McCarthy & Stone Charitable Foundation grants
McCarthy Stone Foundation is a UK charity that gave around £514k to organisations in 2025, with a typical grant of £750.
Guidance last checked 16 July 2026· from the funder’s own website
Overview
McCarthy Stone Foundation supports economic and community development, education and training, and disability, with a particular focus on assistance to young people, older people and education, across England, Wales and Scotland. It gave around £514k to organisations in 2025, with a typical grant of £750 (the middle half of grants ranging from £500 to £4,000). Its programmes include Dementia Grants, of up to £7,500 to dementia clubs and memory cafés, and Festive Connections grants of up to £750 to help small charities bring older people together.
What they fund
It funds economic and community development, education and training, and disability-related work, with grant programmes such as Dementia Grants and Festive Connections aimed at supporting older people.
Who and where
It supports children and young people, older people and other charities across England, Wales and Scotland.
Who they help
Where they fund
What McCarthy & Stone Charitable Foundation 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
“organisations with an income under £250,000, who bring connection, engagement and purpose to older people”
Source: mccarthystonefoundation.org — McCarthy Stone Foundation – Making a positive difference together →
What they say they won't fund
“Unrestricted funding is only available to registered charities and community groups. We do not fund unrestricted to Community Interest Companies.”
Source: mccarthystonefoundation.org — Our Grant Programmes – McCarthy Stone Foundation →
Grant sizes they mention
“grants of up to £7,500 to more than 20 dementia clubs and memory cafés”
Source: mccarthystonefoundation.org — Our Grant Programmes – McCarthy Stone Foundation →
“grants of up to £750 to support over 50 charitable organisations”
Source: mccarthystonefoundation.org — Our Grant Programmes – McCarthy Stone Foundation →
Income limits they mention
“You must have less than 12 months' running costs in reserves”
Source: mccarthystonefoundation.org — (PDF) 2026-Dementia-Grants-Guidance-v2.2.pdf →
Deadlines they mention
“Applications close: Friday 13 March 2026 at 5.00 pm”
Source: mccarthystonefoundation.org — (PDF) 2026-Dementia-Grants-Guidance-v2.2.pdf →
What a typical grant looks like
| Typical (median) grant | £750 |
|---|---|
| Middle half of grants | £500 – £4,000 |
| Grants published openly | 637 |
| Most recent published grant | 2025 |
Recent grants
- Whitley Bay Memory CafeAd hoc grants in FY26 outside of usual grant programmes£252December 2025
- Seaside HubFestive Connection grants to enable small charities to bring over 65s together£750November 2025
- International Development Foundation For Community Integration &Support Services CICFestive Connection grants to enable small charities to bring over 65s together£750November 2025
- MHA Communities BradfordFestive Connection grants to enable small charities to bring over 65s together£680November 2025
- Wonderland Community Centre C.I.CFestive Connection grants to enable small charities to bring over 65s together£750November 2025
- Nurturefy CICFestive Connection grants to enable small charities to bring over 65s together£735November 2025
From grants McCarthy & Stone Charitable Foundation publishes openly via 360Giving (the UK open grants-data standard), used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence.
Their charitable objects
As registered with the Charity Commission (their formal purposes):
To advance such charitable purposes (according to the law of england and wales) for the public benefit as the trustees see fit from time to time, primarily by providing grants and volunteer support to charities and/or other organisations and with a particular focus on assistance to young people, the elderly and in…
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 McCarthy Stone Foundation typically give?
Based on 637 recorded grants in 2025, the typical (median) award is £750, with the middle half of grants ranging from £500 to £4,000. Its Dementia Grants programme gives up to £7,500, and its Festive Connections grants are up to £750.
What does McCarthy Stone Foundation fund?
It funds economic and community development, education and training, and disability-related work. Its Dementia Grants programme has given up to £7,500 to more than 20 dementia clubs and memory cafés, and its Festive Connections grants of up to £750 have supported over 50 charitable organisations bringing older people together.
Who can apply to McCarthy Stone Foundation?
Its Dementia Grants programme is aimed at organisations with an annual income under £250,000 that bring connection, engagement and purpose to people aged 65 and over, and requires applicants to have less than 12 months' running costs held in reserves.
What won't McCarthy Stone Foundation fund?
Unrestricted (core cost) funding is only available to registered charities and community groups - it is not available to Community Interest Companies (CICs).
How do I apply to McCarthy Stone Foundation?
Applications go through the funder's own website (mccarthystonefoundation.org); its Charity Commission number is 1191504. Deadlines change - its 2026 Dementia Grants applications closed on Friday 13 March 2026 at 5pm - so check the current guidance on its site.
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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 McCarthy & Stone Charitable Foundation.