The R4GM Community Fund is now the Renew Community Fund. We’ve made this change to better reflect where the funding comes from, and our future aims and ambitions.
We want Greater Manchester to be a place where…
We will also continue to support
You can register now ahead of the application window.
We will be hosting online application workshops for anyone interested in finding out more about the fund.
Renew is Greater Manchester’s reuse initiative – the largest of its kind in the country, Renew takes donations made by residents at recycling centres across Greater Manchester, these items are then cleaned, fixed and upcycledready for resale via the Renew shops and online.All of the items you see for sale at the Renew shops or online would otherwise have gone to waste. By rescuing it and putting it back into use, we’re capturing key resources. Money raised from these sales fund the Renew community fund it also supports good causes across Greater Manchester. For more information and to shop online Renew – Greater Manchester | Donate & Buy Pre-Loved Items | R4GM
We are encouraging more projects that focus on repair and reuse. When we fix something, borrow something, or buy second hand instead of new, we’re keeping existing items in use. Making new things involves mining or harvesting raw materials which damages our environment. Keeping things in use means we need less raw materials, which lessens the impact on our environment.
For example, instead of throwing away an old chair, you could give it away or sell it to someone who needs it or paint it a different colour it so it feels new again.
Even something as simple as changing a fuse in a plug or replacing a zip on a backpack counts.
These activities are different to recycling as the original item is kept in use. With recycling, items are broken down back into their raw materials to become new items. This process uses much more energy and resources than if we just kept the item in use.
Repair and reuse is much more effective at reducing carbon emissions than recycling alone, as it prevents the emissions from happening in the first place.
In Greater Manchester, most of us understand why it is important to recycle and how to do this properly. We want repair and reuse to become a part of daily life, just like recycling.
We want the fund to have the most impact possible, encouraging long-term, positive behaviour change in the communities involved in the projects we support.
We want projects that help to make fixing, donating, sharing, borrowing and buying pre-loved a normal part of everyday life.
With this in mind, we will be prioritising projects that encourage these activities. Other projects that encourage recycling and support local communities. may still receive funding, but they may not be scored as highly.
There are many benefits, including:
Each application is scored on its individual merit and the scoring process is outlined in the guidance (insert link)
There are lots of examples of previous projects that are a great fit for the fund.
These things encourage long term behaviour change.
No. The fund is still open to:
We will be hosting online application workshops for anyone interested in finding out more about the fund, here we will talk through the application process and help answer any of your questions.
The “Inspiring Communities for a Sustainable Future” project targets disadvantaged Muslim communities in Greater Manchester, offering workshops on innovative waste management. Focusing on food waste, paper, textiles, books, and toys, the project culminates in a celebration event for all communities with the Rochdale Science Extravaganza, promoting recycling, re-use, and sustainability.
We will save cycles from the tip, refurbish them before providing to local schools or selling them at discounted rate to our community, promoting re-use and preventing waste. We will also support primary school children and adults to clean, check and maintain their cycles, again promoting longevity and avoiding waste.
We will create a sustainable community initiative that collects old furniture and textiles, repurposing them for residents in need in Rochdale. This project aims to address local deprivation, enhance skills, and support low-income households by focusing on repairing and reusing amongst individuals with SEND and refugees.
SPARK (Stretford Plastic Advocacy for Recycling and Knowledge) is a school-led initiative that advances plastics recycling education. It immerses students in sorting, collecting, shredding, and transforming plastic waste into new products. As a community hub, the school engages enthusiastic students to champion sustainability and drive community-wide environmental change.
Our project aims to empower the deaf community in Greater Manchester through sustainable practices. We’ll establish a deaf-friendly recycling and reusing hub, offering sign language communication, workshops, and resources. By promoting waste reduction and recycling, we enhance community inclusion and environmental stewardship.
We will collect unwanted digital devices, otherwise bound for landfill, through a well-promoted donations network spanning Oldham’s 12 Libraries, and repair or recycle those devices ready for gifting at Limehurst Library (which serves an area of high deprivation and digital exclusion) at a series of community engagement events and activities.
