Anchor Society CIO grants
Anchor Society gives grants of £1,000 to £5,000 to charities and not-for-profits supporting people over 55 in and around Bristol; its governing objects cover the BS, BA and GL postcode areas.
Guidance last checked 22 July 2026· from the funder’s own website
Overview
Anchor Society funds work with people over 55 in and around Bristol. Its organisational grants are £1,000 to £5,000 for any 12 month period, though it may consider larger grants of up to £10,000. It funds registered charities and not-for-profit organisations, but not unincorporated community groups or clubs. Your work must address one or more of its core objectives; the one it names is reducing isolation and social exclusion. On area, its published exclusions mention beneficiaries living outside Bristol, Bath and North East Somerset and North Somerset. But its governing objects cover the BS, BA and GL postcode areas, and the register also records South Gloucestershire and Gloucestershire. Check with the trust if you are near the edge. A separate emergency grants programme gives up to £1,000 to people in financial need.
What they fund
These are the purposes the charity records on the Charity Commission register. Its grants guidance focuses on older people in need.
Who and where
The register records older people in the South West, naming Bristol, Bath and North East Somerset, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire and Gloucestershire. Its governing objects cover the BS, BA and GL postcode areas.
Who they help
Where they fund
What Anchor Society CIO says in its own guidance
Quoted directly from the funder’s own website, with a link to the page each quote came from. Always the most current word is theirs — check the source before you apply.
Who they say they'll fund
“Specifically address one or more of our core objectives to: Reduce isolation/social exclusion”
Source: anchorsociety.org.uk — Organisational Grants older people in need | Bristol →
“registered charities and not for profit organisations which: Support the over 55s”
Source: anchorsociety.org.uk — Organisational Grants older people in need | Bristol →
What they say they won't fund
“Unincorporated community groups/clubs”
Source: anchorsociety.org.uk — Organisational Grants older people in need | Bristol →
“Beneficiaries who live outside of the Bristol, Bath & North East Somerset, North Somerset”
Source: anchorsociety.org.uk — Organisational Grants older people in need | Bristol →
“Work that only supports beneficiaries who are under 55”
Source: anchorsociety.org.uk — Organisational Grants older people in need | Bristol →
Grant sizes they mention
“Grants of up to £1,000 support those in financial need”
Source: anchorsociety.org.uk — Emergency Grants for older people in need | Bristol →
“grants of £1,000 to £5,000 for any 12 month period, but may consider larger grants of up to £10,000”
Source: anchorsociety.org.uk — Organisational Grants older people in need | Bristol →
Deadlines they mention
“19th March for an April decision”
Source: anchorsociety.org.uk — Organisational Grants older people in need | Bristol →
Their charitable objects
As registered with the Charity Commission (their formal purposes):
The objects of the CIO are the relief of persons over the age of 55 in need of financial provision and other provision within the postcode areas of bs, ba and gl in such ways as the CIO shall from time to time determine.
How to approach them
Start with the official sources — they’re always more current than any directory, including this one.
Common questions
How much does Anchor Society typically give?
Organisational grants are £1,000 to £5,000 for any 12 month period, and it may consider larger grants of up to £10,000. Its separate emergency grants of up to £1,000 support people in financial need. In its latest published financial year it gave £60,500 in grants to organisations and £111,985 to individuals.
What does Anchor Society fund?
Work with people over 55 that addresses one or more of its core objectives. The one it names is reducing isolation and social exclusion. Its governing objects cover the relief of people over the age of 55 who are in need of financial and other provision within the BS, BA and GL postcode areas.
Who can apply?
Registered charities and not-for-profit organisations that support the over 55s. Unincorporated community groups and clubs are excluded.
What won't Anchor Society fund?
Its published exclusions include work that only supports beneficiaries under 55, and unincorporated community groups or clubs. It also excludes beneficiaries who live outside its area. The area list it publishes names Bristol, Bath and North East Somerset and North Somerset, but its governing objects reach the wider BS, BA and GL postcodes, and the register adds South Gloucestershire and Gloucestershire. Ask if you are on the boundary.
How do I apply to Anchor Society?
It runs dated application rounds, with a decision the month after the deadline, so check which round you are aiming for. Check the funder's own website (www.anchorsociety.org.uk) and its Charity Commission entry (charity number 1167933) for current deadlines and guidance, as processes can change.
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Contains public sector information from the Charity Commission for England and Wales licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0, and grants data from 360Giving used under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0. Figures are derived (filtered and summarised by TrusteeMeetings), not republished unchanged. About the data · Terms of use. This page is a starting point for your own research, not a promise of funding, and is not endorsed by or affiliated with Anchor Society CIO.