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

175 of 639 match your filters

Checked against verified programme data for 203 of 639 funders. 436 not yet verified are listed below; 28 that don't fit were excluded.

ABF The Soldiers' Charity

Matching programme: Charitable Grants to Organisations

ABF The Soldiers' Charity, also known as the Army Benevolent Fund, is the British Army's national charity established in 1944 during World War II to p...

Grant Range
£5,000 - £25,000

Adnams Community Trust

Matching programme: Adnams Community Trust

The Adnams Community Trust, established in 1990 by Adnams PLC—a historic brewery based in Southwold, Suffolk—channels at least 1% of the company's ann...

Grant Range
£100 - £2,500

Albert Van Den Bergh Charitable Trust

Matching programme: General grants

The Albert Van Den Bergh Charitable Trust is an independent, family-led grant-making charity established in 1987 by James Philip van den Bergh via a s...

Grant Range
£500 - £5,000

Alzheimer's Foundation for Research Into Alzheimer's Disease.

Matching programme: AFA Bi-Annual Grant

The Alzheimer's Foundation of America (AFA), founded in 2002, is a U.S.-based nonprofit dedicated to supporting individuals, families, and caregivers ...

Grant Range
£6,000 - £25,000

Anchor Society CIO

Matching programme: Organisational Grants

Anchor Society CIO, established in 1769 as a voluntary association inspired by Edward Colston's philanthropy, is a historic Bristol-based charity dedi...

Grant Range
£1,000 - £10,000

Ashley Family Foundation

Matching programme: Revenue Grants

The Ashley Family Foundation, established in 1986 by Sir Bernard and Laura Ashley, embodies a mission to harness creative enterprise for community ben...

Grant Range
£500 - £10,000

Association of Jewish Refugees

Matching 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...

Grant Range
£5,000 - £25,000

Ballinger Charitable Trust

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

Bank of Scotland Foundation

Matching programme: Empower

Bank of Scotland Foundation is an independent charitable foundation with a mission to combat persistent social exclusion, disadvantage, and deprivatio...

Grant Range
Contact funder

Baring Foundation

Matching programme: Arts Programme

The Baring Foundation, an independent London-based charitable foundation established in 1969 as Barings Bank's corporate arm and fully independent sin...

Grant Range
£20,000 - £90,000

Barnes Fund

Matching programme: Organisational Grants

The Barnes Fund is an endowed charitable grant-making trust with historic roots in Barnes, London, formalized by a pivotal 1975 trust deed, dedicated ...

Grant Range
£1,000 - £10,000

Baron Davenport's Charity

Matching programme: Organisation 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...

Grant Range
£200 - £1,000

Buckinghamshire Community Foundation

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

Burden Trust

Matching 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...

Grant Range
£3,000 - £5,000

Byfleet United Charity

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

C B and H H Taylor 1984 Trust

Matching programme: Additional Areas

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...

Grant Range
£500 - £2,000

Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, UK Branch

Matching programme: Gulbenkian Exhibitions Fund

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

Cantiacorum Foundation

Matching programme: Organisations Grant

Cantiacorum Foundation, established on 1st April 2011 by the late Donald Beerling MBE and Mrs Poppy Beerling, is an independent charitable funder dedi...

Grant Range
Contact funder

Carlile Foundation Charitable Trust

Matching 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...

Grant Range
£1,000 - £10,000

Chalk Cliff Trust

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

Charles S French Charitable Trust

Matching programme: Charles S French Charitable Trust Grant Programme

The Charles S French Charitable Trust, established in 1959 by Charles S French, former chairman of civil engineering firm W&C French, is a discretiona...

Grant Range
£1,000 - £5,000

Charlotte Bonham-Carter Charitable Trust

Matching programme: Main Grants Programme

The Charlotte Bonham-Carter Charitable Trust perpetuates Lady Charlotte's philanthropic legacy through targeted grantmaking advancing arts, cultural p...

Grant Range
£1,000 - £20,000

Chester Bluecoat Charity

Matching programme: Grants Programme

The Chester Bluecoat Charity is an historic grant-maker with roots over 800 years old, evolving through mergers since 1837 and rebranded in 2020 from ...

Grant Range
£2,000 - £10,000

Clan Trust Limited

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

Clifford Chambers Relief in Need Charities

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

Coal Industry Social Welfare Organisation

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

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

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

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

County of Gloucestershire Community Foundation

Matching programme: GCF – Community Fund

Gloucestershire Community Foundation is a grant-making charity dedicated to reducing inequalities and enhancing quality of life for disadvantaged Glou...

Grant Range
£1,000 - £5,000

CPF Trust

Matching programme: Standard Grants

The CPF Trust is a grant-making charity committed to strengthening UK charities by providing flexible financial support for diverse charitable purpose...

Grant Range
£1,000 - £3,000

Cranleigh and District Lions Club (CIO)

Matching programme: General Community Support

Cranleigh and District Lions Club (CIO), registered in 2019 with roots tracing back to 1974, is a volunteer-led community charity embodying Lions Club...

Grant Range
£200 - £2,000

Croydon Relief in Need Charity

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

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 Community Foundation

Matching programme: BCP Crisis and Resilience Fund

Dorset Community Foundation is an independent grantmaker dedicated to improving lives and fostering thriving, united communities across Dorset by chan...

Grant Range
£1,000 - £5,000

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

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

Dowager Countess Eleanor Peel Trust

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

Drapers Charitable Fund

Matching 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 ...

Grant Range
Up to £25,000

Duchy Health Charity Limited

Matching programme: Grant Giving Programme

Duchy Health Charity Limited, established in 1976 from the proceeds of Cornwall's first private hospital sale, is a Cornwall-based grantmaker dedicate...

Grant Range
£5,000 - £30,000

Duke of Devonshire's Charitable Trust

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

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

Earley Charity

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

East End Community Foundation

Matching programme: Canary Wharf Group Community Grant Programme

East End Community Foundation is an independent grantmaker dedicated to tackling entrenched poverty, inequality, and social exclusion in East London's...

Grant Range
£500 - £10,000

Edgar E Lawley Foundation

Matching programme: General Grant Programme

The Edgar E Lawley Foundation, established in 1961, drives a philanthropic mission to advance social welfare and alleviate disadvantage through flexib...

Grant Range
£2,000 - £2,000

Edward Holt Trust

Matching 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...

Grant Range
£5,000 - £50,000

Eleemosynary Charity of William Hobbayne

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

Enkalon Foundation

Matching programme: General Fund

The Enkalon Foundation embodies a mission rooted in community resilience and social welfare, originating from support for former factory workers facin...

Grant Range
£500 - £6,000

Eric Wright Charitable Trust

Matching programme: Eric Wright Charitable Trust Grants 2025/26

The Eric Wright Charitable Trust embodies a founding vision of responsible business stewardship channeling construction industry profits into perpetua...

Grant Range
£500 - £24,000

Essex Community Foundation

Matching programme: East of England Co-op Community Cares 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

Eveson Charitable Trust

Matching programme: Enhance Grants 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

Showing 50 of 175 matching funders

436 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