Discover Funding Opportunities

The Barker Family Fund

The Barker Family Fund provides grants for not-for-profit organisations which help to empower young people and support the advancement of education, and for disadvantaged young people, including young farmers, aged 25 and under who live in Cumbria. The fund prioritizes activities which support the advancement of education, projects that help and empower young people, disadvantaged young people under 25, and young farmers. Examples of supported activities include business training for young people, supporting young people with a disability into employment, disadvantaged young farmers who need further qualifications, and promoting life skills and confidence in young people. The fund will not support staff costs for youth groups, trips, or university costs in addition to normal exclusions.

SWEF Enterprise Fund - Start-Up Grants

The SWEF Enterprise Fund provides start-up grants of up to £500 for young entrepreneurs in Cumbria who are launching new businesses. This funding opportunity supports individuals aged 18 to 30 who are either planning to start trading within three months or have been trading for less than two years with monthly revenue below £500. The fund aims to help young people overcome financial challenges that are preventing business development. Eligible applicants must demonstrate that their business idea has the potential to be profitable and become their sole work focus, possess relevant experience or training to succeed, and have specific plans for how grant funds will be spent. The grant can be used for business-critical expenses such as equipment, materials, stock, prototypes, website development, training, and other costs that will significantly impact business growth. All shareholders must be aged 18-30, and applicants must have or be setting up a business bank account. The fund prioritizes supporting UK-sourced goods and services and excludes certain expenses including salary, living costs, debt repayment, new electronic devices (though refurbished versions may be considered), software/app development costs for unlaunched products, and invasive beauty treatments. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, making this an accessible opportunity for young Cumbrian entrepreneurs seeking to launch or grow their early-stage businesses.

David and Margaret Rankin Fund (Skills and Training)

The David and Margaret Rankin Fund provides grants for individuals and groups to empower young people to realise their potential, pursue their aspirations, and further their skills and training which supports their journey into business or employment. Priority is given to projects that help and empower young people, activities that support the development of knowledge or skills, and activity that encourages young people into farming. Examples of supported activities include business training for young people, mentoring programmes, courses for industry-specific certificates of competency, and travel expenses to support work experience. Grants for individuals will normally be up to £1,000 over one year, while grants for groups will normally be up to £5,000 over one year. Grants may be a single award, or a series of awards paid annually for up to three years and dependent on progress.