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

59 of 639 match your filters

Checked against verified programme data for 178 of 639 funders. 461 not yet verified are listed below; 119 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

Buckinghamshire Community Foundation

Verified open

Matching 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, ...

Grant Range
£2,000 - £10,000

Byfleet United Charity

Verified open

Matching programme: Community Grants

Byfleet United Charity is a longstanding local grantmaker rooted in relieving poverty and supporting individuals in need through practical financial a...

Grant Range
£200 - £3,000

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

Clifford Chambers Relief in Need Charities

Verified open

Matching programme: Education Fund

Clifford Chambers Relief in Need Charities embodies practical localised compassion and community stewardship, dedicated to relieving hardship, distres...

Grant Range
Contact funder

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

Cornwall Community Foundation

Verified open

Matching 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 ...

Grant Range
£500 - £10,000

Croydon Relief in Need Charity

Verified open

Matching programme: Large Grant (Over £5,000)

Croydon Relief in Need Charity (CRiN), rooted in ancient endowments consolidated under Croydon Almshouse Charities Trustee Company Limited, is a local...

Grant Range
£5,000 - £30,000

Dodgson Foundation

Verified open

Matching programme: Annual Grants

The Dodgson Foundation is a local grantmaker dedicated to enhancing wellbeing, independence, and dignity for older adults facing disadvantage, with a ...

Grant Range
Contact funder

Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Charitable Fund and Other Related Charities

Verified open

Matching 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...

Grant Range
£1,000 - £50,000

Earley Charity

Verified open

Matching 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...

Grant Range
£500 - £5,000

Eleemosynary Charity of William Hobbayne

Verified open

Matching programme: Grants for Organisations (Eleemosynary Charity)

The Eleemosynary Charity of William Hobbayne, rooted in a 1484 bequest for parish poor relief, upholds a mission of alleviating poverty, hardship, and...

Grant Range
£100 - £5,000

Essex Community Foundation

Verified open

Matching 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...

Grant Range
£5,000 - £7,000

Faringdon United Charity CIO

Verified open

Matching programme: Grant Programme

Faringdon United Charity CIO upholds a longstanding mission to alleviate need, hardship, and distress through targeted, flexible support for local res...

Grant Range
£500 - £5,000

Gay and Peter Hartley's Hillards Charitable Trust

Verified open

Matching 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...

Grant Range
£500 - £1,000

Girton Town Charity

Verified open

Matching programme: Grants for Organisations

Girton Town Charity is a historic almshouse provider rooted in medieval philanthropy, dedicated to enabling Girton village residents to lead fulfillin...

Grant Range
£500 - £5,000

Great Dunmow and District Round Table Charitable Trust

Verified open

Matching programme: Donation Programme

Great Dunmow and District Round Table Charitable Trust strengthens Essex communities through volunteer-led, event-based fundraising that channels reso...

Grant Range
£500 - £2,000

Hackney Parochial Charities

Verified open

Matching programme: Hackney Parochial Charities Project Grants

Hackney Parochial Charities, a historic charitable trust established in 1603 with the first legacy from Thomas Heron, is dedicated to relieving povert...

Grant Range
£500 - £2,500

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

Hadrian Trust

Verified open

Matching programme: Hadrian Trust Main Grants

Hadrian Trust, an independent charitable grant-maker founded in 1972, focuses on improving lives in England's North East, specifically Tyne and Wear, ...

Grant Range
£500 - £2,000

Hampton Fuel Allotment

Verified open

Matching programme: Community Grants

Hampton Fund, established in 1811 by Act of Parliament as Hampton Fuel Allotment Charity, upholds a mission to alleviate poverty and hardship in its l...

Grant Range
£700 - £79,200

Housing Pathways Trust

Verified open

Matching programme: Main Grants Programme

Housing Pathways Trust, a historic almshouse charity rooted in seventeenth-century principles, drives community transformation by enabling those in ne...

Grant Range
£1,000 - £5,000

Howard Watson Symington Memorial Charity

Verified open

Matching programme: General Grant Programme

The Howard Watson Symington Memorial Charity, established as a family legacy endowment, drives its mission to relieve need, hardship, distress, and il...

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

John James Bristol Foundation

Verified open

Matching programme: John James Bristol Foundation Grants

The John James Bristol Foundation, established in 1983 by philanthropist John James CBE, is a grant-making charity dedicated to perpetuating his legac...

Grant Range
£2,000 - £25,000

John Moores Foundation

Verified open

Matching programme: Grants for Merseyside

The John Moores Foundation, established in Liverpool in 1964 by philanthropist Sir John Moores, is a family-founded independent grant-maker dedicated ...

Grant Range
£2,000 - £10,000

Len Pick Trust

Verified open

Matching programme: Grant Over £1,000

The Len Pick Trust is a community-rooted grantmaker inspired by the philanthropic legacy of local farmer and benefactor Len Pick, dedicated to deliver...

Grant Range
£500 - £15,000

Lidbury Family Trust

Verified open

Matching programme: The Lidbury Family Trust

The Lidbury Family Trust is a generalist grant-making trust advancing exclusively charitable purposes through trustees' absolute discretion, prioritiz...

Grant Range
From £5,000

Lincolnshire Community Foundation CIO

Verified open

Matching programme: Michael Cornish Core Grants Programme

Lincolnshire Community Foundation CIO, established in 2002, is an independent charity dedicated to tackling social inequalities and fostering thriving...

Grant Range
£500 - £10,000

Lionel Abel-Smith Trust

Verified open

Matching programme: General Grant Programme

The Lionel Abel-Smith Trust is an endowed grant-making charity founded to perpetuate local heritage and community stewardship, with a mission to enhan...

Grant Range
£500 - £5,000

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

Malmesbury League of Friends

Verified open

Matching programme: Group Funding

Malmesbury League of Friends, a long-established local charity founded in 1970 as the successor to the Malmesbury Hospital League of Friends, is dedic...

Grant Range
£1,000 - £5,000

Mansfield Building Society Charitable Trust

Verified open

Matching programme: Community Support Scheme

The Mansfield Building Society Charitable Trust, established in 2015 with an initial gift from Mansfield Building Society, is a community-rooted funde...

Grant Range
£100 - £1,000

Mercers Charitable Foundation

Verified open

Matching programme: Church & Communities

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

Noel Sweeney Foundation

Verified open

Matching programme: The Noel Sweeney Foundation Grants

The Noel Sweeney Foundation embodies the legacy of generosity and community commitment, channeling resources into grassroots initiatives uplifting you...

Grant Range
Up to £5,000

North Wales Police and Community Trust

Verified open

Matching programme: Main Grant Fund

North Wales Police and Community Trust champions safer, cohesive communities through police-partnered initiatives reducing crime, antisocial behaviour...

Grant Range
Contact funder

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

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

Nottinghamshire Miners Welfare Trust Fund Scheme

Verified open

Matching programme: Community Grants

The Nottinghamshire Miners Welfare Trust Fund Scheme, established in 1990 as charity number 1001272, supports former coal miners, their dependants, an...

Grant Range
£1,000 - £20,000

Old Enfield Charitable Trust

Verified open

Matching programme: Community Grants

Old Enfield Charitable Trust is a longstanding independent local charity rooted in centuries-old legacies from benefactors and royal grants, with a fo...

Grant Range
£100 - £5,000

Percy Bilton Charity

Verified open

Matching programme: Small 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

Point and Sandwick Development Trust

Verified open

Matching programme: Community Grants Programme

Point and Sandwick Development Trust, established in 2009 as a community-led registered charity in Scotland's Outer Hebrides, promotes social, educati...

Grant Range
£1,000 - £25,000

Potton Consolidated Charity

Verified open

Matching programme: General Grants

Potton Consolidated Charity is a longstanding philanthropic trust rooted in 17th-century benefactions, dedicated to relieving poverty, hardship, distr...

Grant Range
£100 - £2,000

Prince Philip Trust Fund

Verified open

Matching programme: General Grants

The Prince Philip Trust Fund, established in 1977 by Sir Christopher Aston to honour HRH The Duke of Edinburgh's service during the first 25 years of ...

Grant Range
£500 - £5,000

Rosca Trust

Verified open

Matching programme: The ROSCA Trust grants

The Rosca Trust, established in 1966, drives social welfare and disadvantage alleviation in Essex's coastal communities through targeted grantmaking t...

Grant Range
Up to £5,000

Roselands Trust

Verified open

Matching programme: Non-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

Rotherhithe Consolidated Charities

Verified open

Matching programme: Community grants to Organisations

Rotherhithe Consolidated Charities, rooted in the Ancient Parish of Rotherhithe since the 1600s and formally registered in 1962, is a longstanding loc...

Grant Range
£500 - £5,000

Showing 50 of 59 matching funders

461 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