Older People's Fund: Policy, Advocacy and Campaigning Fund

Overview

The Policy, Advocacy and Campaigning Fund offers funding for projects that are planned and run by and for older people and which advocate on behalf of older people, lobbying for policy change. Grants of up to £10,000 are available for groups operating in NI

Who can apply?

• Fully constituted community organisations based within Northern Ireland

Key Priority

While not exclusive, the Fund welcomes applications for projects that address the following key priority

• Enabling active participation of older people in the community in decision-making and addressing of issues facing their sector eg: fuel poverty, benefit uptake, enhancing safety of older people in community and reducing fear of crime and financial abuse.

A key priority for the Foundation will be that projects supported under this fund support the needs identified within their Vital Signs research.

Through their Vital Signs research they have found that older people are particularly concerned with:

• GP waiting times - for most it takes at least 3 weeks to get a non-emergency appointment
• Social isolation - it was recognised that many older people are experiencing social isolation. The benefits of befriending services and person contact were recognised as ways to maintain and ensure better mental health. This was the case for older people in both rural areas and major cities.
• Antisocial behaviour (ASB) - this was of particular concern for older people living in urban areas. Much of this fear of crime is due to large groups of people gathering in areas.

They also found that older people are more likely to be in poverty (along with single working age adults, those living with disabilities and families with children).

However it should also be recognised that the range of issues raised in Vital Signs affect older people, such as lack of opportunities for lifelong learning, poor availability and quality of public transport and the lasting impact (particularly around mental health) of troubles related violence.

Examples of the types of activities that may be supported:

• Running costs, including staff costs, training and capacity building for older people, venue hire, transport. Examples may include costs to support campaign development, policy initiatives, training for older people to build capacity, development of lobbying forum in areas where there is none, or to build on existing forums. *Note core organisational running costs must only form a maximum of 40% of the total amount of grant aid requested.

• Capital costs, such as IT equipment, of up to £1,000, will be considered providing that they are necessary to deliver project.