Funding Sources
The purpose of this page is to provide information about sources of funding for researchers, and people wishing to establish initiatives to improve the quality of life of older people. The majority of this material was derived from the AgeNet website.
The Allen Lane Foundation is able to give grants, usually between £250 and £3,000 to groups concerned with local projects. They have older people as being one of their priority groups, and their areas of interest are: neighbourhood mediation; research and education into changing public attitudes or policy; social welfare; community development; and the provision of advice, information and advocacy.
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The Alzheimer's Society's objective is to relieve and treat people with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias.
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Formerly the Arthritis and Rheumatism Council for Research, funds clinical and basic scientific research into the causes, treatment and cure of arthritis and rheumatic diseases.
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The BBSRC is looking to increase its portfolio of funded research in areas contributing to the understandings of normal ageing under its Initiative on Science of Ageing (SAGE).
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The BHF supports research into ageing and the problems of older people. Research supported in the past has been both at the clinical level and on the basic biological process of ageing.
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Community Fund (formerly known as National Lottery Charities Board) (UK)
Community Fund is the operating name of the National Lottery Charities Board, the independent organisation set up by Parliament in 1994 to distribute money raised by the National Lottery to support charities and voluntary and community groups throughout the UK and to UK agencies working abroad. Their main aim is to help meet the needs of those at greatest disadvantage in society and to improve the quality of life in the community.
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Set up by consumer co-operatives in the UK to help communities develop co-operative, mutual or social enterprise solutions to the challenges - social and economic - they face week in, week out. At the heart of the projects Co-operative Action supports are the values and principles that underpin all co-operatives.
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DD supports research into the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and cure of deafness and other hearing problems. It also aims to increase awareness and understanding of these widespread but neglected disabilities.
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The ESRC is the UK's largest independent funding agency for research and postgraduate training into social and economic issues. Established by Royal Charter in 1965, its goals are to:
- support high-quality research and postgraduate training that will contribute to economic competitiveness, the quality of life and the effectiveness of public services and policy
- ensure that researchers have the training, resources and infrastructure to continue to make advances, including the necessary datasets and methodologies
- broaden the public's knowledge and understanding of the contribution that the social sciences can make to policymakers, businesses and the public at large.
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The EQUAL Research Network is open to all those who are interested in the contribution which inter-disciplinary user focused research with an engineering, design or physical science perspective can make to improving the quality of life of older people, people with disabilities, and society in general.
At the heart of the Network are those who are actively engaged with undertaking and implementing ageing- related and disability-related research - and researchers, those who are directly involved with older people and disabled people, and intermediaries of all types.
The Research Network keenly welcomes all those with an interest in improving quality life of individuals of all ages and abilities.
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The Growing Older Programme consists of 24 research projects focused on how to extend the quality of life in old age. They were commissioned together as part of a £3.5 million investment by the UK Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). It is expected that, by operating as a concerted programme, this research effort will be able to produce added value and make a substantial impact on policy and practice.
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The Joseph Rowntree Foundation is the largest social policy research and development charity in the UK. It spends about £6 million a year on a research and development programme that seeks to better understand the causes of social difficulties and explore ways of better overcoming them. The Foundation does not carry out the research in-house, but works in partnership with a large variety of academic and other institutions to achieve its aims. It also engages in practical housing and care work through the Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust. The Foundation places great emphasis on disseminating the findings of its work and engaging with policy-makers and practitioners to develop better policies and practices. JRF has funded a large number of studies related to older people, which can be found on their website.
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The Trust awards grants mainly for original research in a variety of disciplines and fields.
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The MRC has a link programme involving Integrated Approaches to Healthy Living.
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The National Asthma Campaign is the independent UK charity working to conquer asthma, in partnership with people with asthma and all who share their concern, through a combination of research, education and support.
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NHS Education for Scotland (NES) was established as a Special Health Board on 1st April 2002. Its aim is to contribute to the highest quality of health care in NHS Scotland by promoting best practice in the education and lifelong learning of all its staff.
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The National Osteoporosis Society (NOS) campaigns to provide information and support for people with osteoporosis, promote education for the public and health professionals, lobby Government and Health Authorities and encourage fundraising for research into osteoporosis prevention and treatment. The NOS is the only national charity dedicated to osteoporosis.
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The Nuffield Foundation is an independent charity with an income of £8 million a year. The funds are used mainly to support self contained projects which advance education or social welfare, often by means of research or practical innovation.
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The Aims of the PPP Foundation are:
- To improve standards in the provision of healthcare
- To advance knowledge, skills and services in healthcare and public health
- To enhance the contributions of healthcare practitioners to the quality of life of all the community
The Foundation does this by awarding grants to charities, research organisations and educational institutions that share these aims.
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The Queen’s Nursing Institute, Scotland is an independent organisation which provides short term support for the provision of pilot services and their evaluation, to meet identified needs within the Primary Care sector.
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Research into Ageing is the only national medical research charity dedicated to understanding and challenging the diseases and disabilities which become more common in later life. Research into Ageing aims to fund research that will clearly improve the quality of life of older people. Our funding strategy is designed to ensure that the money we raise has the greatest possible impact on the ageing research field, and focuses on two main areas: the training and development of younger scientists and the support of larger programmes of research.
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The mission for the RNIB is to challenge the underlying causes of blindness by working towards its prevention, cure or alleviation. RNIB remains committed to research which focuses on this aim.
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The Scottish Government aims to work with Scottish Ministers to improve the well being of Scotland and its people. The Scottish Government Health Department (SGHD) is responsible for health policy and the administration of the NHS in Scotland. The Management Executive oversees the work of 15 area health boards responsible for planning health services for people in their area, and 28 self-governing NHS Trusts responsible for providing services to patients and the community. The Public Health Policy Unit of the Health Department is responsible for promoting the health of the people of Scotland. SGHD also has responsibility for the State Hospital, and the Health Education Board for Scotland, which promotes positive attitudes to health and encourages health lifestyles. The Department is also responsible for social work policy and in particular for community care and voluntary issues. The Chief Scientist Office (CSO), is part of the SGHD, and is responsible for encouraging and supporting research, to improve both the health of the people in Scotland, and the services provided by the NHS.
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SHERT provides support for medical research in Scotland with the aim of improving the health of the nation. SHERT funds research into:
- The mechanisms of disease processes
- The improvement of diagnostic procedures
- Novel treatment modalities
- Innovative strategies in disease prevention
- The advancement of medical technology
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The Stroke Association funds research which will enhance knowledge both of the incidence, prevalence, causes and prognosis of stroke and of the effectiveness of interventions.
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Zurich Community Initiatives supports several programmes, including the Older People Programme, which focuses on a range of areas including homelessness, abuse and carers of older people; the Dementia programme which works with 12 partner organisations to support the development of dementia services across the U; and the INclusion Program, which seeks to tackle the problems people face in some of the UK's most deprived neighbourhoods.
If you think it is relevant for us to link to your website or have come across other important sites, please contact us at: copa@qmu.ac.uk
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© Copyright The Centre for the Older Person's Agenda, 2007
