Putting grant-funding on the map
Grant-giving and partnerships are just two ways we are delivering our strategic aim of improving the lives of one million older people facing financial hardship.
Some of the older people most at risk of financial hardship are from marginalised communities that can be hard to reach. So, by partnering with and financially supporting organisations that are already working in these deprived areas, we are making our support go further.
A great of example is our Cost-of- living Grants Fund, which opened in December 2022. Its ambition was to be an emergency response to the cost-of- living crisis, emphasising organisations that could get up and running with their crisis work quickly.
We awarded grants of £40,000 to 50 organisations across the UK, supporting more than 30,000 people — well above what we expected. And, by our current estimates, we have helped older people claim around £7 million in extra benefits through this work.
But with the cost-of-living crisis dragging on, it’s time for round two of our funding. We’ve just awarded another £1 million in grants to charities and community organisations in areas of high economic need and in large populations of older people facing financial hardship.
This funding will support them through 2024, getting more money into the pockets of older people to make sure they don’t have to choose between buying food and heating their home.
It’s not all about the numbers, though. Our grantees have been telling us what a difference our funding has made to their ability to support older people in financial need. The Bede Foodbank in Newcastle said that “the funding has enabled our welfare advice and support staff to increase engagement with our hardest to reach and most marginalised communities.”
Likewise, MRS Independent Living in London told us that the funding has meant it can “increase and maintain engagement and support for more individuals within very disengaged, isolated communities — individuals who through endemic poverty, racism and mental health have often ‘fallen through the net’.”
To see a list and map of all our funded projects or find out more about our grants-funding work, visit our website or email us at grants@independentage.org.
