Discover Funding Opportunities

NHS North Cumbria – HomeWell: Children & Young Peoples' Mental Health Urgent Care Fund

This funding opportunity seeks to support innovative projects that make a real difference for children and young people aged 10–18 in North Cumbria. The aim is to provide timely, compassionate support outside of regular hours, helping young people and their families through challenging times and preventing unnecessary hospital admissions. The service will focus on providing intensive, home-based support for children and young people who are at imminent risk of psychiatric hospital admission or have recently been discharged, ensuring timely intervention at critical moments when support is most needed. Projects should provide support across the North Cumbria NHS footprint, be able to provide an immediate on-line/telephone response within service hours, be ready to help within 48 hours when a young person is in need, deliver focused mental health support including home visits, combine therapeutic interventions, family support, and crisis planning to create lasting positive change, and prioritise the safety and wellbeing of young people at every stage.

Lord Egremont Fund for West Cumbria

The Lord Egremont Fund for West Cumbria provides grants to charitable organisations offering activities that benefit people in the towns of Egremont and Cockermouth and their immediate surrounding areas. The fund prioritizes projects that are volunteer-led or make effective use of volunteers, and initiatives rooted within the local community and led by local people responding to local need. Support is directed toward the provision of facilities for recreation and reducing isolation, addressing child poverty and educational participation of young people, providing advice and guidance particularly around dependency issues, and promoting and enhancing the local area. The fund does not accept direct applications; instead, Cumbria Community Foundation works with Lord Egremont to identify potential projects for support, and all relevant applications from projects within the beneficiary area are considered.

Cumbria Fund

The Cumbria Fund provides grants for charitable projects that address Cumbria Community Foundation's two key priorities: Improving Lives and Strengthening Communities. Theme 1: Improving Lives focuses on reducing poverty by providing opportunities for financial stability including support for financial advice, food and fuel security, and housing stability; reaching potential by empowering people, especially children and young people, through education, skills development, and personal growth; improving health by addressing unmet health needs, reducing inequalities, and promoting wellbeing including mental health services; and tackling social inequality by promoting equality, inclusion, and social justice for those facing systemic barriers. Theme 2: Strengthening Communities focuses on nurturing sense of place by creating stronger, more inclusive communities where people feel connected, safe, and supported; and acting on climate change through local action that builds environmental resilience and empowers communities to respond to the climate crisis. The fund prioritises revenue (operational) costs over capital (infrastructure or equipment) costs for more immediate and sustained impact. Examples of supported projects include advisory services on tackling debt and benefit entitlement, youth mentoring and skills development programmes, community mental health drop-in sessions, language classes for refugees and asylum seekers, digital access support in rural communities, and community-led climate action workshops.

Cumberland and Westmorland Herald Fund

The Cumberland and Westmorland Herald Fund provides grants to charitable not-for-profit groups benefiting people living in the Cumberland & Westmorland Herald's main circulation area. This geographic area includes Penrith, Appleby-in-Westmorland, Kirkby Stephen, and Alston. The fund was established by the Cumberland & Westmorland Herald newspaper and is administered by Cumbria Community Foundation. The fund supports a variety of community projects that improve the quality of life for residents in the circulation area. Past grants have supported diverse initiatives including riding workshops and sessions for people with disabilities, improvements to community buildings, exercise classes for older people, camping equipment for youth groups, and sporting activities for people with disabilities. Grants typically range up to £1,000 over one year, though there is no maximum award amount specified. The fund does not support individuals or projects that fall under the foundation's normal exclusions. Applications are accepted on a periodic basis, with the fund currently closed until April 2026. The fund represents a partnership between local media and community philanthropy, enabling charitable organizations to deliver important services and activities that benefit local residents across the rural communities of Eden and eastern Cumbria.