Citizenship
We believe it is important to help communities to thrive and to make a valuable contribution to issues where there is most need.
Our office is in Islington, where we focus a lot of our support. The borough is often mistaken for an affluent area but, in reality, has the 4th highest level of child poverty in the country: 47% live below the poverty line.
Underpinning all this is the encouragement we give to our people so that they can support the causes that they care about.
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Connected to our community
THE CORE PROGRAMME
Delivered by the BIG Alliance, the CoRe (Community Resourcing) programme is a social impact partnership between the Macquarie Group Foundation, Slaughter and May, and – for the first time in 2022 – Expedia Group. Over six months the programme aims to enhance the capacity, capability and sustainability of non-profit organisations in Islington and the surrounding areas by addressing their key operational needs and strategic challenges. In 2022, the CoRe programme saw 70 volunteers donating over 2,500 hours of their time to 12 Islington community organisations, resulting in over 2500 volunteering hours and an estimated £136,000+ leveraged in support for the charities that took part.
In 2019 we have begun a partnership with Internews, a charity that works to improve communication flows between humanitarian organisations, local media and the people affected by natural and man-made crises. Through funding and pro bono support, we are proud to support their humanitarian crisis work.
Download our Impact Report
INTERNEWS
ST LUKE'S COMMUNITY CENTRE
We have partnered with St Luke’s Community Centre since 2008 and work closely with them to deliver projects tailored to the needs of the local community.
Our employees volunteer at the Centre in a number of ways. They help older people to develop their computer literacy skills, work with the long-term unemployed with job applications and generously give their time and personal donations to create a very special Christmas Day for those who would otherwise spend it alone.
Local partnerships
In 2021, we commenced partnerships with three local not for profit organisations as part of our community programme. They include Beam, who support homeless people to build their network and crowdfund their way into long term employment; Talk for Health, a social enterprise that teaches people an evidence-based method for therapeutic talking; and Bags of Taste, who work with people in food poverty, helping them to achieve an improved and healthier diet on a low budget.
Our employees volunteer at the Centre in a number of ways. They help older people to develop their computer literacy skills, work with the long-term unemployed with job applications and generously give their time and personal donations to create a very special Christmas Day for those who would otherwise spend it alone.
FIRM FUTURES
Together with St Luke’s Community Centre and enterprise experts B Consultancy, we created Firm Futures to help people in Islington, who are not in permanent, full time employment, set up their own businesses. 85% are trading or close to trading within 24 months of starting the programme.
Through a series of monthly workshops, Firm Futures builds participants’ confidence and the skills needed to set up a business, as well as providing up to £2,000 to cover start-up costs, mentoring and a subsidised workspace.
SUPPORTING EMPLOYEE GIVING
We support employee giving through a number of initiatives such as Payroll Giving. Our Funds for Fundraisers scheme provides matched funding for to employees who fundraise in their own time for charities and schools. Future trainees are also welcome to apply for this scheme.
Through a series of monthly workshops, Firm Futures builds participants’ confidence and the skills needed to set up a business, as well as providing up to £2,000 to cover start-up costs, mentoring and a subsidised workspace.
We are unable to accept unsolicited funding applications from schools, charities or individuals.