What We Fund
The Frieda Scott Trust supports activity which meets the most urgent needs in our community. The Trust's current area of interest is in work which benefits those facing the greatest disadvantage, including:
- Older people facing vulnerability or isolation
- Disabled people, including people with a learning difficulty
- People experiencing mental health problems
- Children and young people
- Family support work
- People experiencing domestic or sexual abuse
- People in recovery from problematic drug or alcohol use
- People with experience of the criminal justice system
- Carers
- Village halls and community centres – (applications for capital funding for these projects is via our Small Grants Programme only)
- Improving access to services for rural communities
- Voluntary sector infrastructure and support
- Young people’s uniformed groups
Who We Fund
We prefer to fund organisations that are registered charities. However, we will consider offering grants to organisations who are pursuing charitable objectives and make a demonstrable contribution to their community, providing their aims and constitution are clearly not for profit. The following requirements exist for all organisations who are not registered charities, and we may ask you for further information. Please do contact the Trust if you are unsure.
Organisations who are not a registered charity will be asked to provide a copy of your governing document. This must confirm that you are:
- Not-for-profit
- Pursuing charitable purposes
- Contain a dissolution clause that outlines that assets (after the satisfaction of debts/liabilities) will be distributed to organisations with similar aims, should the organisation close
Unregistered Community Groups:
If you are an unregistered group and your income is above £5,000 you must be registered with the Charity Commission or regulatory body that is appropriate for the structure you chose.
Community Interest Companies (CIC's) and Social Enterprises:
We recognise there are different types of social enterprise but expect your company to be Limited by Guarantee, with our preference to fund Community Interest Companies (CIC's). We will review your governing document to confirm that:
- There is an ‘asset lock’ or similar clause to ensure that on dissolution funds or assets can only be transferred to another asset locked body with similar objects
- The organisation does not have one or two directors who hold significant control or financial interest
- The organisation does not pay profits to directors, shareholders or members, including companies limited by shares, rather than reinvesting them for charitable purposes
- In addition, we expect that most of the company’s directors will be unpaid
Sports Clubs:
Sports clubs can apply if they are either a charity, community amateur sports clubs (CASCs), or a constituted group with an income under £5,000 (and meet our general requirements for all organisations). Please also ensure your project meets our priorities, noting we will only fund sports projects where the primary aim of the project is to benefit communities facing disadvantage.
Where We Fund
Applications are welcome from groups working in the area of Westmorland. This includes the old districts of Eden and South Lakes but excludes Barrow in Furness. Groups based outside this area can apply if their work benefits people in Westmorland.
If you operate nationally, or over more than one region, please see our exclusions criteria below to confirm your eligibility.
Types of Grant
We provide revenue grants for project or running (or core) costs. If you are applying for project costs, we encourage you consider the full cost of delivering the work in your application. For example, you may include a contribution to the overhead or indirect costs of running your project.
We also provide grants towards capital works. Applications for capital works to village halls, community halls and playgrounds can only be made under our Small Grants Programme.
Reapplying
If you receive a single year grant you are welcome to apply to us again one year after the date of application.
If you receive three consecutive single year grants you must wait one year from the end of your last grant year before reapplying.
If you have a multiyear grant, you must wait one year from the end of your last grant year before reapplying.
If you have applied unsuccessfully, you must wait one year from the date of the decision before you reapply.
Exclusions
- Currently, we are not supporting organisations who have an annual income over £1m (from your most recently published accounts)
- Currently, we are not supporting organisations who have more than twelve months operating costs in unrestricted reserves (including designated funds, but excluding any fixed or tangible assets)
- The only exception to this rule is for village halls and community centres, where these can be justified
We will not usually support the following – if you are not sure, please contact the Trust Manager to discuss your project:
- Organisations with fewer than three unrelated committee members / trustees / directors
- Charitable organisations with an income over £5,000 who are not registered with the Charity Commission
- Organisations that pay profits to directors, shareholders or members including companies limited by shares, rather than reinvesting them for charitable purposes
- Funding for work or activities which have already taken place, or which will commence before a grant is awarded
- Statutory bodies (such as schools or hospitals) or for statutory services or activities
- We will consider applications for playgrounds managed by local authorities, town, parish, and community councils where the application is led by a community group
- Medical research, diagnosis or treatment
- We will consider applications that support non medical activity supporting people living with physical ill health (for example peer support or activities which help people live well with their condition or during recovery)
- Nursery and pre school education
- Annual or one off events, festivals and celebrations
- Individuals or expeditions
- Places of worship or the promotion of religion
- We will consider applications from faith based organisations where the primary aim of the project is wider community benefit and not the promotion of religion.
- Animal/Wildlife/Heritage/Environmental causes
- We will consider applications for projects where the primary aim aligns with one or more of our priorities, and not the protection, improvement or conservation of animals, the environment, wildlife or heritage
- Museums and Art Galleries
- National Charities - by which we mean charities operating from more than one location or region.
- We will consider national organisations who meet one or more of the following additional criteria:
- Are affiliated to a national charity but are based in Cumbria and have their own charity number
- Operate nationally but regularly deliver a demonstrable level of activity in Westmorland, for the benefit of residents of Westmorland
- Meet all other criteria, including income thresholds - noting that we consider the turnover (income) of the national body as a whole (not local groups where these are not constituted independently)
- Organisations who have previously applied to the Trust (whether successful or not) in the last twelve months.
Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)
The Frieda Scott Trust supports the mindful use of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the work of the sector. We wish to be clear however, that we do not consider AI to be a substitute for the expertise, judgement, and knowledge of practitioners and communities, or our own team and trustees.
We use AI tools in our work —for example, to help with routine administrative tasks and internal document management. This helps us work more efficiently, enabling us to give more of our time to working directly in support of applicants and grant holders. AI is not involved in assessing or reviewing grant applications.
All applications we receive are read, assessed, and considered solely by our staff and trustees. We do not use generative AI in any part of the application or decision-making process. We believe that funding decisions should reflect human insight, the trust's guiding principles, and the local context of our mutual work and shared charitable objectives.
We support organisations exploring thoughtful, ethical uses of AI to enhance, rather than replace, professional expertise and community connection. We recognise that AI is an evolving tool and will regularly review our approach to, and use of, AI as it develops.
Please contact the team if you have any questions, concerns or queries.
Safeguarding
As part of our own commitment to safeguarding we want to ensure our work supports the safety and care of everyone. As part of our assessment process we will review whether applicants have procedures in place to keep people safe. This includes considering whether you have an appropriate safeguarding policy in place and the measures you use to ensure this is implemented.
Complaints and Feedback
Each year the Trust receives many more applications for funding than it can support.
We work hard to ensure that every eligible application for funding receives a full and fair hearing. However, should any applicants or beneficiaries feel that they have a grievance against the Trust, they should write to the Chair of Trustees (marked Private & Confidential) who will respond following a period of consultation.
Mrs S Scott
Chair of Trustees
The Frieda Scott Charitable Trust
Stricklandgate House, 92 Stricklandgate
Kendal, Cumbria
LA9 4PU
