The list is restricted to funders from the local area as lists of national funders should be fairly easy to find. Cumbria Council for Voluntary Service organise regular funding fairs around the county which are an opportunity to meet representatives of local and national charities and talk through your ideas. More information on planned fairs is available at cumbriacvs.org.uk/training-and-events/categories/funding-fairs

Sedbergh and District Community Fund

The Community Fund makes grants to local community organisations from money raised by the Sedbergh charity shops. More information and links to the application form and guidance notes are available on the Community Trust page on this website.

Sedbergh United Charities

Sedbergh United Charities (Registered Charity No. 231058) makes grants both for educational purposes to those under the age of 25 and for other residents in financial need. More information is available from the Clerk, John Sykes, 8 Sycamore Avenue, Sedbergh, LA10 5EZ.

The charity provides a Hardship Fund which is particularly relevant in the difficult times of the Coronavirus pandemic. If you are in financial need or have a real need for an item which you do not have the wherewithal to buy, then the Sedbergh United Charities may be able to help you. Or, if a friend or neighbour is in need of financial help, then please let them know about the fund.

To apply for help or if you would like to know more about the Sedbergh United Charities Hardship Fund then please contact:

All applications will be treated in confidence.

Sedbergh United Charities are very grateful to Sedbergh School and the Community Trust who are both helping with this fund.

Sedbergh School Local Young People’s Fund

The Fund exists to help support young people from the parishes of Sedbergh, Dent and Garsdale and can provide:

  • Financial assistance for scholarships, bursaries or maintenance allowance at university, college, school etc.
  • Clothing, tools, instrument, books etc. to assist entry into a profession or trade
  • Travel abroad for further education
  • Costs of social or physical training not covered by Local Education Authority
  • Support of study in Music or the Arts

Application forms are available from Sedbergh Information and Book Centre, 72 Main Street.

The Miller Riches Trust

Very small grants for needy spinsters and widows who have resided in Westmorland for 5 years. Application forms are obtainable from Holly English, Legal and Democratic Services, Resources and Transformation Directorate, Cumbria County Council, Cumbria House, 117 Botchergate, Carlisle, CA1 1RD or telephone 01228 227354.

Cumbria Fells & Dales LEADER

Funding is available for projects that fit with the following priorities:

  • Increasing farm productivity
  • Support for micro and small enterprises
  • Support for farm diversification
  • Support for rural tourism
  • Provision of rural services
  • Support for cultural and heritage activity
  • Support for increasing forestry productivity

More information about eligibility and the application process is available from www.fellsanddales.org.uk/how-to-apply.html or by emailing fellsanddales@cumbria.gov.uk

Yorkshire Dales National Park – Sustainable Development Fund

The SDF supports schemes that promote a more sustainable way of living in, working in and visiting the National Park, while conserving and enhancing its local culture, wildlife, landscape and communities.

Grants are on offer to individuals, businesses, community groups and voluntary-sector bodies, and projects can be far-ranging – from community composting and appropriate renewable energy schemes to sustainable transport and eco-tourism.

Contact the Sustainable Development Officer on 01969 652337 or email sdf@yorkshiredales.org.uk

Cumbria Community Foundation

Cumbria Community Foundation exists to address disadvantage by making life-changing grants and promoting philanthropy. They also respond to emerging need, having managed four disaster appeals, most recently raising £10.3m in response to the floods in 2015. They provide philanthropic services to individuals, families and organisations and manage 60 grantmaking funds, supporting more than 500 community projects per year on behalf of our fundholders.

They make grants to a wide range of organisations and are particularly keen to help grassroots community groups and small-to-medium-sized voluntary organisations. They do not only fund registered charities, but the work they support must be legally charitable. They also manage the Winter Warmth Fund, collecting donations and sharing them with vulnerable older people who struggle to heat their homes, so they can stay warm and healthy during winter.

For more information, email the grants team on grants@cumbriafoundation.org or call 01900 825760. The Foundation’s website is www.cumbriafoundation.org

The Craven Trust

The Craven Trust give grants (generally £100 – £1,500) to community projects and groups in the Craven area, which reaches to Sedbergh in the north-west. A few examples of what they support are:

  • Equipment and capital purchases to improve the organisations services, administration, functions etc
  • Training (volunteers, trustees)
  • Set-up costs (eg for a new project, materials or equipment etc)
  • Severe cases of hardship of a domestic nature (not businesses)

The Trust’s website is www.craventrust.org.uk. If you would like to discuss your ideas before applying for funding, call their administrator – via switchboard: (01535) 665258 or mobile: 07954 803327. Email enquiries@craventrust.org.uk or, for Sedbergh area, email info@fellsanddales.org.uk

The Hadfield Trust

Since 1998, the Hadfield Trust has provided over £4 million pounds of grant funding for good causes in Cumbria. Their priorities include social needs; youth and employment; help for older people; the arts, and the environment. Applicants should ideally be a registered charity, or applying to become one. However, any properly constituted body with charitable objectives can apply though they should check with the Administrator first. Capital funding requests are preferred though revenue will be considered. They fund up to £5,000 but most of their awards have been between £1,000 and £3,000.

For more information, and to discuss a potential application, contact the Trust on 01931 589 029 or at  admin@hadfieldtrust.org.uk. The Trust’s website is hadfieldtrust.org.uk

Francis C Scott Charitable Trust

The Trust awards over £1 million in grants every year to charities operating in Cumbria and the very north of Lancashire who enable young people from the most deprived areas of Cumbria and North Lancashire to achieve their full potential in life. They are particularly interested in effective approaches to addressing the needs of children, young people and young adults (up to 24 years old) in the following areas:

  • victims/survivors of abuse and exploitation
  • homelessness and its underlying causes
  • those suffering from mental health problems
  • those leaving care
  • those leaving the criminal justice system
  • problems of isolation experienced in rural areas
  • enterprising solutions to job creation
  • targeted, issues-based youthwork
  • those living in poverty

The Trust’s website is www.fcsct.org.uk. For more information phone 01539 742608 or email info@fcsct.org.uk.

Frieda Scott Charitable Trust

The Frieda Scott Charitable Trust provides grants to charities and community groups in the South Lakeland district of Cumbria, as well as the area covered by the old county of Westmorland. Established in 1974 and based in Kendal, the Trust is a long-standing supporter of local community groups and Trustees continue to welcome applications from voluntary/charitable organisations working on the ground to meet the most urgent needs in their area. Particular consideration will be given to projects supporting the most disadvantaged and vulnerable in our society.

They encourage all applicants for funding to contact them first to talk through their plans – please ask for Celia Forsyth on 01539 742608 or email info@fcsct.org.uk.
The Trust’s website is www.friedascott.org.uk