Applying For Funding

Our foundation runs a number of grant programmes throughout the year for organisations supporting people over 65 and an annual income under £250,000 p.a.

Our Festive Connections Grant Programme is NOW OPEN. Please see below for link and details.

 

 

Dementia Grants Programme - NOW CLOSED

The Foundation will be awarding grants of up to £7,500 to more than 20 dementia clubs and memory cafés across the country. These organisations play a vital role in supporting people living with dementia and their carers within local communities.

Grant applications are now closed

The Foundation team will carry out the initial shortlisting and due diligence.

A sub-committee will meet in the week commencing 20 April to review shortlisted applications.

Final recommendations will be agreed by the Trustees by 30 April.

All applicants will be informed of the outcome within two working days of Trustee approval.

Grant payments will be made by the first week of June.

Please note: applicants whose applications are not shortlisted may be contacted sooner.

Grant Guidance

 

Creating Connections Grant Programme Autumn 2026 – CLOSED

The Creating Connections Grant Programme for 2026 will be a closed funding round. This decision follows an exceptionally high number of applications in 2025, which meant we were only able to award grants to a small proportion of applicants.

We recognise that this may be disappointing for organisations seeking funding in 2026. However, there will be other opportunities to apply for support, including our Festive Connections Grant Programme. 

If you applied to the 2025 Creating Connections Programme and narrowly missed out on funding, we will be in touch with you in September. Payments to successful organisations will be made in late October.

While we are committed to supporting as many charitable causes as possible, we also want to ensure we do not ask organisations to invest time in applying where the likelihood of funding is very limited.

Thank you for your understanding.

 

 

Festive Connections Grants Programme - Applications NOW OPEN

Our Festive Connections programme is all about helping people aged 65 and over feel connected, included and part of their community during the festive period.

Important: Please read before applying

We have received an unprecedented number of applications to this funding programme, with more than 650 received. We can only fund 50 programmes, so competition for funding will be extremely high.

We’re offering grants of up to £750 to organisations running activities between 1 December 2026 and 2 January 2027 that create opportunities for people aged 65 and over to come together, socialise and enjoy some festive cheer.

Funding could help with things such as festive meals, community activities, transport, venue hire, befriending or other costs directly related to bringing people together.

Please read our Grant Guidance document to check if your organisation is eligible for funding.

Key Dates: 

23 September 2026 – Applications open
15 October 2026, 5pm – Applications close
October 2026 – Foundation team carries out shortlisting and due diligence
By 23 October 2026 – Recommendations agreed by Trustees
By 30 October 2026 – Successful applicants informed
Shortly afterwards – Grant payments made
By 6 November 2026 – Unsuccessful applicants informed

 

APPLY HERE

Core Cost Funding

The Foundation awards unrestricted core funding to grassroots charitable organisations, who have people over 65 at the heart of their work.

Unrestricted funding is only available to registered charities and community groups. We do not fund unrestricted to Community Interest Companies. 

Organisations who can demonstrate a strong alignment with our charitable aims are invited to apply for unrestricted funding, currently up to £7500. If you are unsure whether you should apply for core cost funding, please get in touch for advice.

We know that many small organisations don’t have the resources for complex or extensive grant applications and monitoring, so we will do our best to work with you to make the process simple, transparent, and fair. We will also work with you to help report on the impact the grant will have. You can also find out more in our Grant Making Policy that covers the processes and criteria in greater depth.

Project Funding

We also invite applications for Project Funding. This funding is open to registered charities, community groups, and community interest companies limited by guarantee. This funding is to support a new, or existing, programme dedicated to supporting people over 65 within an organisation.

Although this will typically be restricted, we encourage all organisations submitting an application for project funding to do so on a cost-recovery basis. You can find out more in this article.

Please do get in touch for more information.

Get in touch