Independent Age Grants Fund promotes independent living for older people
Independent Age, which promotes independent living among older people, has launched a £2 million Independent Age Grants Fund to help smaller charities across the UK working with older people hardest hit by the Coronavirus.
Initially, Independent Age will begin by supporting work with two groups of older people, who can too easily miss out:
Older people living in particularly complex and challenging situations. This can include older people that may have no network of family, friends or community to call on; have a disability or long-term health condition; be caring for a dependent adult with learning disabilities or dementia or be facing other circumstances that make it harder to manage at this challenging time.
Older people in danger of being out of sight and out of mind. Independent Age are looking to help organisations connecting with older people who are very isolated and most at risk of missing out on the help available from government or charities that serve a very wide client group. They may be part of an isolated, neglected or very poor community, be facing stigma or discrimination or have needs which make it hard for them to access services, perhaps because they are homeless, live with HIV or are hidden from view in an abusive relationship.
To be eligible to apply the applicant organisation must be registered as a charity with The Charity Commission for England and Wales.
The applicant organisations must have at least one paid member of staff (part-time is fine) and an annual income of £1 million or less (averaged across the last three financial years).
The applicant organisation must be already working with older people in one or both of the two priority areas above. Organisations that do not specialise in work with older people are welcome to apply – but must already be providing services for older people as part of their work.
The funding will be made available over four separate funding rounds. In each round Independent Age will make £500,000 available.
Charities are able to apply for grants of up to £15,000.
The next funding round will be open from the 27th July 2020 and close at 9 am on the 21st August 2020.