Older people deserve the right support and opportunities to lead a healthy and connected life. We support organisations working with older people who are at high risk of loneliness and poverty. 

In 2024-2025 the Older People & Housing programme awarded £2.6 million over 28 grants to 28 not-for-profit, community-led organisations in Greater London and Norfolk combatting loneliness and poverty. 

We prioritise funding for disadvantaged neighbourhoods and minoritised communities including informal carers and those with long term conditions. Alongside funding, we facilitate capacity building through funder plus initiatives. These help organisations that we fund, with training and support, to grow stronger and more resilient.

Approximately 1 in 6 (1.9 million)* pensioners are living in poverty with charities hearing daily from older people who feel overwhelmed by rising costs, anxious about their finances and increasingly isolated because they simply cannot afford to take part in social activities they once enjoyed. 

Poverty and loneliness often reinforce each other, creating a cycle of disadvantage which is why our Older People & Housing programme has increasingly prioritised grant funding addressing both poverty and loneliness. In the face of these issues, we are really interested in funding charities that want to develop older people’s strengths and build community.

The learning partner for the Older People & Housing programme is a partnership of independent evaluators including Kerry Swain, Sarah Frost, Kathryn Crowther and Sue Cook. Read their first-year evaluation report of grants awarded through our Older People and Communities programmes (2024–2029).

Our Older People & Housing Programme is open for applications. For further information on funding guidelines visit Older People & Housing Funding Applications.