Cumbria Community Foundation - Annual Review 2021

22 23 PARTICIPATORY GRANT MAKING COMMUNITY NEEDS We do our research Cumbria Community Foundation works closely with charities in the county carrying out research and compiling data to develop our knowledge of key social and community problems. We also bring people together from charities, councils, the NHS and universities to discuss issues and devise new programmes. To achieve lasting, strategic, and proactive solutions to complex social problems, we are committed to developing our knowledge and understanding of Cumbria’s needs. This year we invested in community mapping and reporting tool, Local Insight. It makes use of public data sources such as the Census, the Department for Work and Pensions, deprivation indices and most recently data sets relevant to COVID-19. It gives the latest data and analysis for local communities which we can share with our fundholders and community organisations. Additionally, we have worked with Cumbria CVS and Action with Communities in Cumbria to undertake surveys into the impact of the pandemic on local charities and recently published the Furness Opportunities and Challenges Report, which sits alongside our two previous community needs reports, Cumbria Revealed and West Cumbria Opportunities and Challenges. All three reports provide an analysis of the challenges and opportunities in the county, highlighting some of the work already being undertaken to address disadvantage and identifying opportunities for social impact investors to target their efforts and help communities to thrive. February 2019 West Cumbria: Opportunities and Challenges 2019 A community needs report commissioned by Sellafield Ltd F U R N E S S – O P P O R T U N I T I E S & C H A L L E N G E S 1 July 2021 Furness: Opportunities and Challenges 2021 A community needs report CUMBRIA REVEALED A County Of Contrasts Deciding together As part of the #CanDo Fund, we decided to include a participatory grant making approach and put funding decisions into the hands of those affected by those decisions. This creates more accountability, transparency, and collaboration. #CanDo provides grants of up to £5,000 to support youth social or environmental action projects designed by young people, for the benefit of the communities in which they live. Each year, young people aged between 16 and 25 from across West Cumbria are recruited on to the Youth Advisory Panel to award grants totalling £50,000. Engaging young people in decision making has created a unique participation and training opportunity. They bring their insight and local knowledge to make recommendations on applications and are supported to use their existing skills to help shape social media content, and learn new ones, including reviewing fund criteria, challenging decisions, and understanding team dynamics. They also benefit from coaching to develop as young leaders and have the opportunity to visit funded projects. Emily Dixon, 16, from Cleator Moor who was a panel member in the first year, said: “It was great to be involved, it felt like I was having a huge impact on my community. I was able to voice my opinion to adults, especially with being so young. Everyone was really willing to get involved and all the ideas were very different. It was a great experience.” L-R: Year Two #CanDo Youth Advisory Panel Members Lewis Hoyle, Nathan Mounsey, Amie Todhunter, Lauren Woodham, Toni Wardle, Gabby Atkinson and Brianner Burgess