Since the inaugural grants were made in March 1998, a total in excess of £1.9 million has been distributed to good causes mainly in Cumbria and over 1000 charities have benefited. The grant total in 2007/08 was £207,748.

The above figures do not include the special fund set up in 2001 in response to the exceptional problems facing the County during the Foot and Mouth (FMD) outbreak. FMD hit Cumbria particularly hard and the farming community was devastated. The Hadfield Trust devised a Short Break Scheme to give grants to farmers and those affected by FMD to enable them to take a few days break away from the stress and loneliness being felt as a direct result of the epidemic. The break to recharge their batteries had to be taken at a hotel or similar in Cumbria and in this way significant help was given to the hospitality industry, which was also severely affected.