Fellowship Awards to benefit UK’s ageing society

UnLtd, the Foundation for Social Entrepreneurs in partnership with the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, have today launched a new fellowship Awards programme for individuals who have ideas which will address issues faced by our ageing society.

With the UK population continuing to age, one fifth (21%) are now 60 or over*, the UnLtd Engage Awards supported by Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation are aiming to encourage older people to respond to this issue by creating solutions to make ageing easier. The Awards will provide each individual funding for initiating positive social change. UnLtd are looking for individuals to apply for 30 Start-Up Awards of up to £2,500 to develop ideas that share wisdom, inspire self-belief and enable people to live healthier, longer and happier lives.

Katie Cohen, Head of Region at UnLtd said, “Our partnership with the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation for UnLtd Engage will enable older people to make the most of opportunities, such as work and volunteering, and share their experiences with others from different age groups. As the UK gets older, we all must prepare for this stage of our lives and hopefully these Awards will build positive perceptions about ageing.”

Andrew Barnett, Director of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in the UK said, “Our society is ageing and we need to change our individual and collective mind sets to value this process and the qualities and experience of older people. We are delighted to work in partnership with UnLtd to develop and promote entrepreneurial ideas from older people which offer a spectrum of benefits to our increasingly ageing population.”

The UnLtd Engage Awards are looking particularly for applications from individuals who are aged over 50 from England and Wales, who have the passion and ideas to tackle social change, the Awards are open to anyone over the age of 16. Ideas should be innovative, improve social issues faced by older people and benefit both local communities and the wider public.

UnLtd will provide each individual Award Winner with personal development and networking opportunities during their funding period. More information about the partnership with the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and closing dates for applications can be found at www.unltd.org.uk/engage

-ENDS-

• Taken from the NESTA report - The Grey Economy: Third Age Entrepreneurs Critical to Growth

For press enquiries please contact the UnLtd Communications team on 0207 566 1137 or email francescacarpanini@unltd.org.uk / comms@unltd.org.uk

Notes to editors

About UnLtd
UnLtd is the leading provider of support to social entrepreneurs in the UK and offers the largest such network in the world. UnLtd resources over 1,000 individuals each year through its core Awards programme.
UnLtd operates a unique model by investing directly in individuals and offering a complete package of resources; from awards of funding between £500 and £15,000 to ongoing advice, networking and practical support.

UnLtd supports individuals who have their ventures firmly rooted in delivering positive social change. The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (Harding and Harding 2008) found that there were 1.7m people leading social organisations in the UK, 238,000 trying to start one, and that 35% of all nascent (early stage) entrepreneurs were starting with social ventures.

• UnLtd Ventures - provides long term specialist support to a number of outstanding entrepreneurs
• UnLtd Research - leads on inspiring and informing action, policy and social change
• UnLtd Connect - brings together experienced professionals able to offer pro-bono support and those who are growing social ventures
• UnLtd Advantage - is the premier investment readiness programme for social entrepreneurs and those investing in them
• Live UnLtd - is transforming how society views young people and how young people view themselves
• UnLtdWorld.com - connects you to the people, tools and information you need to change the world

For more information about the support offered by UnLtd, please visit: www.UnLtd.org.uk

Twitter: www.twitter.com/unltd

Facebook: www.facebook.com/unltd

Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation
The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation is an international charitable foundation with cultural, educational and social interests. Based in Lisbon with branches in London and Paris, the Foundation is in a privileged position to support transnational work tackling contemporary issues in Europe. The purpose of the UK branch in London is to connect and enrich the experiences of individuals, families and communities with a special interest in supporting those who ate most disadvantaged. In 2008, the Foundation launched an initiative on ageing and social cohesion, with a number of activities developed with colleagues in Lisbon. This partnership represents the latest development of a wide portfolio of work which we hope will contribute to a growing understanding of the impact of demographic ageing to our society. For more information about the work of Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in the UK please visit www.gulbenkian.org.uk