Business Giving

Manchester is growing. Be part of positive change.


Join Step Up MCR to unleash the unlimited potential of the people who make our city.


Through local giving, Step Up MCR grows community projects making a real difference to people’s lives in North Manchester.


We put the power in the hands of North Manchester residents, so that as our city grows, so do our communities.


We want to work with local businesses like yours to grow community-led projects so that everybody feels happy, healthy and at home in our neighbourhoods.


Our small team is already working with 30 resident-led projects, providing the tools they need to flourish. We’ve leveraged almost £200k into Ancoats & Beswick and Clayton & Openshaw since 2020, and we’re just getting started.


We can help your business invest its precious time, money, resources and skills in...

People like Kerrie


Thanks to our collaborative approach to local giving, we turned one resident’s dream to build a cycle track in memory of her four year old son Max into a Crowdfunder campaign raising over £85k for the community of Openshaw.


How can your business can step up to grow our local giving movement? 

People like Paul


Paul started out training his nephew in the park in Beswick on lockdown. We started working with Paul to grow his dream to start Beswick’s first community football team, offering training, funding, space, resources, support and connections.


He’s now working with over 150 children every week after building Beswick Community Football Club.


How can your business step up for people like Paul?

Become a Friend of Step Up MCR

We know that many businesses in Manchester want to give back and do more in their local communities.


However, how to approach and implement this is not always clear.


Step Up MCR is committed to supporting local grassroots charities, organisations and causes that have a real, lasting impact on their communities.


We want to bring together businesses across Manchester to help us to help others.


Our new Friends of Step Up MCR partnership is for organisations based or working in Manchester who want to engage with and support grassroots community activities.


We’re asking businesses to support us with an annual membership to the Friends of Step Up MCR network to create a collaborative funding pot that will nurture sustainable community projects.



We will work with you to develop your local giving, whether you want to give funding, time, expertise, skills or resources to improve the lives of people in North Manchester.

Business benefits

  • Hit social value targets

    We will work with you to support your social value targets to grow healthier, safer and more resilient local communities.


    Our annual report will show the impact you make, and our quarterly newspaper will keep you updated on the projects you support. 

  • Connect with local communities

    We will support your business and colleagues to connect into the local communities on your doorstep. 


    We will broker in-kind contributions like volunteer hours, resources, skills, knowledge and funding to help you make a real and positive difference. 

  • Promote your work

    Shout out about the positive impact you are making in our community newspaper delivered to 11,500 households, businesses and community spaces every quarter .


    Share good news stories and have your logo feature in our newspaper, social media channels and website. 

  • Improve the lives of people in North Manchester

    100% of funding will support North Manchester health and wellbeing projects 

  • Other great benefits


    • Local giving and volunteering is great for staff retention, wellbeing, and brand recognition!

    • Have a voice in how funding is spent – you could have a seat at the decision-making table

    • We’ll tell you about the projects you help us support in our newspaper and e-newsletter

    • You’ll receive regular bulletins about forthcoming social, networking, sponsorship and fundraising opportunities for you and your colleagues

Ways your business can get involved

  • Small business

    • £100 per month membership, 

    • charity of the year, 

    • donation tin or customer fundraising, 

    • colleague volunteer time or other in-kind giving, 

    • Crowdfunder Rewards. 

  • Medium business

    • £250 per month membership, 

    • charity of the year, 

    • donation tin or other customer fundraising, 

    • colleague volunteer time or other in-kind giving, 

    • Crowdfunder Rewards, 

    • a voice at our Advisory Panel.

  • Large business

    • Annual membership fee discussion, 

    • donation tin or customer fundraising, 

    • colleague volunteer time or other in-kind giving, 

    • Crowdfunder Rewards, 

    • co-hosting events, 

    • a voice at our Advisory Panel or Board.

Get in touch

Sign up

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