Applying for Funding

Our foundation runs a number of grant programmes throughout the year for organisations supporting people over 65.

Working with our supporters, partners, employees and homeowners, we offer vital funding and resources to grassroots charities and community groups to help them build happy and vibrant communities across the country that support older people. We provide help in three key areas: community grants, project support, and volunteering and work across three key themes that drive our vision of a society where older people are valued, engaged and connected with their communities.

Community Grants - Spring 2023 - (Now Closed)

We are pleased to have received some fantastic applications for funding, and our large grant programmes are now closed for applications until Spring 2024.

Helping young people overcome educational challenges

Dementia Action Week 2023 - APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN

Dementia Action week is taking place from 15-23 May 2023, raising awareness and understanding of dementia and encouraging people to “Act on Dementia”.

The Foundation will be awarding 30 grants of up to £1000 to small dementia clubs and memory cafes across the country providing an invaluable service to people in the community. Applications close on Friday 26th May and recipients will be notified shortly afterwards.

Funding will be prioritised to grassroots clubs with annual income of less than £25,000 p.a. To qualify, your club must be independent, with its own constitution and bank account. Grants cannot be paid to individuals or profit-making organisations (you can read our Grant Making Policy on our website at Our Policies

We’re looking forward to reading about your work. If you wish to submit any supporting documents or images, please do so directly to our Foundation Coordinator [email protected]

Please apply here: Application Form – McCarthy Stone Foundation

Creating and enhancing community spaces

Small Community Grants - Invitation Only

Throughout the year our small community grants support older people to feel valued, engaged and connected by:

  • Providing grant funding and resources to community run spaces, like village halls or gardens
  • Ensure community spaces are accessible and able to be enjoyed by all ages
  • Promoting opportunities for generations to enjoy work and recreation together
  • Bringing together communities through volunteering
  • Partnering with community charities to develop sustainable community spaces

These grants of up to £1,000 are by invitation only at this time. However, we are always keen to meet and engage with new organisations so please use the contact page to get in touch.

Small Grants Programme

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.

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. It can also be used towards community green space or building projects, although it cannot be applied retrospectively.

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