£5,000 available under Older People’s Programme in the UK

Deadline: 25-Aug-23

The Wiltshire Community Foundation is inviting applications for the Older People’s Programme to support older people to be independent, healthy and socially included.

Projects must achieve one of the following:

Improve health & wellbeing
Reduce social isolation
Improve access to facilities and services

Funding Information

Grants of between £1,000 and £5,000 per year are available for one or two years.
Grants of up to £10,000 for one year will be considered for projects with significant reach and impact.

Eligible Projects

Examples of projects that might be supported include:
- Providing advice and training
- Supporting projects providing respite for carers
- Providing Good Neighbourhood and befriending schemes
- Improving access to information and IT for older people, particularly where this involves intergenerational work.
- Overcoming problems – helping older people who are experiencing difficult circumstances due to an illness, injury, disability, bereavement or financial difficulty
- Helping older people to stay active through sports, arts, recreation, social clubs and volunteering

Who can benefit from the project?

At least 90% of the people who will benefit from the project must be aged 65+
All beneficiaries must be living in Wiltshire or Swindon
This programme acknowledges the additional challenges faced by organisations due to cost-of-living crisis and the effects of Covid 19. They encourage applications that help organisations adapt their operating models and deliver their services in the light of these issues.
They welcome applications from all eligible organisations but are keen to support projects taking place in areas of greatest need. They particularly invite applications for projects that seek to support those who are underrepresented in their communities.

Eligibility Criteria

You can apply for a grant if you are a:
- Constituted voluntary or community organisation
- Registered charity
- Not-for-profit company including community interest companies where the majority of directors receive no payment from the company
You need to be a:
- Local or regional organisation only working in Wiltshire or Swindon or in the south/south west of England
- Local branch of a national organisation with a local management committee based in Wiltshire or Swindon and your own bank account
- Please note: this programme has a particular focus on grassroots non-profit organisations
- Your organisation must have:
  - An active voluntary management committee with at least three people who are not:
    - Related to each other or in a long-term relationship
    - Living at the same address
Your organisation needs to have in place the following financial arrangements, documents and policies:
- A bank account with two signatories that are not related to each other
- Less than 12 months running costs in unrestricted reserves. This means in your end of year financial accounts, Unrestricted reserves (not including Designated funds) must be less than your Expenditure
- Financial records or accounts
- A recent bank statement
- A constitution
- A financial plan or budget showing this year’s expected income, expenditure and reserves.
- An appropriate safeguarding policy and processes in place. Further guidance is available here
- If you don’t have any of the documents mentioned above please talk to them and they will help.
- They will also be running two safeguarding awareness sessions for groups working with older people.

Ineligible

What they do not fund:
- Purchase of second-hand vehicles
- Money to individuals or families
- Activities which duplicate an existing service
- One-off or sponsored events
- The advancement of religion
- Medical research and equipment
- Animal welfare
- Party political activities
- Running costs for pre-schools