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.

Education Fund (Cumbria)

The Education Fund (Cumbria) provides grants to support all types of educational activities for disadvantaged people of any age in Cumbria. This fund is managed by the Cumbria Community Foundation and comprises various trusts that have been transferred to the Foundation. Priority is given to projects which support academic or social skills, life or employment skills, and sport or artistic skills. The fund supports a wide range of educational needs including course-related costs such as books, computer equipment, and travel expenses, as well as training and development opportunities for individuals and community groups. Examples of supported projects include kit and training costs for aspiring athletes, voucher schemes for training courses for young farmers, community gardens helping young offenders develop social and employment skills, and arts workshops for older people to develop independence and increase learning. Grants are available to both individuals who reside in Cumbria and voluntary and community groups based in Cumbria, with household income taken into account when assessing applications from individuals.

Cumberland Educational Foundation Fund

The Cumberland Educational Foundation Fund provides grants to support the education of young people under the age of 25 who live, or whose parents live, in the former county of Cumberland (Allerdale, Copeland, Carlisle and the northern part of Eden districts) and who are in need of financial assistance. The fund supports a wide range of educational and training-related costs including kit and training expenses for aspiring athletes, course-related costs such as books, computer equipment, and travel expenses, theatre workshops for young people, voucher schemes for training and technical courses for young farmers, and community projects like gardens which help young offenders develop social and employment skills. Grants will normally be less than £2,000 over one year, though there is no minimum or maximum award amount. Awards may be given as a single payment or as a series of payments over up to three years, dependent on progress. The fund is administered by Cumbria Community Foundation and is currently closed until April 2026.