Our Grantmaking:

Here are a few of the questions we get asked the most often. If you have a question that is not on our page, reach out to us anytime on phone, chat, or email.

Initially, we will use key national and local data about older people to guide our efforts to build a network of contacts in each local area. Through conversation, and by listening and learning from organisations and older people themselves, we want to understand where and how others are investing, and how our funds could be allocated to local priorities. We will not be using application forms.

Our work in Middlesbrough

We are focusing our work initially in Middlesbrough, and are developing a process of engagement involving older people and organisations working with older people in determining our approach and directly informing our funding priorities. For more information visit our Grants in Middlesbrough page.

Our work in Essex

We are building links with other funders, infrastructure bodies and other organisations to identify great organisations in the community working with older people.

If you're an organisation working with older people or a funder looking to collaborate with Independent Age, please complete our survey to tell us about yourselves:

• Complete our survey if you are based or working in Essex
• Complete our survey if you are an older person in Middlesbrough or representing a community group/organisation in the town

Our ambition

Over the next few years we hope to establish a rolling programme of local grant-giving in eight to 10 locations, totalling at least £1 million each year.

Our offer

Alongside our two-year grants, we’re keen to share our wider resources and expertise, if this can be helpful to our partner organisations. This could mean:

• through our community services teams, building more links or partnerships with other organisations working locally with older people
• direct access to our suite of information guides, exploring how we can support community organisations to provide information and advice
• making mutual referrals to help people access timely and specialist advice around issues like financial or health and care matters
• helping organisations to demonstrate the impact of their work by helping them produce useful audio or video content
• amplifying the issues affecting older people that local charities hear about on the ground by including their testimony in our national policy and influencing work, making references in our policy reports and parliamentary briefings, and finding opportunities to share evidence or attend events with decision-makers
• access to a platform for telephone groups to test new group activities
• joint fundraising bids or masterclasses.

What we will fund

We will support core or project costs of not-for-profit organisations. Each award will be negotiated on a case-by-case basis, but we expect most grants in this programme to be between £2,000 and £40,000 a year, so £4,000–80,000 in total.

While we envisage that most our grants will be made to existing charities or community interest companies, we’re happy to consider supporting existing partnerships or consortia. We will also consider funding non-constituted organisations.

What we can’t fund

We cannot provide funding for capital investment projects, grants for individuals (directly or indirectly) or work being undertaken by for-profit organisations.