Discover Funding Opportunities

Tesco Stronger Starts

Tesco Stronger Starts is a community grant program that provides funding to schools, registered charities, and not-for-profit organisations that support children and young people. The program aims to make a positive difference in communities where Tesco operates. Grants of up to £1,500 are available for local projects, with a particular focus on initiatives that incorporate a food component, such as breakfast clubs, holiday club lunches, or healthy snacks. Every three months, three local good causes are selected to participate in a blue token customer vote in Tesco stores throughout the UK. The program can fund 100% of project costs, so match funding is not required. Eligible projects include growing projects, breakfast and after-school clubs, sports clubs with food provision, holiday clubs with healthy meals, counselling and mental health support with healthy snacks, SEND provision, youth clubs, holiday hunger initiatives, healthy eating education, and foodbanks. The program has supported thousands of community projects since 2016 and is managed by the community charity Groundwork UK.

Wing Cdr. H. Thompson MBE & Rev. J. L. Green Grassroots Grants Fund

This fund provides grants to charitable volunteer-led grassroots groups in the Barrow-in-Furness area that support young people's personal development, education, and involvement in the community and environmental initiatives. The fund is established by a private individual donor and administered through Cumbria Community Foundation. Priority is given to projects supporting training in leadership, self-discipline, and life skills for young people, respect for the environment, and supporting disadvantaged young people. Examples of supported projects include Ocean Youth Trust sailing trips for disadvantaged young people, equipment for judo or karate clubs, training costs for Scouts or Guides, and running costs or building repairs for Sea Cadets. The fund specifically serves charitable volunteer-led grassroots groups in the Barrow-in-Furness area of Cumbria, England.

Westmorland Community Fund

The Westmorland Community Fund focuses on supporting the communities in which Westmorland Ltd colleagues live. Grants are available for projects that help these communities thrive, create a legacy and deliver long term benefits. The fund was established in 2009 by the Dunning Family of Westmorland Ltd, which includes Tebay Services, Rheged, Westmorland Hotel and J38 Truckstop. Priority is given to projects that help named communities to thrive, support young people to reach their potential, improve mental health and wellbeing, have synergies with the Westmorland Family's business interests around sustainable development and awareness of the value of local produce, farming and craft, and have the potential to grow and have a real legacy. The fund serves the communities of Appleby-in-Westmorland, Brough, Kirkby Stephen, Penrith, Stainton, Shap, Tebay and Kendal. In addition to providing grant funding, Westmorland aims to build lasting, supportive relationships with the groups it supports. The goal is to create a two-way connection to ensure a circular benefit – where funded organisations, local communities, and Westmorland colleagues can share ideas, learn from each other, and grow stronger together over time. Examples of supported projects include skills training programmes boosting young people's confidence and employability, mental health workshops offering peer support, community building renovation, youth clubs offering creative and active sessions, and enterprise projects supporting new ideas through mentoring and training. Grants range from £500 to £10,000, with multi-year grants considered for projects that show strong potential to grow their impact over time. The fund supports community groups that work with young people, manage community facilities, or operate community-based services in the eligible area.

Shepley Group Grassroots Fund

The Shepley Group Grassroots Fund provides grants to charitable and not-for-profit organisations for initiatives that reduce poverty, improve health, tackle social inequality, and help people reach their potential. The fund also supports projects that nurture a sense of place or promote climate action. Priority is given to projects that benefit people and communities in areas where Shepley Group employees live, specifically within the former local authority districts of Allerdale, Barrow-in-Furness, Carlisle, and Copeland in Cumbria, England. The fund is administered by Cumbria Community Foundation and supported by Shepley Engineers Limited. Examples of supported projects include equipment for junior football clubs, community cafés, community allotments, refurbishment of spaces for community workshops, functional skill classes for unemployed people aged 16+, and respite activities for young carers. Grants are normally up to £2,000 over one year. The fund does not support individuals in addition to the foundation's normal exclusions. Applications are welcome from charitable and not-for-profit organisations working to address community needs in the specified geographic areas of Cumbria.

Rowan Community First Fund

The Rowan Community First Fund provides grants to charitable, not-for-profit grassroots groups supporting social action at a local level in Cumbria. The fund focuses on supporting young people, elderly individuals, and providing training for unemployed individuals. Priority is given to projects that support the education of children and young people, provide training to help people get back into employment, support social action at a local level, and are run by groups in the Eden area. Past supported projects include computer classes for adults, drop-in clubs for older people in rural areas, activities and running costs for youth organizations, and nursery provision which allowed parents to return to work.

Quarry Hill Grassroots Fund

The Quarry Hill Grassroots Fund provides grants to charitable and not-for-profit organisations that work with young people to improve health and help them reach their full potential through participation in sport. Preference is given to projects that benefit people and communities in North Cumbria. The fund particularly focuses on supporting young people facing significant challenges or barriers to involvement in sport, and addressing issues in rural communities where access to opportunities is limited. Examples of funded projects include equipment for sports clubs, provision of cricket activities for females, wheelchair football sessions, floodlights for community tennis clubs, and lakeside residential youth training and activity centres.

Nuclear Waste Services LLWR Grassroots Fund

The Nuclear Waste Services LLWR Grassroots Fund provides grants to charitable organizations for initiatives that support children and young people. The fund focuses on projects that meet one or more of the following priorities: reduce poverty, improve health, tackle social inequality, and help people reach their potential. Additionally, the fund supports projects that nurture a sense of place or promote climate action. The fund is administered by Cumbria Community Foundation and supported by LLW Repository Limited trading as Nuclear Waste Services. Examples of supported projects include scenery hire for local theatre musicals, astro-turf rebound boards for community sports grounds, activities helping young people learn about entrepreneurship, and coaching costs for junior cricket clubs. Grants are normally awarded up to £5,000 over one year to charitable, not-for-profit organizations working with children and young people in Cumbria.

Lamont Pridmore Grassroots Fund

The Lamont Pridmore Grassroots Fund provides grants for small voluntary, community groups and grassroots organisations to enable them to continue or expand their work in advocacy, community voice, and service provision for local people in the former district of Allerdale, particularly the Workington area. The fund supports voluntary and community groups that help people learn new things and increase their personal confidence, get people involved in their community, and make the community a better place to live. Examples of supported projects include theatre workshops for schoolchildren in deprived areas, coaching training for local trampoline clubs, kit and equipment for junior football clubs, premises hire for youth club activities, and music workshops and master classes in schools. Grants will normally be less than £1,000 over one year, though there is no strict minimum or maximum award amount.

Cumbria Grassroots Fund

The Cumbria Grassroots Fund provides grants for small voluntary and grassroots groups to enable them to continue or expand their work in advocacy, community voice, and service provision for local people throughout Cumbria. The fund is aimed at groups helping people facing disadvantage, with priority given to projects which support disadvantaged children and young people, tackle disadvantage in rural communities, and tackle disadvantage in the 20% most deprived wards of Cumbria. Examples of supported projects include refurbishment of community centres, safety equipment, recruiting and training of volunteers, and drop-in clubs for older people. Grants will normally be less than £1,000 over one year, although there is no strict minimum or maximum award amount. The fund is managed by Cumbria Community Foundation and is supported by various individual donors. It aims to strengthen grassroots community organizations serving disadvantaged populations across Cumbria, England.

CCL Secure Fund

The CCL Secure Fund provides grants for small voluntary and community groups and organisations providing activities that benefit people and communities in the former districts of Allerdale and Copeland in Cumbria. The fund prioritizes projects that improve the lives of disadvantaged children and families, improve life skills, education, employability and enterprise for disadvantaged people, support vulnerable older people, improve the health and wellbeing of people, and strengthen and support fragile communities. Examples of supported projects include improvement of facilities for disabled people, staff salaries for youth clubs for disadvantaged young people, drop-in services for people with mental health problems, advisory services on tackling debt and benefit entitlement, and access to services which tackle social isolation for older people. Grants will normally be between £500 – £2,500 over one year, although there is no maximum award amount.