As part of its ongoing mission to strengthen the UK’s advice sector, national charity Independent Age has awarded £1.8 million to 13 advice charities. The grants will be distributed to charities across Glasgow, Newcastle, Manchester, Leicester and London who support older people facing financial hardship. This second round of funding brings the total grants awarded through Independent Age’s Boosting Advice Fund to £4.9 million.
Funded projects will provide advice to support older people to increase their income and reduce their costs. This could be helping them to access financial entitlements, such as Pension Credit or Attendance Allowance, or to reduce their utility bills or housing costs.
The projects will be delivered over a three-year period, and the grants range from £115,000 up to £150,00. The organisations receiving funding are in high priority areas based on census data indicating high populations of older people on low income:
Glasgow
• Castlemilk Citizens Advice Bureau
• Glasgow Disability Alliance
• Glasgow North West Citizens Advice
• Willowacre Trust
Newcastle
• Disability North
• Search: Services for Older People CIO
Manchester
• GatewayM40
• Irish Community Care Manchester
• Northmoor Community Association
Leicester
• Citizens Advice LeicesterShire
London
• Brixton Advice Centre
• Indoamerican Refugee and Migrant Organisation (IRMO)
• Southwark Pensioners Centre
The grants will fund the equivalent of 12 full-time advisors to help provide much needed support. A key aim of the Boosting Advice Fund is to increase the capacity for face-to-face advice provision. Building trust during in-person advice sessions is time consuming but is vital for older people who may struggle with phone calls, accessing advice online, or need home-visits.
Independent Age is the national charity focused on improving the lives of people facing financial hardship in later life. Its helpline and expert advisers offer free, practical support to older people. Independent Age has provided more than 130 grants since 2021 to local organisations working directly with older people across the UK. The charity highlights the issues experienced by older people in poverty and campaign for change.
Patrick Morrison, CEO of the Irish Community Care Manchester said:
“It is fantastic to be working with Independent Age, giving the opportunity and support, through the Boosting Advice programme, to be able to increase support to one of the oldest communities in Britain.”
Hannah Lison, Head of Grants and Partnerships at Independent Age, said:
“We are proud to support these 13 incredible organisations as part of our mission to improve the lives of older people experiencing financial hardship across the UK. With over 2 million older people living in poverty and many more at risk, it’s vital that people in later life have access to expert advice to make sure they’re receiving everything they’re entitled to.
“All the charities we’re funding have an established track record of providing high quality advice in a face-to-face setting. They are also deeply rooted in communities we know have a high number of older people on low incomes. As such they are well-placed to raise awareness of financial support, like Pension Credit, which so many are missing out on. We look forward to working with them over the next three years and seeing how their projects develop with our support.”
For more information on Independent Age’s grant-making, visit: https://www.independentage.org/grant-making