Cumbria Community Foundation - Annual Review 2023

FOLD Financial summary This information is drawn from the draft accounts of the Foundation for year ended 31 March 2023. The final accounts, audited by Armstrong Watson, will be available from our website. INCOME Donations and legacies £3,437,153 Grant programmes £2,756,565 Investment income £721,640 Other income £20,640 TOTAL £6,935,998 EXPENDITURE Charitable activities £6,224,321 Fundraising and publicity £292,948 Investment costs £48,362 TOTAL £6,565,631 SURPLUS FOR THE YEAR (excluding movement in value of investments) composed of: Donations to invest for future grant making £1,681,856 Decrease in funds held for grant making (£1,478,975) Decrease on unrestricted reserves £167,486 TOTAL £370,367 NET ASSETS AT 31 MARCH 2022 Funds invested for future grant making £27,145,786 Current grants programmes £5,040,457 Core unrestricted funds £721,444 TOTAL £32,907,687 'A burden has been lifted from my shoulders.' At first glance, Kendal is an affluent market town, a magnet for people looking for a pleasant place to live in touching distance of the beautiful Lake District. However, those beautiful slate buildings hide another side of Cumbria with a number of people in low-income jobs, or unemployment, and living in poverty. Poverty breaks families apart, isolates people from friends and family, shatters confidence and can drive some to think that suicide is the only way out. No one should wake up wondering where they will find the money to feed their children or heat their home. National charity Christians Against Poverty (CAP) became aware of a growing number of people living in poverty and debt in the Kendal area as people have felt the impact of increased household bills. CAP approached the Rev Jonny Gios in Kendal and prompted him to set up a local partnership to offer a free debt advice/counselling service to local people. Supported by a grant of £32,000 from the Cumbria Fund over three years, Jonny and the team at Kendal and District Debt Centre opened their doors in January 2022. Rather than offering quick fixes, Kendal and District Debt Centre seeks, with CAP, to negotiate with creditors and to help organise an individual’s finances to make them debt free within five years. It aims to create a sustainable personal budget for clients, prioritising basic living needs while offering creditors fair, affordable pro-rata payments. Jonny said: 23 people have benefited to date and already two clients are entirely debt free and able to rebuild their lives. We’ve had comments such as ‘a burden has been lifted from my shoulders’ and ‘I have renewed hope for the future’. The three-year funding commitment from the Foundation will allow us to embed the service as we raise awareness of it and increase referral pathways to it. As well as helping individuals to become debt free and rebuild their lives, the centre hopes to teach budgeting and money management skills. Education is key to helping preventing debt issues, and one-to-one befrienders will provide emotional support to individuals in their journey to freedom from debt. WHERE YOUR MONEY GOES - KENDAL AND DISTRICT DEBT CENTRE The Brian & Ann Clark Fund provided a multi-year grant to help Blackwell Sailing with its running costs. The charity provides sailing opportunities to people with disabilities on Windermere. Growing Local Philanthropy 28 29

RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTI5NzM=