How we make an impact - Cambridgeshire Community Foundation

Thanks to generous individuals and organisations who share our vision of a better quality of life for all across Cambridgeshire, we are able to award millions of pounds each year to non-profit organisations at the heart of our community.

We provide funding for a wide range of charitable and community projects in Cambridgeshire, including smaller, local projects that donors may otherwise not hear about.

We also provide support and advice to non-profit organisations on how to secure future funding, to continue making a difference in the community.

From 2022 to 2023, we awarded 971 grants worth over £2.9 million to local community projects. We were able to do this thanks to 85 funds, of which 6 were launched in the year.

Read our latest Annual Review

We are increasing funding for community projects in Fenland

Fenland’s local community currently faces challenges like poor early years opportunities, low employment rates for disabled people, and isolation.

We have been working to increase the available funding for projects which are addressing these challenges. Since being founded in 2005, we have funded projects in every ward in Fenland, awarding a total of £2.5 million in grants within the area, with over 300,000 people benefitting from the funded projects. However, the funding requested in local grant applications totals over £6 million, which indicates the need for greater funding in Fenland.

We are delighted to be distributing over £1.3 million from the Know Your Neighbourhood Fund to initiatives in Fenland that are helping to increase volunteering and tackle loneliness. This will also help to support mental and physical wellbeing, develop new skills, and encourage social connections.

A grant was awarded to Cambridge Community Arts from the DCMS Know Your Neighbourhood Fund to expand the Creative Fenland project, which engages socially isolated people through arts and crafts activities designed for mental wellbeing.

Cambridge Community Arts’ Creative Fenland project

We offer cost-of-living crisis support

The cost of living crisis poses a serious threat to Cambridgeshire households, with support needed more than ever for the most severely affected members of our community.

In 2023, we partnered with The Cambridge Building Society to offer a £100,000 Cost of Living Crisis Fund to cover living costs like food, furniture, and other household essentials.

Also, with an unprecedented energy crisis in the winter of 2022-2023, our annual Surviving Winter Appeal raised a record total of over £34,000 to support those facing fuel poverty in the county. The funds were used to make payments or purchases relating to energy and heating. This winter, our appeal is once again raising funds to help local people stay warm this winter.

Support the Surviving Winter Appeal

We are increasing funding for health and wellbeing projects

We have seen significant investment in local health and wellbeing throughout the year.

The inaugural Health Inequalities Challenge Prize was a success, leading to it being relaunched for a second year. It has offered up to £24,000 to projects supporting personalised care, giving local people more control and say in their health and care services.

NHS Cambridgeshire & Peterborough has also recently partnered with us to make £2 million available to Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) partners to deliver health and wellbeing improvements for their local communities. The new fund aims to support initiatives that focus on the key priorities for NHS Cambridgeshire & Peterborough and the wider Integrated Care System.

CamCare UK received a grant to offer 10 minibus trips and healthy eating cookery workshops for older people, to support their wellbeing by providing opportunities for social interaction, physical activity, and mental health support.

CamCare UK’s Golden Explorers