CHARITABLE groups across South Lakeland, Furness, Eden, north Lancashire and North Yorkshire are being encouraged to apply for grants from the charitable arm of the company which owns The Westmorland Gazette.

The money is being made available by the Gannett Foundation, the charitable arm of Gannett Co Inc, the parent company of Newsquest Media Group, whose titles include this newspaper.

In the last ten years the Foundation has donated millions of pounds to charities.

Awards have included £5,615 to South Lakeland Carers to support and create opportunities for its network of 200 young carers, aged between five and 18; and £1,610 to the The Rainbow Trust, which works with families with children that have life-threatening or terminal illnesses, to create memory boxes containing shared moments between family members.

Last year Fix the Fells, a group working to protect the beautiful mountains of the Lake District, received £3,000 towards its Volunteer Lengthsmen 2018 project, which focuses on paths in the South Lakeland region.

And the Foundation also gave £10,000 to Kendal Mountain Rescue Team as part of the Gazette's Readers to the Rescue campaign, which raised £40,000 to fund a state-of-the-art new vehicle that will act as a 'mobile base' for the team's heroic volunteers.

Awards are made to registered charities - they are usually for modest sums for practical projects, but awards to larger projects which deserve backing are considered.

The Foundation supports those registered charities with projects which take a creative approach to fundamental issues such as neighbourhood improvements, local problem-solving, economic development, youth enterprise, sport and healthy living, assistance to disadvantaged or disabled people, care of the elderly, environmental conservation, and educational or cultural enrichment.

It values projects that bring lasting benefits to communities served by its local newspapers and websites.

The Trustees will NOT give money to general appeals; for salaries or general running costs; to political or religious organisations; or to state or privately run schools (other than special needs) or hospitals (other than hospices).

The Foundation will favour projects that demonstrate good planning, oversight and financial responsibility. As a prerequisite, the submission of copies of the charity’s most recent financial accounts are required. In addition, any supporting materials and further details concerning the overall aims of the charity should be included with each submission.

Each nomination will be judged on its own merits at the absolute discretion of the trustees, whose decision is final.

Applications must be submitted electronically in pdf format on the approved application form.

A downloadable form is available here

Alternatively you can obtain a form by emailing alison.sisson@newsquest.co.uk 

Any applications which do not meet the criteria or which do not follow the rules and procedures will be rejected.

The completed form and supporting documents should be sent electronically via email to alison.sisson@newsquest.co.uk

Submissions on paper are not encouraged, but if unavoidable, they must be sent to Alison Sisson, Newsquest Cumbria, Newspaper House, Dalston Road, Carlisle, CA2 5UA. In every case, applications must arrive by 5pm on Monday, October 8, 2018.

Anyone with queries should telephone 01539 790256 or 01539 790250.