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

123 of 639 match your filters

Checked against verified programme data for 156 of 639 funders. 483 not yet verified are listed below; 33 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

Addington Fund

Matching programme: New Entrant Scheme

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...

Grant Range
Up to £3,000

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

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: 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...

Grant Range
£1,000 - £10,000

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

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: 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...

Grant Range
£200 - £1,000

Bernard Sunley Foundation

Matching 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-...

Grant Range
£1,000 - £5,000

Bolton Community and Voluntary Services

Matching 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...

Grant Range
£3,000 - £5,000

Bolton Guild of Help

Matching 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...

Grant Range
£50 - £500

Brace

Matching 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...

Grant Range
Up to £110,000

BT Benevolent Fund

Matching 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...

Grant Range
£500 - £3,000

Buckinghamshire Community Foundation

Matching programme: Heart of Bucks Community 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

Matching programme: Support for individuals

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

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

Cheshire Community Foundation Limited

Matching programme: SWEF (Young Entrepreneurs)

Cheshire Community Foundation Limited, established in 2011, is an independent regional charity serving Cheshire East, Cheshire West, and Warrington wi...

Grant Range
£1,000 - £25,000

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: Neech Fund

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: Welfare 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

Colchester and Tendring Community Trust

Matching programme: Grassroots Grants

Colchester and Tendring Community Trust, operating as Grassroots, is an independent grantmaking charity established in 1989 by Westley Sandford (chari...

Grant Range
£500 - £3,000

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 for Wiltshire & Swindon

Matching programme: Community Grants

Wiltshire and Swindon Community Foundation, founded in 1975 as an independent charity (formerly Community Foundation for Wiltshire & Swindon), tackles...

Grant Range
£750 - £5,000

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

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

Derbyshire Community Foundation

Matching programme: Foundation Derbyshire Grants

Foundation Derbyshire embodies a mission to enhance community life and combat disadvantage through empowering grassroots charities and voluntary group...

Grant Range
£500 - £10,000

Derbyshire Community Health Services Charitable Trust

Matching programme: Staff General Fund

Derbyshire Community Health Services Charitable Trust is an NHS-linked charity closely tied to the Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation...

Grant Range
£50 - £1,000

Developing Healthy Communities (DHC) Limited

Matching programme: Sports Group Grants

Developing Healthy Communities (DHC) Limited is a longstanding Northern Ireland-registered charity with over 30 years of experience transforming lives...

Grant Range
£1,000 - £5,000

Dodgson Foundation

Matching programme: Individual Donations

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

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

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

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: London Dock Community Fund - Small Grants

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

Eleemosynary Charity of William Hobbayne

Matching 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...

Grant Range
£100 - £5,000

Enkalon Foundation

Matching 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...

Grant Range
£500 - £6,000

Essex Community Foundation

Matching programme: Essex 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

Exeter Chiefs Foundation

Matching programme: Exeter Chiefs Foundation Benevolent Fund

The Exeter Chiefs Foundation, established in 2011 by Exeter Rugby Club executives and local business leaders including Chairman Tony Rowe CBE, is an i...

Grant Range
£1,000 - £25,000

Faringdon United Charity CIO

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

Friends of the Elderly

Matching programme: Grants for Older People

Friends of the Elderly is a longstanding UK charity dedicated to supporting older people facing loneliness, isolation, poverty, and age-based disadvan...

Grant Range
Up to £500

Gatwick Airport Community Trust

Matching programme: Gatwick Airport Community Trust Grant Fund

Gatwick Airport Community Trust is an independent grant-making charity established in 2002 through a legally binding agreement between Gatwick Airport...

Grant Range
£1,000 - £5,000

Gay and Peter Hartley's Hillards Charitable Trust

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

Geoffrey Watling Charity

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

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

Girton Town Charity

Matching programme: Grants for Individuals or Families

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

Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust General Charitable Fund

Matching programme: General Purpose Fund

Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust General Charitable Fund advances health and saves lives by enhancing patient care and recovery within G...

Grant Range
Contact funder

Great Dunmow and District Round Table Charitable Trust

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

Showing 50 of 123 matching funders

483 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