Community Foundations for Lancashire and Merseyside

What Community Foundations for Lancashire and Merseyside does

Community Foundations for Lancashire and Merseyside (CFLM) is a registered charity (No. 1068887) operating as CFLM Limited, formed in 2014 from the merger of the Community Foundation for Merseyside and the Community Foundation for Lancashire. It is headquartered in Liverpool with a regional office in Preston, and serves as a place-based grant-making intermediary for the Lancashire and Merseyside regions of North West England. The organisation is part of a national network of 47 UK Community Foundations, itself part of a global community foundation movement originating in the USA in 1914.

The foundation operates two core service lines: a grant-making service that directs funding to grassroots community organisations (450+ grants and £2.6m awarded in 2025/26, reaching 115,000+ people), and a fund setup/administration service that enables individuals, corporates, charitable trusts, public sector bodies, and community benefit funds to channel donations through the foundation. Named funds under management include Liverpool ONE Foundation (mental health for young people, £3m+ distributed), 23 Foundation (Jamie Carragher's youth fund, £1.1m+), Merseyside Women's Fund, Youth Empowerment Scheme, Merseyside Police Community Cashback Fund, and the recently transferred Pilkington Charities Fund (over £25m in assets).

The business model is donation-based philanthropy. The foundation does not charge grant recipients; revenue is derived from donor contributions, fund administration fees, and Gift Aid recovery. Its 2025/26 grant outflow was £2.6m, with 87% of funding directed to organisations with income under £1m, reflecting a deliberate grassroots skew. Strategic leadership sits with CEO Rae Brooke and Deputy CEO Karen Morris, with a board chaired at the presidential level by Peter Oliver OBE, DL and with Cherie Blair CBE KC as long-standing patron.

Name

Community Foundations for Lancashire and Merseyside

Legal name

CFLM Limited

Website

https://cfmerseyside.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Community Foundations for Lancashire and Merseyside is a registered charity that channels donations from individuals, corporates, and public bodies into grants for grassroots community organisations across Lancashire and Merseyside, awarding £2.6m across 450+ grants in 2025/26.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Foundation Grant Making

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA), Grantmaking & Philanthropic Funds (Institutional Donors) (BPADAOAB), Family Offices & Philanthropic Advisors (Grantmaking) (BPAGAKAD)

Keywords

• Community grant making
• Charitable fund management
• Philanthropic advisory services
• Donor fund administration
• Place-based giving

Headquarters

HQ city

Liverpool, Merseyside

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Giving: The foundation receives donations from individuals, corporations, charitable trusts, and public sector organizations. These donations are used to establish named funds that support grant-making to community organizations. Revenue comes from the generosity of donors who contribute to causes aligned with their philanthropic interests.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Community Foundations for Lancashire and Merseyside operates as a strategic grant-making charitable foundation that connects donors (individuals, corporations, charitable trusts, and public sector bodies) with grassroots community organisations across Lancashire and Merseyside. The foundation offers fund setup services (Personal Giving, Corporate Giving, Trust Transfers, Community Benefit Funds, Public Sector Funds) and manages multiple dedicated grant programmes focused on youth, mental health, women's services, crime prevention, and emergency response. Recipients do not pay for grants; the foundation earns its operating costs through donor fund management fees.

Product overview

Community Foundations for Lancashire and Merseyside operates as a unified grant-making organization offering strategic charitable giving services. The core offering consists of grant-making services that connect donors with grassroots community organizations, and fund setup services enabling individuals and organizations to establish charitable funds. The organization manages multiple dedicated grant programmes including Liverpool ONE Foundation (mental health for young people), Merseyside Women's Fund (support for marginalized women), Youth Empowerment Scheme (diversionary activities for at-risk youth), Merseyside Police Community Cashback Fund (crime prevention), Halton Foundation Learning Fund (education bursaries), 23 Foundation (youth support), and emergency appeals such as Southport Strong Together and Liverpool Spirit Appeal. The organization works as part of a national network of 47 UK Community Foundations to direct funding to local communities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Grant Making Services
• Fund Setup Services
• Liverpool ONE Foundation
• Merseyside Women's Fund
• Youth Empowerment Scheme (YES)
• Merseyside Police Community Cashback Fund
• Halton Foundation Learning Fund
• 23 Foundation Grants
• Southport Strong Together Appeal
• Liverpool Spirit Appeal

Quantifiable outcome

• £56.8 million+ awarded since establishment
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Local TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnables residents in 150 Big Local areas to improve their lives and places. CFM worked with Local Trust to support delivery in Northwood and Beechwood, Ballantyne and Bidston.
• Merseyside Women of the YearcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing awards show celebrating women throughout Liverpool City Region. Raises funds for Merseyside Women's Fund. CFM has been charity partner for multiple years.
• Sefton CVScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndependent registered charity assisting voluntary community and faith sector activity across Sefton. Partner on Southport Strong Together Appeal.
• Halton & St Helens Voluntary and Community ActioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides advice, information and development support services to voluntary, community, not-for-profit and faith organisations in St Helens and Halton.
• Knowsley ChamberminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKnowsley-based non-profit organisation of business community members furthering economic areas of Knowsley.
• Halton Chamber of Commerce & EnterpriseminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHalton-based non-profit organisation of business members furthering economic areas of Halton.
• One KnowsleyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndependent social infrastructure body and CVS supporting local voluntary groups and social businesses.
• Community Foundation for LancashirecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCFM and Community Foundation for Lancashire merged in 2014. Now operates as Community Foundations for Lancashire and Merseyside.
• Liverpool Charity & Voluntary Services (LCVS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Liverpool Spirit Appeal in response to May 2025 parade incident. LCVS committed to long-term support for recovery.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CF_merseyside
• Facebookfacebook.com/cfmerseyside
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/community-foundations-for-lancashire-and-merseyside
• Instagraminstagram.com/cfmerseyside

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Community Foundations for Lancashire and Merseyside