Older People639+ Funders

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%

Older People Funders

46 of 639 match your filters

Checked against verified programme data for 121 of 639 funders. 518 not yet verified are listed below; 75 that don't fit were excluded.

Ballinger Charitable Trust

Verified open

Matching 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...

Grant Range
£10,000 - £20,000

Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, UK Branch

Verified open

Matching 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 ...

Grant Range
£10,000 - £600,000

Chalk Cliff Trust

Verified open

Matching 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 ...

Grant Range
£3,000 - £5,000

Clan Trust Limited

Verified open

Matching 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,...

Grant Range
Contact funder

Coal Industry Social Welfare Organisation

Verified open

Matching programme: Recreational Facilities Development

The Coal Industry Social Welfare Organisation (CISWO), established in 1920 with charitable status since 1995, is the UK's sole national charity dedica...

Grant Range
£1,000 - £10,000

Cole Charitable Trust

Verified open

Matching 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...

Grant Range
£1,000 - £2,000

Community Foundation North East

Verified open

Matching 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...

Grant Range
Up to £25,000

Connolly Foundation (UK) Limited

Verified open

Matching 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...

Grant Range
£5,000 - £50,000

Dowager Countess Eleanor Peel Trust

Verified open

Matching 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...

Grant Range
£5,000 - £25,000

Duke of Devonshire's Charitable Trust

Verified open

Matching 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...

Grant Range
£250 - £10,000

E H Smith Charitable Trust

Verified open

Matching 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 ...

Grant Range
£500 - £10,000

Eveson Charitable Trust

Verified open

Matching programme: General Grant Programme

The Eveson Trust, formerly the Eveson Charitable Trust and converted to a Charitable Incorporated Organisation in April 2022, was established under th...

Grant Range
£10,000 - £50,000

Geoffrey Watling Charity

Verified open

Matching programme: General Grant Programme

The Geoffrey Watling Charity embodies entrepreneurial generosity, local pride, and civic friendship, channeling resources to vitalize communities thro...

Grant Range
£1,000 - £30,000

Gerald Micklem Charitable Trust

Verified open

Matching 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...

Grant Range
£8,000 - £15,000

Hadfield Charitable Trust

Verified open

Matching 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...

Grant Range
£1,000 - £5,000

Harold and Alice Bridges Charity

Verified open

Matching programme: Harold and Alice Bridges Charity Grant Programme

The Harold and Alice Bridges Charity embodies a mission to bolster community wellbeing by fortifying essential physical infrastructure that sustains v...

Grant Range
£1,000 - £10,000

Harry Bottom Charitable Trust

Verified open

Matching programme: Main grants programme

The Harry Bottom Charitable Trust, founded by Harry Bottom on 7 October 1960, is a longstanding Sheffield-based grant-maker governed by its original t...

Grant Range
£1,000 - £20,000

Hemby Charitable Trust

Verified open

Matching programme: Hemby Charitable Trust Grants

The Hemby Charitable Trust, established in 1998 by a local family with deep roots in Merseyside and Wirral, is a small, trustee-led grantmaker adminis...

Grant Range
£500 - £3,000

Hobson Charity Limited

Verified open

Matching programme: General Grant Programme

Hobson Charity Limited, established in 1985 by the Hobson family with Lady Hobson OBE as long-serving Chair, is a family-governed grant-maker dedicate...

Grant Range
£500 - £100,000

Innholders' Charitable Foundation

Verified open

Matching 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...

Grant Range
£500 - £5,000

James Knott Family Foundation

Verified open

Matching 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...

Grant Range
£1,000 - £10,000

Jones 1986 Charitable Trust

Verified open

Matching programme: The Jones 1986 Charitable Trust

The Jones 1986 Charitable Trust advances community care and prevention of disadvantage for socially and medically vulnerable populations, prioritizing...

Grant Range
£2,000 - £15,000

Joseph Rank Trust

Verified open

Matching programme: General Fund

The Joseph Rank Trust is an independent Christian grant-maker established in 2002 from charities founded by Joseph Rank (1854–1943) and family between...

Grant Range
£10,000 - £50,000

Livewell Foundation

Verified open

Matching programme: Small Grants

The Livewell Foundation, established as the charitable arm of a pioneering social enterprise in health and social care, drives transformational impact...

Grant Range
£500 - £10,000

London Freemasons Charity

Verified open

Matching 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 ...

Grant Range
£3,000 - £10,000

London Marathon Charitable Trust Limited

Verified open

Matching programme: Active Spaces Fund

London Marathon Charitable Trust Limited, operating as the London Marathon Foundation and founded in 1981 by marathon co-founders, champions the life-...

Grant Range
£10,000 - £80,000

Marsh Christian Trust

Verified open

Matching 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...

Grant Range
£300 - £2,000

Matthews Wrightson Charity Trust

Verified open

Matching programme: General Grant Programme

The Matthews Wrightson Charity Trust advances social welfare by empowering smaller charities and individuals delivering direct benefits to disadvantag...

Grant Range
Contact funder

Medicash Foundation

Verified open

Matching programme: Medicash Foundation Grant Programme

The Medicash Foundation advances health and saves lives by funding treatment, nursing, and care for sick, infirm individuals suffering diseases, ailme...

Grant Range
£2,000 - £25,000

Mercers Charitable Foundation

Verified open

Matching programme: Older People & Housing

The Mercers’ Charitable Foundation, established in 1983 as the principal grant-making trust of The Mercers’ Company—London’s premier livery company fo...

Grant Range
£25,000 - £150,000

Milton Keynes Community Foundation Limited

Verified open

Matching 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...

Grant Range
£1,000 - £15,000

Northamptonshire Community Foundation

Verified open

Matching programme: Randal Charitable Foundation Fund

Northamptonshire Community Foundation, established in the early 2000s, is the leading independent grant-making charity in Northamptonshire, dedicated ...

Grant Range
£500 - £50,000

Northcott Devon Foundation

Verified open

Matching programme: Grants to Registered Charities

The Northcott Devon Foundation is dedicated to alleviating distress and hardship through practical financial assistance delivering long-term benefits ...

Grant Range
£250 - £5,000

Northern Powergrid Foundation

Verified open

Matching 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...

Grant Range
£1,000 - £20,000

Ogilvie Charities

Verified open

Matching 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...

Grant Range
£250 - £2,000

Percy Bilton Charity

Verified open

Matching programme: Large Grants

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...

Grant Range
£2,000 - £5,000

Peter Kershaw Trust

Verified open

Matching 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 ...

Grant Range
£2,000 - £10,000

Roger & Douglas Turner Charitable Trust

Verified open

Matching programme: Core funding

The Roger & Douglas Turner Charitable Trust embodies a family-founded vision of community wellbeing, prioritizing quality of life enhancements, opport...

Grant Range
£1,000 - £5,000

Roselands Trust

Verified open

Matching programme: Registered Charity Grants

The Roselands Trust is an independent grant-making charity founded in 2006 and formally constituted in 2014, based in South Lakeland, with a mission t...

Grant Range
£1,000 - £5,000

Rothley Trust

Verified open

Matching programme: Energy Grants

The Rothley Trust is a grant-making charity established in 1959 to deliver small grants advancing charitable work among disadvantaged communities in t...

Grant Range
£1,000 - £3,000

Schroder Charity Trust

Verified open

Matching 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...

Grant Range
Up to £5,000

Two Ridings Community Foundation

Verified open

Matching programme: Small Grants Fund

Two Ridings Community Foundation, established in 2000 by former Chief Constable David Kenworthy, inspires local giving and channels philanthropic inve...

Grant Range
£200 - £30,000

Whitehead Monckton Charitable Foundation

Verified open

Matching 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...

Grant Range
£1,000 - £2,500

William Adlington Cadbury Charitable Trust

Verified open

Matching 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 ...

Grant Range
£250 - £50,000

William and Patricia Venton Charitable Trust

Verified open

Matching programme: main grant programme

The William and Patricia Venton Charitable Trust is a private endowed UK charity established from the estate of Patricia Venton in memory of her husba...

Grant Range
£5,000 - £20,000

Wixamtree Trust

Verified open

Matching 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...

Grant Range
£1,000 - £10,000
518 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.

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

1

Describe Your Charity

Tell us what your charity does, who you help, and where you work. Takes 30 seconds.

2

Get Matched Instantly

Our AI ranks all 639 older people funders by how well they fit your specific work.

3

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.

  • Personalised match scores
  • Eligibility checks
  • AI grant writer