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
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.
We intend to recycle musical instruments and hire them out at a very low rate or free depending on circumstances .We aim to also teach people how to repair , for example replace guitar strings or drum skins.
This project is a collaborative effort between NEPHRA Good Neighbours and Easy Come Easy Grow, dedicated to breathing new life into broken and unwanted items across North Manchester. Through this initiative, we strive to equip the local community with valuable skills and training, fostering sustainability and empowerment.
A weekly session where members of the community can bring household items to be repaired or upcycled by one of our volunteers, or repaired or upcycled by themselves using tools available for the session. There will be sessions where we can teach people to repair/upcycled.
We divert unwanted bikes from landfill by repairing and upcycling them for local refugees. Volunteers receive free training in bike maintenance, supporting repairs and extending bike lifespans. The project promotes reuse, reduces waste, encourages active travel, and builds a circular economy model that benefits both people and the planet.
Our project will create a food waste awareness and composting hub at the Beswick Urban Growers (BUG) school and community garden. Collaborating with local volunteers and community groups, plus the 1000+ students and 100+ school staff, we will local measurably reduce food waste through direct engagement, education and new infrastructure.
We will work with adults with learning disabilities and autism to promote the importance of reducing household waste. Our Green Superheroes will provide training. We will hold arts and crafts sessions using materials that would otherwise become household waste and establish swap shops and repair cafes in Rochdale and Trafford.
