Our Grants

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.

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

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.

The Fort Vale Foundation was established by Edward S. Fort OBE LLD (Hon), Founder and Chairman of Fort Vale Engineering Ltd.  The main theme of the Foundation is to support local people and grassroots organisations in the local area of N. E. Lancashire.

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. Funding also includes projects which reduce social isolation, encourage more interaction, and provide advice and guidance to people who have become unemployed.

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 Know Your Neighbourhood Fund is a £14 million programme, which supports nine local authority areas in England. The fund is for activities enabling volunteering and tackling loneliness, with the primary aim of developing and understanding of what works to improve well-being and pride in place in these communities.

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 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 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 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 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.

The fund invests in local projects to strengthen communities by creating social connections and a sense of belonging. This can inspire and support people to develop new interests, skills and confidence, as well as bringing communities together and breaking down isolation.

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.

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

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).