Marsden offers £3k grants to Lancashire community groups and projects

Applications are now open for the Marsden Building Society Charitable Foundation, offering grants of up to £3,000 to community groups and projects based in Lancashire.

The charitable foundation has opened its 2025 fund with £30,000 to donate to 10 or more local groups or projects.

This year, the foundation will consider community initiatives that meet at least one of the following themes:

• Financial well-being: Programmes aimed at promoting financial education, teaching valuable money management skills to community groups, schools and colleges.
• A society for all: Community cohesion activities, accessibility and engagement initiatives aimed primarily at people aged 50+.
• A great place to be: Projects focused on the environment and area restoration, including beach clean-ups, community gardens, introducing green initiatives and preserving wildlife.

Rob Pheasey, chief executive at the Marsden Building Society, said: “We’re committed to building something better for our communities, so we’re excited to once again offer these grants to vital services in our neighbourhoods.

"We’ve already supported 22 incredible causes since launching our Charitable Foundation, and we look forward to helping more community groups provide invaluable services to local people. The foundation is an excellent way for us to deliver financial support to small, grassroots charities and organisations that genuinely make a difference in our local area.”

Kelly Court, programmes manager at the Community Foundation for Lancashire, said: “The Community Foundation for Lancashire are delighted to be entering our third year of working with Marsden Building Society.

"We’re looking forward to seeing which charities and community groups will be supported through their charitable fund this year and seeing what difference those projects will make for the communities across Lancashire.”

The foundation can provide funding for staffing costs, volunteer costs, activity and operational costs, training costs, as well as small capital items such as equipment and IT. Additionally, a proportion of organisational overheads can also be considered.

The closing date for applications is Wednesday 07 May 2025. For more information about the foundation, including more detailed criteria about what the Marsden is looking to support and how to apply, visit www.themarsden.co.uk.