Grants
The Daisy Trust, established in 1982, is a grant-making charity dedicated exclusively to supporting disadvantaged residents of all ages in the London ...
Derbyshire Community Foundation
Verified openMatching programme: Foundation Derbyshire Grants
Foundation Derbyshire embodies a mission to enhance community life and combat disadvantage through empowering grassroots charities and voluntary group...
Dodgson Foundation
Verified openMatching programme: Annual Grants
The Dodgson Foundation is a local grantmaker dedicated to enhancing wellbeing, independence, and dignity for older adults facing disadvantage, with a ...
Dolphin Society
Verified openMatching programme: General Grant Programme
The Dolphin Society embodies a historic commitment to compassion, dignity, and community responsibility, empowering low-income older people and disabl...
Dorset Community Foundation
Verified openMatching programme: SWEF Enterprise Fund
Dorset Community Foundation is an independent grantmaker dedicated to improving lives and fostering thriving, united communities across Dorset by chan...
Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Charitable Fund and Other Related Charities
Verified openMatching programme: General Fund
Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Charitable Fund embodies a mission to elevate patient care and staff welfare beyond standard NHS provision...
Dowager Countess Eleanor Peel Trust
Verified openMatching programme: General Grant
The Dowager Countess Eleanor Peel Trust, established in 1951 via the will of Eleanor, Dowager Countess Peel, is a UK-based endowment charity rooted in...
Drapers Charitable Fund
Verified openMatching programme: Drapers' Charitable Fund
The Drapers Charitable Fund, administered by the historic Worshipful Company of Drapers founded in 1364 by woollen cloth merchants, upholds a mission ...
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: Building Materials Donation Program
The E H Smith Charitable Trust, family-founded in 1944, embodies community responsibility by reinvesting business profits to uplift local communities ...
Earley Charity
Verified openMatching programme: Grants to Organisations – £3,000 and under
The Earley Charity, evolved from historic poor relief traditions, drives its mission to alleviate poverty, hardship, and disadvantage among vulnerable...
Edward Holt Trust
Verified openMatching programme: Main Grant Programme
The Edward Holt Trust advances dignity, wellbeing, and strategic relief for older people facing poverty and individuals enduring homelessness or acute...
Eleemosynary Charity of William Hobbayne
Verified openMatching programme: Grants for Families & Individuals (Eleemosynary Charity and Ealing Aid in Sickness Trust)
The Eleemosynary Charity of William Hobbayne, rooted in a 1484 bequest for parish poor relief, upholds a mission of alleviating poverty, hardship, and...
Enkalon Foundation
Verified openMatching programme: Ex-Employee Support
The Enkalon Foundation embodies a mission rooted in community resilience and social welfare, originating from support for former factory workers facin...
Eric Wright Charitable Trust
Verified openMatching programme: Community Grants
The Eric Wright Charitable Trust embodies a founding vision of responsible business stewardship channeling construction industry profits into perpetua...
Essex Community Foundation
Verified openMatching programme: Google Essex Data Centre Community Fund
Essex Community Foundation, established in 1996, is an independent charitable foundation dedicated to enhancing quality of life for Essex residents by...
Evelyn Trust
Verified openMatching programme: Medical Research Grants
The Evelyn Trust, a Cambridgeshire-based grant-making charity established from the 1920 Evelyn Hospital legacy and reinvested since its 2003 sale, foc...
Showing 50 of 163 matching funders
435 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
Tell us what your charity does, who you help, and where you work. Takes 30 seconds.
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Our AI ranks all 639 older people funders by how well they fit your specific work.
Write Winning Applications
Our AI assistant helps you draft and refine grant applications tailored to each funder.
Which of These 639 Funders Are Right for You?
Browsing 639 funders manually takes hours. Describe your charity once and get your top matches ranked by compatibility — in seconds.
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