Friends of the Lake District

Registered charity 1100759 · since 2003friendsofthelakedistrict.org.uk·Cumbria·Updated 30 October 2026

At a glance

£368

Annual giving, year to 31 March 2025

From filed accounts

A small fraction of the prior year (£61,958 in year to 31 December 2022).

Key takeaways

Your project fits best if it restores landscape, habitats or heritage in Cumbria, since Cumbria is the stated priority and landscape conservation is its theme.
Its annual report gives total annual giving of £368, which may include grants to individuals and is not confirmed by the register, so any request should be modest and the sum on offer is likely to be small.
No application process is published, so start with a short enquiry through the contact shown before preparing a full proposal.
The information available does not show how competitive it is or how long decisions take, so plan for a relationship-led approach and check timing directly with it.

Overview

Friends of the Lake District is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (charity number 1100759).

Friends of the Lake District is a charity that campaigns to protect and enhance the landscape and natural beauty of the Lake District and the County of Cumbria as a whole. It began in a Keswick park calling for the local landscape to be protected. Its work combines local expertise, evidence-led campaigning, influence on planning and policy decisions, and practical conservation such as landscape restoration and hedgerow planting. It also cares for land, makes grants to local projects and works with communities and partners, and its annual report gives total annual giving of £368, which may include grants to individuals.

What they fund

Priority Areas

Friends of the Lake District works to protect and enhance Cumbria’s landscapes and the Lake District’s natural beauty. It combines local expertise, evidence-led campaigning, influence on planning and policy decisions, and practical conservation projects. It makes grants to local projects and works with communities and other organisations to restore nature, protect biodiversity, and care for habitats and heritage. Its mission is for landscapes that are tranquil, rich in cultural heritage and environmentally healthy, and it mobilises people to work in partnership for their long-term protection. Its work includes landscape restoration, hedgerow planting and campaigns affecting housing, infrastructure and visitors. The charity also cares for land and provides opportunities for volunteers and corporate partners to take practical action.

Themes

Landscape conservation

Geographic Focus

Priority: Cumbria.

How to apply

No application process is published in the charity's annual report, its register entry or its website. The contact shown is for getting in touch.

Where they fund

Where it says it funds

Cumbria

Similar funders

Funders supporting work similar to Friends of the Lake District.

The Lake District FoundationRollingGave £257k The Rawdon-Smith Trust For The Bed of Coniston WaterFixed deadlines Cumbria Waste Management Environment TrustFixed deadlinesGave £607k Ernest Cook TrustFixed deadlinesGave £2.1M The Frieda Scott Charitable TrustFixed deadlinesGave £470k The Hadfield TrustFixed deadlinesGave £337k Peak District National Park FoundationFixed deadlinesGave £539k The Oglesby Charitable TrustInvitation onlyGave £2.4M Benny Walker Charitable TrustRollingGave £2.8M Francis Scott TrustFixed deadlinesGave £1.3M

Five years of accounts

Financial year	Income	Expenditure	Grants paid	Accounts document
year to 31 December 2020	£1,025,527	£854,833	£17,227	Accounts for year to 31 December 2020
year to 31 December 2021	£1,595,840	£901,917	£38,650	Accounts for year to 31 December 2021
year to 31 December 2022	£1,581,793	£997,860	£61,958	Accounts for year to 31 December 2022
year to 31 March 2024	£1,094,503	£1,510,940	—	Accounts for year to 31 March 2024
year to 31 March 2025	£1,681,820	£1,182,428	£368	Accounts for year to 31 March 2025

Income vs grants paid

IncomeGrants paid

Total value each financial year

YE 2020

£17,227 grants

YE 2021

£38,650 grants

YE 2022

£61,958 grants

YE 2025

£368 grants

Grants paid stayed within income across the 4 years shown.

Grants paid, year to 31 December 2020; year to 31 December 2021; year to 31 December 2022: grants to institutions, as reported on the charity register (Part B).
Grants paid, year to 31 March 2025: the accounts do not say whether this is grants awarded or paid.

— No grants figure for that year.

Figures from the charity’s filed accounts and its register entry. The document icon links to the charity’s entry on the Charity Commission register, where its filed accounts can be found.