2 Annual Review 2026 3 About Cumbria Community Foundation Since 1999, Cumbria Community Foundation (CCF) has been working to counter the county’s most difficult problems through targeted, expert grant making. Cumbria is a unique, special place. Behind its beautiful landscape, many people face poverty, hardship and a lack of opportunity. These aren’t easy issues to solve, but together with our supporters, we are making a real difference. We connect people who care with causes that matter, bringing together individuals, businesses, charitable trusts and organisations to support local charities, community groups and individuals when and where help is needed most. THESE ARE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES FACING CUMBRIANS TODAY: 1 in 10 households are in fuel poverty 1 in 5 have no formal qualifications Cumberland has the 3rd highest suicide rate in England 1 in 4 are over 65 Life expectancy in Cumbria varies by 12.5 years between the richest and the poorest areas Welcome from our Chair One year on from my appointment as Chair of Cumbria Community Foundation, I continue to be amazed at the scale of the work undertaken by the Foundation across the county. I have thoroughly enjoyed my first year, meeting so many wonderful charities and organisations that we support. It has been humbling and sobering to hear of the challenges they face as they work hard to improve lives and strengthen our communities. I must pay tribute to the army of volunteers who give their time freely, without whom many of these organisations would be unable to function. In truth, I did not fully appreciate the breadth of social issues affecting communities across Cumbria. The challenges are many and varied. And in terms of solutions, one size does not fit all. Local people know best what their communities need; our job is to enable those changes. That goes for the whole county – we must continue to offer our support wherever it is needed, from the urban populations of Carlisle and Barrow to the farming communities of the Eden Valley, the coastal towns of West Cumbria and everywhere in between. I want to take the opportunity to thank each and every one of our donors, fundholders and supporters who enable us to run such impactful programmes and make vital grants to those in need. While the economic environment continues to be challenging, the need is only going to increase. Cumbria has some extremely successful businesses, many of which are very generous in their support of our work. I would encourage all companies to think about what more they could do to help their local communities, whether by becoming a member of CCF, setting up a fund or supporting in some other way. I would also like to thank my fellow trustees for their support and dedication to the Foundation. We have seen a few changes to the board this year; I want to thank those who have moved on and welcome our new recruits. We are continuing to develop and strengthen our board in line with our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, and a number of new appointees will be announced in the coming months. Thanks also to all the CCF staff and volunteers. The continuing success of the Foundation would not be possible without their hard work and dedication. It was wonderful to see their efforts recognised with a number of awards – both national and regional – in 2025, for work on the Transforming West Cumbria programme, Age Friendly South Lakeland, and the Kirkby Lonsdale Fire Disaster Recovery Appeal. In 2025/26, we awarded more than 700 grants to groups and individuals across the county, each with a story to tell. While we cannot feature all of these in our Annual Review, it offers a good snapshot of our work to address need across our six grant making priorities: • Reducing poverty • Reaching potential • Improving health • Tackling social inequality • Nurturing sense of place • Acting on climate change I look forward to the ongoing success of Cumbria Community Foundation in the year ahead – connecting people who care with causes that matter. Myles Thompson Chair Nearly 2 in 3 adults and 1 in 3 11-year-olds are overweight or obese 56% of pensioners live on their own 1 in 4 people have a long-term health problem or disability Front cover: Karl, Men Make and Mend, Artworks Art4All, Barrow
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