Another £1.5m is being made available in South Lakeland and Furness for projects to help people who've been out of work for long periods of time.
The Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership has been working with the Big Lottery Fund’s Building Better Opportunities programme.
The programme matches funds from the European Social Fund to provide joint investment in projects to help deliver support for those who are facing what are described as "multiple and complex barriers to employment".
Graham Haywood, director of Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “Funding for these projects aims to help long-term unemployed people to play a greater role in their communities and gain confidence and skills that they can put into practice in employment or volunteering. They will also provide work experience and employment opportunities for those within social enterprises.”
The partnership works to identify projects that best meet local need and priorities. EU strategy manager for the LEP Corinne Watson added: “This funding provides a fantastic opportunity to provide much needed support to individuals in Cumbria, who with a little extra and intensive help, can take that first step on the road to volunteering and ultimately employment.
“The focus is on providing support to improve mental health, financial inclusion and encouraging opportunities within the social enterprise and wider third sector.”
Organisations that can apply for funding include voluntary and community and social enterprise groups.
Further information is available here.