Discover Funding Opportunities

The Sarah Nelson Fund

Inspired by the values of Sarah Nelson who created Grasmere Gingerbread® in 1854, this fund puts people before profit. It supports charitable organisations across Cumbria that help individuals reach their full potential. The fund's priorities reflect the life and values of Sarah Nelson, who overcame poverty through resilience, creativity, and community spirit. Grants prioritise projects that help people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, improve education for children and adults, encourage creative and sustainable business ideas, and tackle food poverty. The fund honors Sarah Nelson's legacy: she was raised in poverty by a single mother, taught local schoolchildren to read using letters made from Grasmere Gingerbread®, used her creativity and entrepreneurial flair to build a business and lift her family out of poverty, and invented Grasmere Gingerbread® as a way to generate income and support her family. Priority is given to projects that address more than one of the priority themes.

Positive Enterprise

The Positive Enterprise programme aims to give young people aged 14-25 years from disadvantaged backgrounds in West Cumbria and Furness the opportunity to have their ideas and ambitions heard and the potential to have them realised. The programme challenges young people to think creatively and in more enterprising ways, empowers them and gives them a voice, supports them to test out their enterprising ideas, and breaks down barriers for aspiring young entrepreneurs by developing an enterprising culture based on encouragement and support. Successful applicants receive expert support, funding and learning opportunities to bring their ideas to life. This includes a grant of £1,000, a learning programme including coaching, mentoring and workshops to help young people develop their enterprising ideas and themselves as leaders. They also have the opportunity to learn from local entrepreneurs who've created successful initiatives, work alongside a peer group of young people committed to creating positive change, and are linked to other organisations to help them put their plan into action. The programme is delivered in partnership with the Centre for Leadership Performance, a not-for-profit organisation that shares ambitions for young people in West Cumbria. Several of its existing programmes align with and complement the aims of Positive Enterprise to support, nurture and empower leaders of the future.