The Gulbenkian Foundation aims to support new models of care for elderly people and improve access to more qualified, multidisciplinary, and flexible Home Care Services (SAD). These services should be tailored to individual needs, considering each person’s circumstances while ensuring the preservation of their abilities and active participation in the community.

We invite applications from local consortiums, bringing together organisations from different sectors and services in a collaborative partnership. The goal is to drive a shift in the care paradigm by presenting innovative proposals that reshape the current service model and enhance the potential of home care.

Following a pilot phase (2023-2024), during which fifteen projects tested innovative home care models in various regions across the country, key recommendations were gathered to shape this new challenge.

Objectives of Gulbenkian Home Care 2.0:

• Improve elderly people’s functional abilities and overall health;
• Enhance the well-being of both elderly people and their caregivers;
• Reduce the need for emergency healthcare services and hospital admissions by improving chronic disease management and optimising capacities;
• Strengthen the response capacity of care organisations;
• Improve coordination and cooperation between services and sectors that share resources and responsibilities in care provision;
• Demonstrate the potential of home care services through more specialised and flexible support tailored to elderly people’s needs and contexts;
• Contribute to more informed decision-making and better public policies.

Eligibility Criteria

Gulbenkian Home Care 2.0 is open to legally recognised public or private non-profit entities that provide home care services (SAD). Applicants must form a consortium with other organisations, which may or may not already offer home care services.

Application Phases

The application process will take place in two phases:

• The first phase, between March 10 and April 21, requires applicants to submit a project idea, including a descriptive report and feasibility conditions for implementation, along with formal commitments between partner organisations. Applications that meet the requirements and receive a positive evaluation will proceed to the second phase.
• In the second phase, between May 1 and 30, applicants must submit a detailed project proposal outlining the objectives, planned activities, responsibilities of each entity, and how the project will be implemented in a coordinated and complementary manner.

Support Conditions

Selected projects will receive:

• Up to 80% of total project costs, with a maximum funding of €150,000 over two years;
• Technical and scientific support, capacity-building, and specialised consultancy;
• External project evaluation by researchers and experts in ageing throughout the initiative.

Up to 14 projects are expected to be supported over two years, between October 2025 and October 2027.    

How to apply

• Only applications submitted online will be accepted;
• Register at  MyGulbenkian;
• Before submitting your application form, check all the eligibility criteria and be sure to read the Rules and Regulations (available in the documents section);
• Applications may only be submitted once all the mandatory fields of the form have been completed and the documents required under the Rules and Regulations have been uploaded;
• Don’t forget to click “submit application”. Try not to submit your application in the last few days leading up to the deadline to avoid any unforeseen last minute problems.