Lancashire Women’s Fund
About the fund
The Fund aims to support women who are most marginalised to overcome barriers that prevent them from fulfilling their potential. The programme will benefit women and girls, investing in a wide variety of projects, that make a tangible and long-term difference to health, well-being, confidence and social/economic activity, as well as addressing equality gaps.
Fund Criteria
Confidence, Aspiration & Self-Belief
Domestic Violence & Abuse
Mental Health & Wellbeing
Social Isolation
Specific eligibility criteria
Organisations applying should be women-led, e.g.
- Founder/CEO
OR
- Majority of Board of Trustees/Directors/Management Committee
Organisations also need to demonstrate that they have a track record of delivering projects and services for women or that provision for women is a key charitable objective of your organisation.
Examples of the sorts of projects that may be funded:
Supporting women coming out of domestic violence and abuse
Providing counselling support
Providing access to education and skills
Supporting women to start up their own businesses or go into employment
Projects to support women to gain confidence and self-belief and have aspirations
Amount available
Grants of up to £7,000 are available
Lancashire budget available is £65,000 overall.
Community Foundations for Lancashire and Merseyside are a Real Living Wage employer therefore we encourage applications that include staff costs at the current Real Living Wage of £12.60p/h as a minimum.
The following items cannot be supported via the fund:
- Statutory organisations or work that is their responsibility
- National organizations that cannot demonstrate local governance and control of local finances
- Private Businesses or Companies Limited by Shares
- Organisations with fewer than three unrelated Trustees/Directors/Management Committee members
- Commercial ventures
- Purchase/maintenance of vehicles
- Activities that will have already taken place before we offer you a grant
- Politically connected or exclusively religious activities
- Projects for personal profit
- Trophies and medals
- CCTV/Security measures
- Organisations that are set up for the benefit of animals or plants: environmental group that work with animals or the environment (such as city farms) are acceptable
- Groups comprising just one family
- Debts and other liabilities
- Reclaimable VAT
- Travel outside UK
- Gifts or projects exclusively for the purpose of entertaining – social events can be funded where there is a clear community benefit
How to apply?
An online application form can be completed via the “Apply Now” button below. You can attach supporting documents to your online application, or email them to us at applications@cflm.org.uk.
Documents which need to be included with your application:
- A copy of your governing document.
- A copy of your latest annual accounts or income/expenditure document.
- A copy of a recent bank statement for your group. If you do not have a bank account in place, you must be able to nominate another organisation to hold the funds (CVS, another local charity, church etc.).
- A list of your Trustees/Directors/Management Committee members. A minimum of three un-related must be in place.
- A copy of your current Safeguarding Policy. All applicants must ensure that they hold relevant policies and procedures in place to undertake activities, such as Criminal Records Bureau checks and/or a health and safety policy, depending on proposed activity. If unsure, we recommend taking advice from your local CVS.
If you have applied to us within the last 12 months and provided this information, we do not need you to send it again, although we may require a more recent bank statement.
Completed applications are considered by Community Foundation staff to check eligibility. You may be contacted for more information after applying and a decision-making panel will make recommendations based on the fund’s criteria and the budget available.