SHAPE Exchange – Suitable Homes for an Ageing Population Evidence Exchange: Challenge Fund

The SHAPE Exchange Programme

Building on the HAPPI and TAPPI principles the SHAPE (Suitable Homes for an Ageing Population Evidence) Exchange is a UK-wide programme that will support local housing, health and social care systems to overcome problems that create a barrier to reform, turn local policies and strategies into an ambitious range of choices that can better meet the future accommodation needs and preferences of an ageing population, and help implement durable changes that deliver improved  health and wellbeing outcomes for people in later life through housing.

The programme aims to:

• Create homes and communities where we can all live well in later life.
• Improve health and wellbeing so that people can thrive in later life.
• Reduce the inequalities and exclusion experienced as people reach older age.
• Enable people to live in their home for longer.

The opportunity

The SHAPE Challenge Fund will invest at least £3 million across the four nations, funding several areas or ‘SHAPE sites’. With awards of up to £1 million per site over three years, funds can be used for revenue and limited capital costs.

The funding aims to address pressing issues affecting older people, their homes, and the places and communities around them. Our aim is to support local areas to explore solutions for sustained change and scale the learning to shape policy, change practice and unlock further funding, including access to capital investment.

We are looking for ambitious place-based partnerships that can demonstrate how housing can be used as a lever to enable people to thrive in later life, in every postcode.

Successful proposals will:

• Have co-production at their core.
• Focus on practical implementation rather than further research.
• Improve health outcomes through housing and the wider community/neighbourhood.
• Build partnerships, taking a multi-disciplinary approach across housing, health, care and community sectors.
• Address health inequalities and ageism.
• Generate learning that can be shared nationally.
• Create effective leadership and ensure sustainable system change.
• Demonstrate ‘soft’ and ‘hard’ impact/value.

Who can apply?

Applicants must:

• Be led by one statutory body or, registered charity or, registered social landlord/provider or, community interest company, or other registered not-for-profit organisation, which is locally rooted or have a local presence and impact independent of public sector deliver contracts and recognised in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland or England.
• Demonstrate how they will work in partnership to achieve outcomes, involving people with lived experience, local citizens, organisations from housing, health, care and/or the voluntary and community sector, including hyperlocal, grassroots, citizen led organisations and groups.
• Evidence a commitment to improving outcomes with and for older people through housing and/or housing related support, interventions or connections.
• Evidence a commitment to reducing inequalities and addressing the needs of under-served communities.
• Evidence a strong commitment to and practical impactful experience of  co-design and/or co-production via existing relationships with older people and communities.
• Show evidence of partnership working across organisational and/or community boundaries.
• Commit to participating in the SHAPE leadership set and learning activities for the duration of the programme (Provided free for to up to 15 people in each funded site.).
• Be able to receive and manage grant funding and meet reporting requirements.
• Demonstrate formal support from/sign up by senior leaders within the lead organisation and key partner organisations specifically, grassroots organisations and/or older people.
• Have established methods for collecting stories, outcomes, impact and cost benefit data, with a named evaluation partner and evolution plan.

What the fund can be used for

The Challenge Fund will support practical, place-based initiatives that improve outcomes for older people through better housing, stronger communities, and closer integration between housing, health and adult social care.

We welcome proposals that combine multiple approaches and create sustainable system change. Based on the input from our Advisory Group, examples may include, but are not limited to:

• Improving existing homes
• Housing, health and care
• Community-led and preventative approaches
• Expanding housing choices
• Technology and innovation
• Learning, evaluation and scaling

Timetable and deadlines

The timetable for applications submitted by September 2026 is as follows:

Date	Process
17 October 2026	Webinar to launch the call
12 March 2027	Deadline for applications
Early April 2027	Conclude assessment and shortlisting
April-May 2027	Visits to shortlisted locations
10 June 2027	Recommendations made to Vivensa Foundation Trustees

We aim to advise you of the outcome within two weeks of the Vivensa Foundation Board meeting.

Call documentation

• The detailed call guidelines can be downloaded here.
• For guidance on navigating and using the Grants Management Portal, please see our “how to” guide.
• You can download the PDF template application form from our website if you wish to review it before making your application via the portal.
• You can download a template Funding Agreement from our website if you wish to review it before making your application via the portal.
• Visit the Housing LIN website for more information on the SHAPE Exchange Programme.
• Watch our HAPPI Hour video launching the SHAPE programme.
• Read our 2025-30 Strategic Framework, which highlights our funding principles and research priorities.

Further information and how to apply

You must submit the application form through the Vivensa Foundation’s online Grants Management Portal.

If you have any questions about the programme, please contact Sarah Allport, Head of Communities and Governance, at sarah.allport@vivensafoundation.org.uk.

If you have any questions about the application process or awards, or if you need this document in an alternative accessible format, please contact admin@vivensafoundation.org.uk. We will do our best to help you.