Cumbria Community Foundation

24/10/2026

Help your local community in the time it takes to boil the kettle 🫖

We’re building a new website to help local groups find funding more easily and help more people support the causes they care about across Cumbria.

So if you’ve donated, applied for a grant or just want to know more about what we do, we'd love to hear from you. And it will only take 3 minutes 👏

The survey closes at midnight tomorrow, Sunday 25th October.

Take the survey 👉 https://creatomatic.typeform.com/to/uBuASj1m

22/10/2026

Last chance to have your say ⏰

Our website survey closes at midnight this Sunday 25th October. It only takes 2 to 3 minutes and will help us make it easier for you to find funding and support your community.

Take the survey 👉 https://creatomatic.typeform.com/to/uBuASj1m

Thank you!

19/10/2026

There’s nothing quite like seeing your support in action 💚

Last week we visited three Eden projects to see the difference CCF funding is making to local people.

▶️ At the Appleby Hub, Right2Work Learning gives adults with learning disabilities the chance to gain skills, confidence and work experience.

▶️ Appleby edibles has filled twelve new garden beds, so more people can join in and grow together.

▶️ Penrith Linking Lives offers friendship and support to adults through weekly visits and calls from trained volunteers.

A big thank you to Out of Eden Cumbria, Westmorland Family and Bells of Lazonby for joining us and for your ongoing support. You’re helping make our communities stronger.

Want to see the impact of giving for yourself? Get in touch to find out about our project visits 👉 cumbriafoundation.org

14/10/2026

Got 3 minutes to spare? We’d love your help ☕

We’re building a new website with help from Creatomatic, and we want it to work for you. Whether you’ve donated, applied for a grant or just want to know more about what we do, we want to hear from you.

Your answers will help local groups find funding more easily and help more people support the causes they care about across Cumbria.

The survey closes at midnight on Sunday 25th October.

Take the survey 👉 https://creatomatic.typeform.com/to/uBuASj1m

07/10/2026

UnLtd has opened applications for its awards for UK social entrepreneurs 💡

💷 Starting Up Awards: up to £8,000 (not yet trading, or trading under a year)
💷 Scaling Up Awards: up to £18,000 (trading 1–4 years, with at least £18,000 traded income in the last 12 months)

Awards come with support from one of UnLtd's dedicated programmes. Eligible ventures must be under four years old, with turnover under £250,000.

⚠️ Each round is capped at 650 applications and the portal closes once the limit is reached, so apply early.

📅 Deadline: 30 November 2026

Spotted via GrantFinder from Cumbria CVS. Sign up free for funding alerts like this 👉 https://ow.ly/iI0z50ZUO2y

05/10/2026

🌟 There's still time to nominate! 🌟

Do you know an amazing young person, youth worker, volunteer or organisation making a difference through youth work in Cumbria?

The Better Tomorrows Youth Work Awards celebrate the people and projects helping young people thrive across our communities.

📢 We've extended the deadline! You now have until 10am on Thursday 8 October to submit your nomination.

Don't miss the chance to recognise the dedication, passion and impact of those supporting young people across Cumbria.

🏆 Nominate now and help us celebrate the very best in youth work!

👉 Apply here: https://www.cumbriafoundation.org/programmes/better-tomorrows/better-tomorrows-awards/

02/10/2026

Could your community generate, own or benefit from clean energy?

Maybe there’s a community building with potential for solar panels. Perhaps you’ve spotted a possible site for a renewable energy project, or you’ve got a group of people keen to explore what your community could do.

You don’t need a fully formed plan – or all the answers – to get started.

We're offering free support to community groups exploring renewable and low-carbon energy projects. We can help you understand your options, work out what needs investigating and identify the next steps.

The support is available for early-stage ideas, including solar, wind, battery storage, microgrids, rural heat networks and EV charging.

But don’t leave it too late – this short-term support is only available until the end of November.

Find out more and express your interest: https://futureproofcumbria.org.uk/communities/community-energy

28/09/2026

We'll be there - come along and see how we might be able to support your project or group 😃

Carlisle Funding Fair - Wednesday 21st October.

This event provides a fantastic opportunity for local groups in Carlisle to directly engage in person with local and national funders and support groups regarding projects/funding requirements as well as networking with other organisations.

Tickets are free, and attendees can choose to book a morning (10am – noon) or afternoon (1pm – 3pm) slot.

https://crm.cumbriacvs.org.uk/upcoming-events-and-training-series/302+303

24/09/2026

The Fibrus Community Fund Cumbria is now open for applications 💻

The fund gives grants to provide access to digital technology for the most vulnerable in society, particularly over-60s and under-18s.

Hesket Newmarket Community Shop received a grant from the fund to buy laptops to enable them to run drop-in IT sessions for those in the community who need a little extra help.

Throughout September, staff and volunteers from Caldbeck Surgery have been holding sessions at the shop, using the laptops to show people how to get the most out of the NHS app.

Liv Tarraque, IT, Data and Quality Lead, said: “Some people didn’t even have an email address so I had to set that up for them first. You don’t need a mobile phone to access the app, you can access it on a laptop or tablet so they can come and do that here."

If you have an idea for a project to tackle digital exclusion, find out if it could be eligible for funding: https://www.cumbriafoundation.org/fund/fibrus-community-fund-cumbria/

Closing date for applications: Friday 16 October

22/09/2026

We headed to Maryport for our CCF team day last week for some big thinking and sea air 🌊

We're more than halfway through our current five-year strategy so we took some time out from the day-to-day to take a step back and ask some key questions. What's working well? What should we do more (or less) of?

Thanks to The Maryport Settlement for hosting us - a wonderful venue, oozing history and creativity 🎨