Our role is to administer Community Investment Funding for the South Copeland GDF Community Partnership by supporting the Community Investment Panel, and organisations who apply for and receive grants our grants.
We are open for funding applications and ready to support you.
Community Investment Funding of up to £1 million has been made available for the South Copeland GDF Community Partnership as it participates in the siting process for a Geological Disposal Facility (GDF).
The grants can be used to fund projects, schemes or initiatives that:
The Community Partnership has now agreed additional points that sit under the three main themes, which they would like to see a focus on within new funding bids. These are set out in the table below.
| Improve Community Wellbeing |
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| Enhance the natural and built environment. |
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| Provide economic opportunities.
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Please note, we do not expect bids to fit within all themes, or all the points within a theme. Please contact the Community Investment Team for further advice and guidance.
Within these themes, the Community Investment Funding Panel are also prioritising projects that are sustainable and leave a lasting legacy in the community.
With sustainability in mind, we are looking at how projects can:
Grants can be used for projects that benefit the communities within the South Copeland Community Partnership Search Area.
The Search Area includes the electoral divisions of Millom and Millom Without.
We’re open to applications from community groups, public sector organisations and businesses that want to do something to benefit the community. And if you’re not sure where to start, don’t worry, we’re here to help, so just get in touch with us.
We strongly advise that contact us for a discussion before you apply. We want you to have the best chance of putting in a successful application.
We can talk to you over the phone, meet you in person (if circumstances allow) or arrange an online meeting.
We can help you ensure your bid is as thorough and well thought through as possible, with all the supporting evidence you need.
Contact our Grants Manager: communityinvestment-southcopeland@nuclearwasteservices.uk
All applications will be through our online grants management system. As mentioned earlier, we strongly advise that you contact the Team for an informal discussion about your project, the funding you require and any application needs before you apply.
As part of the pre-application support, we also advise organisations to submit a 1 page summary of their project for feedback from the Community Investment Panel before they complete their full application. The Community Investment Team will provide you with a template to use after your initial conversation.
We advise the summary to include:
We also recommend you briefly cover:
The above points would need to be expanded upon in any full application when submitted.
Please note, that any full application based on panel feedback still needs to go through the usual assessment and decision making processes and as such is still not guaranteed to be funded.
So if you’re thinking of submitting an application or just want to find out more about the funding available please get in touch by emailing: communityinvestment-southcopeland@nuclearwasteservices.uk or use the ‘Pre application support and advice – Contact us’ link in the box below.
We’re here to help you make a difference.
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Cumbria Community Foundation was granted £49,812 to support the Foundation’s Winter Warmth Fund in South Copeland, providing individual grants to those over 60 who receive a state pension and/or pension credit or struggle to maintain a basic acceptable standard of living during the winter due to the cost of heating their home and the restrictions of cold weather. Copeland Age and Advice Service (CAAS) are helping to deliver the programme.
Millom STEM Club received £2,000 to fund Haverigg Environmental Science project including the planting of wild woodland and pond plants and building a dipping platform. The wildlife will be accessible to all local primary schools, and will encourage a greater diversity of wildlife to inhabit the area.
Friends of Eskdale School received £31,849 for the installation of the installation of Cumbria’s first school biodome and planters, soil, seeds, seedlings and nutrients for the first year. The installation of the biodome will benefit schoolchildren with their learning and the wider community for many years to come.
Millom Baptist Church has been given £40,000 to replace the wooden flooring in the community hall and remove and replace the old stairs, storage areas, and toilet. The community hall can now be enjoyed by locals for many years to come.
Inspira received £13,614 to fund a school engagement programme in South Copeland offering students direct access to a range of employers and information on employment opportunities. This vital support will help to inform, inspire and shape young people’s future career choices.
We’re here to make your grant application as smooth as possible – and often it starts with a chat about your group and your needs.
You might be an established organisation, or you might be a group of people who want to improve things in your area but you’ve no idea where to start.
So, start here. You’ll find lots of useful information.
And if you would just like to chat through your plans, don’t hesitate to contact the team. In fact, we encourage you to chat to us before you put in application.
Talk to us now so that we can help you ensure your bid is as thorough and well thought through as possible, with all the supporting evidence you need. That way, when you’re ready to put in a grant application, you’re much more likely to be successful.
Properly constituted private, public and third sector organisations may apply for funding. Organisations may also apply in partnership but would require one organisation to act as lead organisation for the partnership and ‘accountable body’ for the funding.
If you are an unconstituted organisation it might be possible for another organisation to apply for funding on your behalf
Individuals may not apply for funding for their own personal use.
Here are some examples:
Economic Development
For example, employment opportunities, job creation, skills development, education or training, promotion of local enterprise, long-term economic development or economic diversification
Natural or Built Environment
Including cultural and natural heritage, especially where economic benefits, for example through tourism, can be demonstrated
Community Wellbeing
For example, improvements to community facilities, enhancement of the quality of life or health and well-being of the community
You can apply for a small, medium or large grant:
Small grants – under £10,000
Medium grants – above £10,000 to £50,000
Large grants – above £50,000
We always recommend you contact the team to discuss your grant request and funding needs before applying.
This would be covered in your Grant Acceptance Agreement. It would be specific to each project and relate to the information you have provided on your application form about your expected project lifetime. All eligible expenditure must be incurred during the lifetime of the project.
Ineligible expenditure includes:
Other examples of expenditure, which might be prohibited, include the following:
Applications for funding will be assessed by the South Copeland Community Investment Panel every eight weeks. You will then be notified of the outcome and any next steps.
