Smaller projects

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Please note that VELUX FONDEN’s Research and New Knowledge 50+ programme will be unable to receive or process applications for activities or publications during the period 1 July–1 August 2026.

From 1 August, it will once again be possible to submit applications.

VELUX FOUNDATION has supported activities for adults aged 60+ since its establishment in 1982, with the aim of enabling an active and meaningful life throughout later adulthood. The Foundation views people aged 60+ as an important societal resource and seeks to create frameworks where their experience, engagement and willingness to contribute benefit both individuals and society.

The Foundation therefore supports activities that strengthen people’s lives and opportunities to act in a democratic and sustainable society, while contributing to community life, local cohesion and voluntary engagement.

Supported activities must actively strengthen the agency of volunteers aged 60+ and contribute to meaningful later lives among those who play a particularly active role in the project.

Grants are awarded to enable the proposed activities, and the key participants must contribute on a voluntary and unpaid basis.

Applications must clearly demonstrate the link between the proposed activities and the agency of the participants, and must meet the Foundation’s criteria and formal requirements as outlined in the PDF guidelines.

The most important requirement is that the application includes one or more particularly active individuals aged 60+, whose names and ages can be documented. Funding is awarded in recognition of their contribution. The formal requirements serve as a checklist for the content of the application and the documents to be submitted.

Status

Open

Guidelines for Activity Support

Learn more about how to apply for activity support

Click to download our guidelines

Questions?
For inquiries, please contact Programme Officer Kasper Werge

Phone: +45 24 22 84 60
Email: kwe@veluxfonden.dk

Applicants must be particularly active volunteers aged 60+ who are no longer part of the labour market. Applications may be submitted by individuals, groups or associations.

The particularly active volunteers take initiative and drive the activity. Funding is granted to support those who initiate, maintain and carry forward the activity.

Participants aged 60+ who simply take part in the activity are not considered “particularly active” and are therefore not eligible for support in their own right. Funding is provided only for costs necessary to carry out the activity.

The proposed activity must meet the first three criteria below, and at least one of the following additional criteria:

Basic criteria

Grants are awarded to volunteers aged 60+ who are not active in the labour market and who play a particularly active role (e.g. board members, coordinators, instructors, facilitators, or individuals initiating activities for others, for nature or the environment)
The particularly active volunteers contribute on a voluntary and unpaid basis
The activity serves a public interest and creates societal value

Additional criteria (at least one)

The activity contributes to the development of a local community or Danish society as a whole
The activity promotes sustainable everyday life within a community
The activity addresses climate-related challenges
The activity promotes physical or mental health
The activity supports nature experiences, nature management or conservation
The activity has artistic or cultural value for the local community or society

Applicants are encouraged to clearly describe how the activity meets one or more of these criteria. Co-funding may be awarded where partial funding has already been secured.

Applications are assessed holistically, and funding amounts are determined based on several considerations, including:

Number of particularly active volunteers aged 60+ who are not in the labour market
Whether the activity is innovative or has the potential to serve as a model
Number of beneficiaries beyond the core participants
Participants’ capacity to carry out the activity, or their need for support to strengthen that capacity
The roles of the participants in delivering the activity
The overall budget
The financial sustainability of the activity after the grant period
The application’s description of how the activity strengthens agency

Additional considerations:

For institutions: whether the activity falls within statutory obligations
For associations: whether existing equity could cover part of the costs

Salaries or fees for applicants or others involved
Operational costs or recurring routine expenses
Costs that applicants or organisations can reasonably cover themselves
Costs that public authorities are legally required to fund
Activities linked to commercial or business purposes
One-off social events (e.g. parties, communal meals, excursions, entertainment or lectures) that do not aim to develop models or strengthen agency
Costs already incurred before the application has been processed

Applications must be submitted via VELUX FOUNDATION’s application portal (Agency 60+ Activity Support) and include the following:

1. Project information

Title, summary, description of the activity, target group, number of particularly active participants, estimated number of beneficiaries, and timeline.

2. Applicant information

Mandatory identification of the applicant.

3. Requested amount

4. Required documents (PDF)

Application
Budget
List of particularly active volunteers aged 60+ (names and ages)
Most recent financial statement
Optional attachments (e.g. statutes or other relevant documents)

5. Personal data

Indication of whether the applicant is applying on behalf of others.

6. Organisation details

Information about organisation type, beneficial owners and authorised signatories. These details may need to be retrieved from www.virk.dk using the organisation’s CVR number.

Points 5 and 6 ensure compliance with regulatory requirements regarding documentation of grant recipients.