INTRODUCING the 2026
Disruption Awards
From small things to big ideas
Have a spark that could brighten life with dementia? We want to help you grow it. Grants of up to £15,000 are available to individuals, groups and organisations ready to turn thoughtful ideas into practical change alongside people living with dementia and their carers.
{APPLICATIONS NOW CLOSED}
Why call them “Disruption” Awards?
Because even a gentle nudge can reshape what’s possible.
We back projects that:
Offer a fresh take on everyday challenges of dementia
Are co‑created with people who live the experience
Reach communities that too often
miss out
Share learning
openly so good ideas travel fast
We don’t fund research, but we will ask you to evaluate the impact your project has. You don’t need pages of academic data, but please show the difference your work makes.
How this programme supports our 2025‑28 Strategy
The Awards sit at the heart of two of our Strategic Goals: Accelerate Practical Innovation and Champion Inclusive Practice.
Our awardees test new approaches, capture what works and feed insights back into wider Trust programmes—and the wider sector working for and with people with dementia and their carers.
Read our Strategy
➜ Dementia Trust 2025‑28 Strategy
WHO CAN APPLY?
Charities, CICs, social enterprises, community groups
Partnerships and cross‑sector collaborations
Individuals with relevant lived or professional experience (references required)
Projects may be UK‑based or international. We especially welcome applications led by, or co‑designed with, people who have dementia.
Note one application per lead organisation per year.
KEY DATES FOR 2026 APPLICANTS
Applications Open
20th April 2026
Webinar 1
29th April 2026, 3pm
Webinar 2
5th May 2026, 10am
Applications Close
22nd May 2026 (23:59 BST)
How the TWO-STAGE process works
Stage 1 – Short online form
Submit by 22nd May and tell us who you are, what you hope to change and why it matters.
Stage 2 – Friendly conversation (Invite only)
Short‑listed applicants chat with a Trustee and our Advisor to explore ambition, feasibility and fit. No extra paperwork.
Trustees then make the final decision. Successful projects usually start within six weeks.
What support comes with your grant?
A named Dementia Trust Advisor for troubleshooting and networking
Peer‑learning huddles with fellow awardees
Storytelling and communications boosts via our channels
Light‑touch guidance on evaluation and Creative Commons licensing
Ownership & sharing
Award‑holders keep full intellectual property rights to everything they create with the grant. Dementia Trust simply asks for a non‑exclusive, royalty‑free licence to share and showcase your work, so others can learn from it.
Wherever possible, we encourage open licences such as CC‑BY so your ideas can travel further.
ready to
start something?
➜ Download the Stage 1 application form
➜ Read the 2026 FAQs link
➜ Explore our 2025‑28 Strategy link
➜ Book a webinar place:
29 April 2026 at 3pm or 5 May 2026 at 10am
➜ Email us: sonia@dementiatrust.org.uk
Applications for 2026 are now closed.
Past award highlights
proof that little ideas can grow
“The lively, entertaining sessions improved our patients’ mood and on many occasions, patients were smiling, laughing and even got up for a dance. It was nice to see the positive impact the music created. The patients were calm and relaxed, and remained like this for the remainder of the day.”
This project was made possible by the partnership between the Dementia Trust and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. Together, we are proving that creative, people-centred approaches can transform care settings, not only for those living with dementia but also for families, staff and the wider community.
Windrush 3D VR Museum Tour
Tackling racial disparities in dementia care
Carer Coaching Project
Focused on empowering caregivers, this project offered coaching and support to help carers recognise and utilize their skills in the workplace.
South Asian Carers Support Awareness video
This project saw the short film ‘Only One Six’ created through discussion between the filmmaker and local people who are carers from South Asian backgrounds living in the Crawley area.
LUTO Digital Memory Wall
Personalised content that sparks recall
TIDE Young Onset Carer Peer Support
Peer support for people with young onset dementia & family carers.
Voices of My Past
Reframing auditory
hallucinations
Disruption Awards FAQs
-
The Trust is looking for anything that will disrupt the ideas that people have about people affected by dementia, including their carers and people who work with them.
-
If you look at the website, (past awards) you will see that previous awards have been given to organisations, individuals, and charities. Awards are not given for research. You will have to provide some basic information on the application form.
-
Yes
-
-
You will only know if your idea is disruptive after looking round to see if anyone else is doing the same thing. Be ambitious and look at projects in other places.
We encourage you to consider creative and impactful projects. We are always looking for ideas that can disrupt or diversify thinking, engage the public imagination and attract funders so that we can give out more funds to individuals and groups in future awards.
-
If your existing project is very innovative and you want to do something that goes beyond that level, the Trustees will certainly be interested.
-
If you look at the previous projects, you will see that some were funded to completion and others were given initial funding.
-
Previous projects have been awarded to individuals. If you are applying as a charity, you will need to be registered. If the application is from a partnership the Trustees will require details of the lead partner and may ask to see a partnership agreement. The Trustees require individuals to provide references in support of the application.
-
You cannot apply for pure research, but Trustees will be very interested in new ideas that haven’t been tried before which help us discover new things about Dementia.
-
If you are applying as a charity, you will need to be registered.
-
No.
-
Yes, you can!
-
Only one application per organisation is allowed for each funding tranche.
-
All applications must be submitted via the form on our website.
-
Please stay as close to the word count as you can. However, you will not be excluded if you go over by a small number of words (as a guide this could be anything up to 10% of the word count).
-
You may do this if your updated or new application is received by the deadline.
-
Please contact sonia@dementiatrust.org to discuss what may have changed from your previous thinking, project or idea.
-
Yes, but consider whether your project for this tranche is sufficiently different to your previous project.
Can’t find an answer to your question?