Independent Age

Independent Age, a UK charity founded over 150 years ago, is dedicated to eliminating financial hardship for older people, envisioning a society where everyone over pension age lives securely, happily, and with purpose. Guided by values of equity, dignity, diversity, inclusion, independence, and respect, it has evolved by winding down its befriending service to concentrate resources on grants, direct assistance, national advice, campaigns against pensioner poverty, and policy influence—aiming to improve one million lives by 2027 through evidence-led, scalable interventions tackling structural poverty drivers.

It prioritises projects that boost income via benefits advice and uptake, cut essential costs amid rising living expenses, combat isolation through community connections, and secure safe, affordable housing—especially for those 65+ on low fixed incomes, in insecure tenancies, or hit hardest by the cost-of-living crisis. Funds like the Older People's Fund and Boosting Advice Fund back UK charities delivering outreach, financial support, crisis prevention (e.g., fuel poverty, eviction), and advice services across England, Scotland, and Wales, with emphasis on rural/coastal areas and high-deprivation zones.

Eligible applicants are UK-registered charities operating 3+ years with filed accounts (income £125,000–£5m for some funds; grants ≤40% of annual income). The two-stage process starts with an online EOI, followed by full applications including policies and accounts; next EOI deadline is 28 August 2025 (Older People's Fund), with decisions by December. Grants range £75,000–£150,000 over three years for projects, core costs, or capacity building—no capital, retrospective, or individual funding. Distinctive for its laser-focus on older people's poverty, partnership-driven scalability, and impact measurement, it favours synergies amplifying lived experience and systemic change.