Main Grants

Each year the Trust awards an average of 28 main grants with a total value of around £1.1m. The majority of these are multi-year awards. Eligible organisations are those who are working in our local area (Cumbria and Lancaster District) to improve the life chances, experiences and outcomes for children, young people and young adults up to the age of 25. Within this age range, particular priority is given to work with 0-5s and 11-19s.

To help the sustainability of projects and organisations, we encourage all potential applicants to approach the Trust at an early stage in their planning cycle.

To support effective planning, please see our evaluation form to understand what reporting we will require if your application is successful. This will become part of our wider learning and insights framework, which is currently under development.

The trust's mission is to act as a catalyst for positive change in the lives of children and young people locally.

Expressions of interest to apply for grant funding will initially be assessed for -

• how your work contributes to wider services for children and young people locally - explaining how your provision works with others to ensure gaps are reduced, duplication is avoided and to evidence cohesive approaches to supporting children and young people.
• the deliberate development of social and emotional skills, which the Trust recognises as being core to enabling children and young people to thrive.
• interventions or approaches which are underpinned by practice based evidence. We encourage drawing on the increasingly large body of work available from 'what works' centres, such as Foundations and The Youth Endowment Fund.

Details of other 'what works' centres can be found at What Works Network.

We prioritise early intervention and preventative approaches which promote and support long term positive outcomes and will also assess applications based on the particular needs across the area we fund and the extent to which we are already committed by area and need.

For example, some groups of young people consistently experience more challenges or are vulnerable because of circumstances outside of their control, such as growing up in care, being a carer, experiencing domestic violence or being in a minority, making them more likely to experience barriers.

This is not an exhaustive list, and we understand that situations can be complex and varied. We work closely with a range of partners across the area we fund to understand the needs, assets and challenges particular to each area and seek to support interventions which address these and are able to engage children and young people who are at risk of being excluded or left behind.