Applying for a grant

Accountancy and advisory firm MHA launched its own North West regional charitable foundation in 2023. The 1892 Foundation funds projects which promote financial literacy and nurture career and life skills for young people.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco. Laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit.

The BIBAs Foundation was created to develop an enterprising culture in the youth of Lancashire. The Foundation is supported by BAE Systems. It supports projects which enable young people to flourish, learn and develop business skills or knowledge, continue or expand their enterprising work, and build their capacity for the future.

The Blue Sky Foundation supports a wide range of projects that promote the health and well-being of children, young people and their families.

Focused specifically on Burnley, the fund aims to help local community groups with delivery of a wide range of projects. The fund is particularly interested in supporting test and learn initiatives – where the funding can help trial projects to build evidence for future scaling up.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco. Laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit.

Football for Change brings together football stars and business leaders with a collective goal to change the lives of young people in some of the most deprived communities in the UK. Launched by football icons including Trent Alexander-Arnold, Jamie Carragher and Conor Coady, Football for Change supports young people by funding life-changing projects in education, employment and sport.

Established for over 40 years, Financial Planning Corporation (FPC) is an independent financial planning and wealth management firm. The FPC Foundation supports a range of projects which primarily focus on financial inclusion and supporting people with managing personal finances.

Following the extension of the RWE Wind Farm on Hameldon Hill, a community investment fund was set up to benefit local communities throughout the lifetime of the wind farm (up to 25 years). The fund supports voluntary and community groups, working in the Hapton with Park and Gawthorpe wards of Burnley, which focus on community cohesion, young people and families, promoting education and learning, and the environment.

The Know Your Neighbourhood Fund is a £14 million programme, which supports nine local authority areas in England.

The fund was set up following the transfer of several dormant charity funds which had been left to Lancaster City Council in bequests and endowments. The fund has three main priorities, including the promotion of economic growth, health and well-being, and clean, green and safer places.   The fund is currently administrated via Lancaster CVS.

The fund supports the Last Choir Singing competition. The competition aims to showcase musical talent throughout the region. Lancashire primary schools can enter, and the children have an opportunity to sing at various venues across Lancashire with the final being held at King George’s Hall in Blackburn. The competition is the brainchild of businessman George Critchley, who wanted to give something back to the community.

Sir John Laing CBE was a British entrepreneur, philanthropist, and Christian. He inherited his father’s building business (started in 1848) and turned it into one of the UK’s largest construction firms. The John Laing Charitable Trust was set up in 1963 to support current and former employees of the John Laing Group and communities at large. It now supports people in need across the world, focusing on the strategic priorities of community, skills and education, young people and homelessness.

The Mark McQueen Foundation was established by the family of Mark in loving memory of their son. The fund focuses on supporting mental health, particularly in young men, reducing the incidence of suicide.

Marsden Building Society was founded in 1860 and has grown to become the largest Lancashire-based building society, placing community at the heart of what they do. The Marsden Building Society Foundation’s priorities include supporting and encouraging financial well-being in the community, creating an inclusive and supportive community through reducing isolation and making Lancashire a great place to be by improving the environment.

Founded in 2012, the fund’s purpose is to help young people continue their musical studies. The donor, who sadly passed away in 2022, was a concert pianist in their earlier years and their love for music and legacy lives on, inspiring and nurturing the next generation of local musicians.

The Rossendale Community Fund aims to support families and children and young people – helping them to engage in community activities and learning.

The W O Street Fund support projects which help to advance education and tackle poverty. The focus is on children and young people who are unable to meet their educational or living costs, and projects for older people, visually impaired or disabled people, particularly those who cannot afford medical or convalescent care. For the past few years, the fund has been a partner of the Community Foundation for Lancashire’s Red Rose Responding Fund.

The Preston New Road Community Benefit Fund supports projects which benefit the residents of the Westby with Plumptons parish in Fylde. It priorities projects which help to reduce social isolation, improve community cohesion, or have a positive environmental impact.

In 2021, the Lancashire Red Rose Responding Fund was established by the Community Foundation for Lancashire in response to an increasing demand for help to support the mental health and well-being of many people, of all ages and backgrounds, particularly those most vulnerable, throughout Lancashire. Initially focusing on the impact of Covid-19 and more recently addressing the pressures of the cost-of-living crisis, our vision is to respond to issues affecting our communities that prevent people from living healthy, fulfilling lives, being able achieve their potential or take up opportunities being created here in Lancashire.

In 2018 the Lancashire Women’s Fund was established by the Community Foundation for Lancashire after our national membership body, UK Community Foundations (UKCF), secured a record £3.4m award from the DCMS Tampon Tax Scheme. We received £70,000 from the allocation to enable us to launch the new Fund, which allowed us to respond to those issues effecting girls and women in Lancashire. The vision of the Lancashire Women’s Fund is to break down the barriers that affect girls and women in the region.  

The Fred Mill Fund was created to support a wide range of charitable projects which focus on improving the well-being of the local community – including tackling poverty, hardship, or other disadvantage. The fund supports our Lancashire Women’s fund and also supports projects that help to reduce isolation for older people.