Customer and Community Investment Fund
Find out more about our Customer and Community Investment fund and the charities we have helped here.
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The latest news
Findhorn Watershed Initiative
The Findhorn Watershed Initiative was launched by the Findhorn, Nairn and Lossie Rivers Trust as an accelerated, collaborative landscape-scale programme of habitat restoration, carbon sequestration, and river stewardship.
The programme is a multi-generational vision to restore a mosaic of nature rich habitats, foster a local culture of nature connection, and enable a thriving nature-positive economy across the River Findhorn catchment area
Henshaw’s
A charity which empowers people living with sight loss and a range of disabilities has opened a dedicated multi-sensory room with funding from LNER’s Customer and Community Investment Fund (CCIF).
The new multi-sensory room includes a craft zone, comfy seating, colour-changing mood lighting, bubble machines and more, providing immersive experiences where people can relax or enjoy arts and crafts and the surroundings. Complementary therapists are also on hand and incorporate massage, guided meditation and relaxation techniques.
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A Rehearsal For Life: Forum Theatre for Young Adults with Disabilities
With support from the Customer and Community Investment Fund, Next Door But One is delivering bespoke workshops of Forum Theatre; an arts intervention tool providing a `rehearsal for life’. Which provides important life lessons for young adults who are neurodiverse or have learning difficulties in conjunction with staff and members of The Snappy Trust.
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MHA
The ‘Let’s Get Living’ project, funded by LNER's Customer and Community Investment Fund, has enabled Methodist Homes Association (MHA) to organise almost a hundred daytrips for older people in West Yorkshire and the Northeast Region.
Carr Gomm - Men in sheds
One of the charities LNER have recently supported with the Customer and Community Investment Fund, is Carr Gomm- Men in Sheds, which is based in Craigmillar, Edinburgh.
Canal & River Trust
The Canal & River Trust cares for over 2000 miles of canals, rivers, reservoirs, and docks, some of which date back 200 years.
The charity applied to LNER’s Customer & Community Investment Fund (CCIF) for funding to create a network of floating ecosystems along the Regents Canal.
What is the Customer and Community Investment Fund?
LNER’s Customer and Community Investment Fund (CCIF) works to support charities and causes along our route. It provides vital funding to small and medium sized projects that deliver a positive impact to issues that are important to us.
There are three priorities the fund supports: Better for People, Better for Places and Better for Planet
- Better for People
- Fostering a culture of equality, that champions diversity and inclusivity.
- Creating a culture of positive mental health, bringing people and communities together.
- Better for Places
- Creating skilled and inclusive communities along our networks that can thrive.
- Better for Planet
- Conserve resources, reduce waste and reuse where possible.
Important change to be aware of, when deciding to apply.
The maximum amount that can be applied for is £10,000.
Requests over £10,000 will not be considered and will be removed, from the application process.
Preference will be given to small and medium charities, over larger charities.
For further details on these areas, please click here.
Learn more about the projects we’re supporting, click here.
What we're looking for
- The application must support one of the following three priorities:
- Better for People, Better for Places or Better for Planet
- Factual and concise application, that clearly outlines the identified need, how this was identified, the project deliverables and how the grant will be spent.
- High level budget breakdown of funding amount requested, overall project budget and any match funding identified.
- High level, month by month project timeline.
- Details of the primary beneficiaries and expected numbers.
- Benefits the project will deliver.
- What success would look like, and the mechanism for capturing and measuring the benefits and impact.
- Funding will need to be spent in full, and projects completed within the financial year (April to March), in which the funding is gifted.
- The project and charity do not need to be located within the immediate proximity of an LNER station; instead, the fund is open to those located within 15 miles of the LNER route, in England and Scotland. Please see the LNER Route Map.
- Useful documents to review prior to applying.
- CCIF Application Form Template - Click here.
- CCIF Guidance Form – Click here.
- Our FAQs - Click here.
Application Timeline
- 2024 Application window Closed – 2nd Sept 2024
- Applications reviewed and shortlisting - September / October 2024
- A shortlist of projects will be shared with the LNER community (including colleagues, stakeholders, and charities), as well as LNER customers who will be asked to help shape the final list of projects we would like to support – November 2024
- A list of projects LNER would like to support will be submitted for approval – December 2024
- A decision will be made on which projects will be taken forward – January to March 2025
- Successful applicants will be notified – April / May 2025
How to apply
The Customer and Community Investment Fund, application window has closed.
For guidance and information on completing a future application, please view the CCIF Guidance Document, Application Form Template, our FAQ and Charitable Giving Policy.
Standard Complimentary Train Tickets
We’re happy to donate a pair of standard complimentary train tickets, for travel on London North Eastern Railway trains, to fundraisers which align with our dedication to Mental Health, Employability, Environment and Diversity and Inclusion.
Each individual request is assessed on a case by case basis and always subject to availability. Before you apply, please read the Charitable Giving Policy, and if you still want to make an application, please fill in this form.