Apply for a UK Grant

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Older People's Programme

  1. 1. Background

    The numbers of older people are set to rise over the next twenty years and these demographic changes will significantly alter the balance of the population.

    Whilst we recognise that older people are a diverse group and have different lifestyles, abilities and needs, we believe that the one thing they have in common is a wealth of skills and experience that can enrich the communities in which they live. Older people can be a great resource both to themselves and to their communities and through this programme we want to ensure that this is recognised, valued and further enhanced.

Comic Relief has a long standing commitment to working with older people. Our focus has been on ensuring the needs of older people are met, their rights upheld and their views respected.

2. Aim of the Programme

This programme is built around supporting older people to bring positive change to their communities, enabling them to contribute their time, energy and skills to those individuals who need it most. We know that encouraging participation has direct health benefits and can provide older people with opportunities for social engagement and building networks.

3. Who will we fund?

We are able to support applications from a range of organisations including self help and community groups, voluntary organisations, community interest companies and social enterprises who are targeting their work at older people aged 65 and over.

Whilst we welcome applications from all sections of the community, we are particularly keen to make sure our funding reaches those who are often missed out, such as older people from Black and minority ethnic communities, lesbians, gay men, bisexual or transgendered people and older men for example. So, we particularly encourage applications for work targeted at these and other groups who may face additional disadvantage.

4. What we will fund

We want to fund a broad range of projects where there is clear evidence of:

  • Older people being actively engaged in developing and planning the work;
  • Older people being actively involved in the delivery of the work through their role as mentors, peer supporters or advocates; and
  • How the project will lead to new ways of working.

Examples of the work we are looking to fund include projects where older people are:

  • Acting as mentors to vulnerable young people (for example in schools or with young offenders)
  • Giving support to their peers who may be isolated (through telephone or visiting schemes). Please note that individual lunch clubs or services providing only social or recreational activities do not fit the programme
  • Acting as advocates around the needs and rights of those with caring duties
  • Running social enterprises.

5. What we want to know

We are interested in supporting applications which will help us understand more about:

  • The best ways older people can bring about change in their communities
  • The added value of projects being led and delivered by older people
  • The most effective ways of sharing innovative practice in meeting older people’s needs.

6. What we won’t fund

We will be unable to fund:

  • Individual older people
  • Services which statutory bodies have a duty to provide
  • Individual lunch clubs/drop-in/day care & community centres providing only social or recreational activities
  • Holidays and outings

7. Other Important Information

This programme is intended to support older people to become a force for change, using their skills and experience to benefit the communities in which they live. When we assess an application we will consider the extent to which this has been demonstrated. We expect most awards to be between £15,000 and £40,000 per year depending on the size and nature of the project for which you are applying. Grants may be for up to 3 years. If you have an idea which meets the criteria but costs more than £40,000, then please call us to discuss your proposal before you submit your application.

If you would like to talk to us about whether your work meets our criteria, please email us at: ukgrants@comicrelief.com or call us on 020 7820 5555.

Please note that as a result of the huge numbers of applications we receive, we are unable to acknowledge receipt of your application.

Projects that do not meet the criteria specified above will not be considered.