The Earl of Northampton’s Charity

The Earl of Northampton’s Charity is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (charity number 210291).

The Earl of Northampton's Charity is registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales and works as both an almshouse charity and a grantmaker. It exists to relieve need, hardship or distress by providing grants. The almshouses in Greenwich were entrusted to the care of the Mercers' Company. Its grant programmes are Church & Communities and Older People & Housing, and the annual report records £549,392 paid in grants, with a significant number of grants for relief in need, particularly in Norfolk.

Priority Areas

The foundation is both an almshouse charity and a grantmaker, and supports the Church & Communities and Older People & Housing programmes. Through Older People & Housing, it welcomes not-for-profit, community-led organisations in Greater London and Norfolk working with older people at high risk of loneliness and poverty. Its priorities include reducing loneliness and poverty, supporting connections and relationships, tackling cost-of-living pressures, and addressing a lack of quality housing. It gives preference to work with disadvantaged neighbourhoods and minoritised communities, including informal carers and people with long-term conditions. The programme can support core, project or development costs, and the funder also offers training and support intended to help funded organisations become more resilient. It looks for community-rooted proposals that build wellbeing and belonging and help people take control of their lives.

Themes

• Older people’s loneliness
• Older people’s poverty
• Older people’s housing

Geographic Focus

Greater London; Norfolk.

Applicants start with an Expression of Interest (EOI), setting out the proposed work, amount requested and total cost; after assessment, the funder says whether a full application should be submitted.

Who can apply:

• Older People & Housing: We welcome applications from not for profit, community led organisations in Greater London and Norfolk
• We tend to fund registered charities but are also open to applications from any inclusive not for profit organisations, including educational establishments, community groups, social enterprises, churches and other faith groups.
• Older People & Housing
  • We will not generally award a grant that is over 50% of an organisation’s annual income in any given year
  • Be from organisations that are paying employees the Real Living Wage (if your organisation is currently unable to do this, please contact us to discuss)

What to send:

• Older People & Housing: What you want to do and why

Applying again: No, but if an expression of interest or application has been rejected recently it is highly likely a re-application will be unsuccessful.

What the charity says:

• Proposals should align closely to at least one of the programme’s priority areas.
• Proposals should demonstrate that the organisation is community-rooted and focused.
• The organisation’s board, staff and volunteers should reflect the people and communities it works with.
• The organisation should promote positive mental wellbeing for the people it works with, as well as its staff and volunteers.
• It should work in an asset-based way, focusing on what is strong, not what is wrong.
• It should be person-centred, build positive inclusive relationships, promote wellbeing and increase belonging.
• Preference goes to organisations working with older people at high risk of chronic loneliness and poverty, including disadvantaged neighbourhoods, minoritised communities, informal carers and people with long-term conditions.
• Applicants should provide a plan for evaluating the success of their work; grantees submit annual progress reports.