Cumbria Community Foundation

Analysis

Cumbria Community Foundation is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in Cockermouth. It was registered in April 1999, 27 years ago. Its declared purposes cover general charitable purposes, education/training, the advancement of health or saving of lives and disability, which this site groups under health and saving lives. Legally it is a charitable company (Companies House number 03713328). It says it makes grants to individuals and makes grants to organisations.

In the financial year ending March 2025, Cumbria Community Foundation reported income of £11.5m and spending of £7.8m, leaving 32% of income unspent that year. Across the 5 years on record, from March 2021 to March 2025, income grew from £7.0m to £11.5m (+63%), an average of +13% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to March 2025, when income rose by 54%. Over the whole period it spent 86% of the income it received.

Among 24,651 England and Wales charities whose main cause is health and saving lives and that reported income, Cumbria Community Foundation sits at the 98th percentile: it is larger than about 98% of them. Against every charity in England and Wales with reported income it ranks in the 99th percentile. Charities of a similar size with the same main cause include The Great North Air Ambulance Service (£11.5m), The Youth Endowment Fund Charitable Trust (£11.5m) and The Heart of Kent Hospice (£11.4m).

In its latest detailed accounts, income came from donations and legacies 49%, charitable activities 42% and investments 8.5%. Gifts in wills alone brought in £578k. Charitable activities took 92% of spending and raising funds 7.4%. Reserves of £1.0m would cover about 2 months of spending at that rate. It employed 17 people.