Businesses


Grant making funds provide businesses with the perfect vehicle to develop and improve the ways in which they can fulfil their corporate social responsibility.

Your values are at the core of your business and you look after your employees and customers well, but there are other ways in which you can improve your corporate social responsibility.

If you’ve been thinking about how you might get involved in initiatives that benefit society, we’d love to talk to you about your options.

Whether it’s:

  • donating a proportion of your company profits to improve the lives of the communities near to where you operate directly;
  • encouraging staff to volunteer their time to raise funds for one of our appeals or to help at an event or;
  • setting up a grant fund with priorities in line with your brand values;

Let’s explore how you can turn your good intentions into real lasting change.

Cumbria Community Foundation will find the right way for your business to put your charitable giving to best use in the county. Businesses can choose to create a grant making fund as part of a coordinated approach to corporate social responsibility.  By creating a fund, businesses receive recognition, expert advice and guidance, access to match funding opportunities and reassurance that money is invested for maximum benefit.

If fundholders wish, they can decide which groups and projects are supported by their fund. We operate two different types of fund: long term capital funds and flow through funds.

Endowment Funds
Endowment funds are invested and the income which they generate is used to make grants. These funds are extremely valuable in that they generate income for grant making in perpetuity.

Flow Through Funds
Flow through funds are normally spent within the year they are donated. Donors creating flow through funds normally want to see maximum impact in the short term. As with all our funds, donors can decide the purpose and geographical area of interest.

Cost Contribution
Grant making fees for long term capital funds are normally 1% of the value of the fund annually with an initial set up fee of £750.

Grant making fees for flow through funds are normally in the region of 10% of grant spend or a minimum of £1,000 annually.

“The Foundation does an excellent job in managing our fund and we continue to donate  and build to it, ensuring our community support can continue for a long time into the future. We believe this type of economic support provides real social benefit, which is something all companies should consider.” 
Nick Houghton, Managing Director, Shepley Engineers

To discuss how your business can give through us, contact Andy Beeforth, Chief Executive on 01900 825760 or email andy@cumbriafoundation.org

For more information please see our Guide For Giving.

You can also give to the Foundation through our membership scheme. Membership is a great way to regularly support our work in general and to have an input into the operation of the foundation.

Members have voting rights at our Annual General Meeting and receive regular information about our work. Members may also stand and vote in elections to the Board. To apply, click here.