People in later life and their carers
Since 1962, the Rayne Foundation has funded organisations supporting care for people in later life.
Why we prioritise this area
Research conducted by Age UK has shown that, in the UK:
- Around 1.6 million people aged 65+ have unmet needs for care and support
- Approximately 45% of people over 85 have difficulties with activities of daily living
- 36,000 fewer older people were receiving long-term care from local authorities in 2021 than in 2018
Important Notice
Following careful and detailed consideration, the Rayne Foundation has replaced its rolling, open grants programme with regular, targeted and time-limited calls in its priority areas. Read more
The Rayne Trust remains open to applications for work in Israel.
What we fund
Through our ongoing, open grants programme, we focus on projects and organisations reimagining community provision for people drawing on care in later life. This means we fund work that’s closely aligned with our criteria of doing things differently and enabling innovation with the potential for wider application.
We fund work that meets two or more of the following:
- Driven by collaboration in a particular place
- Connects the dots of care provision for people drawing on care in later life and their carers.
- Increases agency, voice, and visibility of people in later life and their carers.
- Embeds and sustains creativity and the arts in the delivery of care.
Funding criteria
The Rayne Foundation funds work that:
- Is based on different thinking and enables innovation
- Has potential for wider application beyond the funded proposal
- Is informed by direct delivery and has a clear, positive impact on people’s lives
- Can demonstrate match-funding contributions to the project
- Enables and encourages collaboration between sectors and silos
- Develops best practice and captures learnings to share with others
- Adds to sector expertise and leadership
When assessing an application, we look for good ideas from which others can learn and that have lessons beyond the local. We believe that to contribute to lasting social change, we must support creative and collaborative approaches that build and test solutions to some of the most difficult challenges society faces, so we like to fund innovative projects that approach issues differently.
It’s important to us that the organisations we fund are outward-facing, networked, and actively seeking to collaborate. We believe this maximises the potential for learning to be shared and for our funding to have impact beyond the immediate grant.
For more detailed information on our application guidance, please visit the page linked below.
Better Careers for Better Care programme
Better Careers for Better Care is our proactive funding programme focused on workforce development within social care.
Applicant FAQ's
What do you fund, and what is the typical grant size?
The Rayne Foundation funds project and salary costs of usually £10,000 to £30,000 per year for up to three years. This is a guide, and we encourage you to talk to us if this grant size and duration doesn’t work for you.
We consider applications for core costs, but prefer to do so when we have an established relationship with the applicant, usually through previous project funding.
What types of organisations do you support?
Statutory organisations need to consider how a grant from us will enable transformation over and above the funding required to deliver statutory obligations. For-profit organisations need to make the case that charitable funding is necessary to enable transformative change. We expect statutory and for-profit organisations to work collaboratively with the wider voluntary sector.
Which countries do you fund projects in?
The Rayne Foundation funds work in the UK relating to:
- Quality of life for older people and their carers
- Mental health of children and young people
- Opportunities for refugees and asylum seekers
The Foundation doesn’t accept applications from individuals, or organisations working or based outside of the UK.
What projects do you NOT fund?
The Rayne Foundation doesn’t consider applications:
- Outside our programme areas
- That don’t meet our funding criteria
- For day-to-day running costs of local organisations or buildings
- For capital, equipment or vehicle appeals
- For medical research
- Exclusively focused on campaigning and lobbying work
- For retrospective funding
- For endowments
- For individual use
- From organisations who have applied and been rejected in the past 12 months
How do I apply for a grant?
We run a rolling, open grants programme with no deadline.
First, take our eligibility quiz . If the quiz indicates that you are a good match for us, submit an Expression of Interest (EOI). This gives us an initial understanding of your organisation and the work you would like us to fund.
Having assessed your EOI, the Grants Team may invite you to submit a full application, allowing us to gain a deeper understanding of your organisation’s work. When assessing this, we’re seeking to feel confident in your organisation’s ability to deliver the proposed work, and understand how you will evaluate it and capture any learning.
After assessing the full application, we may arrange a visit to your organisation. Following this, we will decide whether to take the application to our Board of Trustees for a decision.
What if I have access requirements?
We are very happy to discuss how we can best support you in submitting an application. Please contact us to share your access requirements.
Can I submit more than one application at a time?
No.
When can I expect to hear back?
When you’ve submitted an Expression Of Interest, you can expect a decision within 1 month as to whether your application will proceed further.
Assessment of the full application usually takes around 2 months, after which we will be in contact about our decision regarding a visit to your organisation.
When can I apply again?
Featured projects
Upswing
Upswing’s Homemade Circus project will promote active participation, build social connection, and champion care homes as welcoming spaces for older people.
National Museums Liverpool
Our funding will enable National Museums Liverpool to deliver tailored in-person museum experiences to people living with dementia around Merseyside.
The Good Gym: Coach Visits Project
With our funding, Good Gym will relaunch and expand its intergenerational befriending programme.
“Whilst many funders have prioritised funding strictly 'new' initiatives, Rayne have been open to funding improvements, test of change, and innovations within 'existing' projects.”