cumbria community foundation

What cumbria community foundation does

Cumbria Community Foundation is a UK charitable company limited by guarantee, founded in 1999 and headquartered at Dovenby Hall, Cockermouth. It is Cumbria's largest grant-making charity, managing over 100 active grant-making funds on behalf of individuals, families, businesses and charitable trusts, with endowed assets exceeding £14m and annual grant distribution of more than £2.3m. Since inception it has awarded over £75m to more than 4,000 organisations and 3,000 individuals and supports more than 500 community projects each year. It has held UK Community Foundations Quality Accreditation continuously since 1999 and operates within a Cumbria-only geographic remit.

The Foundation's core offering is fund management and grant distribution, supported by a Salesforce-based online applicant portal (cumbriacommunityfoundation.my.site.com) and a Microsoft Power BI community-needs dashboard. Revenue is generated through philanthropic donations, investment returns on endowed capital, and tiered membership programmes: Corporate Membership from £300/year (approximately 130 business members), Voluntary Organisation Membership at £15/year, and individual memberships from £25–£50/year. It also runs targeted programmes including Winter Warmth Fund (fuel poverty), Transforming West Cumbria (seven sub-initiatives covering mental health, family wellbeing, financial wellbeing and youth opportunity), Neighbourhood Care Independence Programme (a 33-partner network funded by Cumbria County Council), Age Friendly South Lakeland, Better Tomorrows and Brighter Futures. Distribution combines a self-serve digital applicant portal with direct grant-making, corporate membership engagement, and fundraising formats such as the Virtual Coast to Coast Corporate Challenge.

Name

cumbria community foundation

Legal name

Cumbria Community Foundation

Website

https://cumbriafoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cumbria Community Foundation is a UK charitable foundation managing over 100 grant-making funds and distributing more than £2.3m annually to community organisations, individuals in need, and programmes across Cumbria, funded by donations, endowments, and tiered corporate, voluntary and individual memberships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Foundation / Charitable Grant-Making

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Other Grantmaking and Giving Services (813219), Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Civic and Social Organizations (8134)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA), Corporate Foundations & CSR Grantmaking (BPAGAKAC), Philanthropic & Charitable Trust Services (FSAAANAI)

Keywords

• Community foundation services
• Grant-making funds
• Charitable fund management
• Philanthropy and endowments
• Community grant distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Cockermouth

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: The foundation receives donations from individuals, families, businesses, and charitable trusts who establish grant-making funds. These donations are pooled and invested, with returns distributed as grants to community causes.
2. Corporate Membership: Annual membership fees from businesses: Corporate membership from £300/year for small companies up to 50 employees, with Challenge Membership at additional cost. Approximately 130 businesses currently hold membership.
3. Voluntary Organisation Membership: Annual membership for non-profit and charitable organisations at £15/year, providing listing on website, Annual Review, e-newsletter, and AGM invitation with voting rights.
4. Cumbria Club Membership: Individual membership starting from £50/year for personal supporters.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Cumbria Community Foundation is a non-profit grant-making charity that manages over 100 charitable funds on behalf of individuals, families, businesses, charitable trusts and public bodies, and distributes grants to community organisations and individuals across Cumbria. Its core services include bespoke fund creation and endowment management, grant distribution through a Salesforce-based online applicant portal, targeted programmes (Winter Warmth Fund, Transforming West Cumbria, Neighbourhood Care Independence Programme), and tiered membership schemes for corporates, voluntary organisations and individual supporters.

Product overview

Cumbria Community Foundation is a charitable organisation operating as a unified grant-making platform rather than a technology product company. Its core offering consists of managing over 100 grant-making funds on behalf of donors (individuals, families, businesses, trusts) and distributing grants to community projects. The Foundation provides an online applicant portal built on Salesforce for grant management, along with several dedicated programmes including Winter Warmth Fund (fuel poverty assistance for older people), Transforming West Cumbria (youth and community support), and Neighbourhood Care Independence Programme (33-partner network for older people's independence). Membership programmes for corporates, voluntary organisations, and individuals support the Foundation's charitable work. The organisation also runs fundraising events like the Virtual Coast to Coast Corporate Challenge.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Grant-Making Fund Management End-to-end management of more than 100 grant-making funds on behalf of individuals, families, businesses, charitable trusts and public bodies. Donors create or contribute to named funds, and the Foundation handles administration, investment, application assessment and grant distribution tailored to each fund's charitable purpose.
• Winter Warmth Fund A dedicated fund providing financial assistance to vulnerable older people in Cumbria to help them stay warm during winter, addressing fuel poverty through individual grant payments and partnership delivery (e.g., with Age UK).
• Transforming West Cumbria Programme
• Neighbourhood Care Independence Programme (NCIP) A partnership of 33 delivery organisations (funded by Cumbria County Council and distributed through CCF) providing services to help older people remain independent — including handy person services, befriending, exercise programmes, hearing aid maintenance, home-from-hospital support, and information/advice.
• Corporate Membership Annual business membership from £300/year for small companies (up to 50 employees), with elevated tiers for larger companies. Benefits include listing on website, Annual Review copies, membership certificate, and Challenge Membership options with exclusive events.
• Voluntary Organisation Membership Annual membership for non-profit and charitable organisations at £15/year paid by direct debit, providing a website listing, Annual Review copy, e-newsletter, and an AGM invitation with voting rights.
• Cumbria Club Membership
• Virtual Coast to Coast Corporate Challenge A virtual corporate fundraising event in which teams cover 171 miles (St Bees to Robin Hood's Bay), raising funds for community projects and engaging corporate supporters through CSR activity.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over £75 million in grants awarded since 1999
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments7 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.

• Neighbourhood Care Independence Programme (NCIP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership of 33 delivery organisations providing a range of services to help keep older people independent around the county. Funded by Cumbria County Council and distributed through Managed Service Provider Cumbria Community Foundation. Services include handy people, befriending, exercise programmes, hearing aid maintenance, home from hospital support, and information and advice.
• Armstrong WatsonminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCarlisle-based accountancy firm and long-standing corporate member of CCF, supporting community foundations for many years as part of their CSR and community investment.
• Oxley DevelopmentsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate member participating in Virtual Coast to Coast Challenge 2024 fundraising event.
• Intro PRminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPR firm participating in Virtual Coast to Coast Challenge 2024.
• UK Community FoundationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational body providing quality accreditation and network support for community foundations across the UK. CCF has held Quality Accreditation since 1999.
• Age UKcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in Winter Warmth Fund delivering assistance to vulnerable older people during winter months.
• Prism ArtsminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerArts organisation delivering creative workshops for older people through NCIP partnership, reducing social isolation.
• Cumbria GatewayminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerNCIP partner providing handy person service across Carlisle, helping older people with minor DIY tasks to stay independent.
• British Red CrossminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerNCIP partner providing home from hospital service and guidance on aids and adaptations.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Devon Community Foundation: Southwest England community foundation with identical fund-management and grant-distribution model, comparable geographic focus and donor/grant applicant base.
• Northern Ireland Community Foundation: UK regional community foundation managing donor funds and awarding community grants across Northern Ireland; functionally and structurally analogous to CCF.
• Norfolk Community Foundation: UK regional community foundation managing endowed funds and distributing grants to Norfolk-based community organisations; same operational model and donor-grantee structure as CCF.
• Essex Community Foundation: UK regional community foundation managing multiple endowed funds and distributing grants across Essex; structurally identical to CCF with similar donor/grant-making activities.
• Suffolk Community Foundation: Regional UK community foundation providing grant-making infrastructure for Suffolk; closely comparable model managing donor funds and awarding community grants.
• Heart of England Community Foundation: Midlands-based community foundation operating the same donor-fund-management and grant-distribution model for its regional community.

Emerging players

• Lloyds Bank Foundation: Corporate-affiliated grant-making foundation supporting small charities across England and Wales; comparable grant-distribution function with a specific thematic lens (social inclusion).

Broad incumbents

• Greater Manchester Community Foundation: Larger UK community foundation serving Greater Manchester with a broader urban mandate and higher grant volume; comparable model but operates at significantly greater scale.
• The National Lottery Community Fund: UK's largest community-grant distributor with national reach; broader funder whose community-grant programmes overlap with CCF's regional mission.

Others

• UK Community Foundations: National membership body that accredits and supports UK community foundations including CCF (Quality Accreditation holder since 1999); provides network infrastructure rather than direct grants.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/cumbriafoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cumbria-community-foundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/cumbriacf
• Xtwitter.com/cumbriacf

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about cumbria community foundation