Grant scheme opens for community projects that repair and reuse household items

Applications have opened for community projects in Stockport and Greater Manchester to access grants of up to £20,000 for work that help stop useful items being thrown away by fixing, mending, sharing or donating them.

Grants come the Renew Community Fund, part of the UK’s largest reuse initiative Renew Greater Manchester. Since 2021, over 100 projects have been supported with over £1 million total funding, and include repair workshops, tool or toy libraries, clothes swaps, furniture upcycling projects and community sharing events. Renew Greater Manchester is operated in partnership between Recycle for Greater Manchester/GMCA and waste and resources company SUEZ.

Open for applications from now until Thursday, August 6, groups can apply for their share of £200,000. Charities, community or voluntary groups, CICs, not-for-profit organisations, faith groups delivering community work, schools, colleges and universities are eligible to apply. Organisations that have applied in previous years are welcome to submit their ideas again.  

Projects must be delivered within the Greater Manchester districts of Bury, Bolton, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside and Trafford.

This year, applications are being managed through the ActionFunder platform, making it quicker and easier for organisations to apply and access other relevant funding opportunities.

Daniel Carolan, Greater Manchester Contract Director for SUEZ, said:

“We’re proud to support the Renew Community Fund and the impact it continues to have across Greater Manchester.

“By turning donated items into funding for local projects, Renew is helping to reduce waste while supporting communities to learn new skills, connect with others and build resilience.

“We’re excited to see what creative and inspiring ideas come forward this year.”

Previously funded projects include groups that have supported families facing cost-of-living pressures through baby banks and school uniform schemes, while others have worked to change attitudes to reuse and reduce stigma. Local repair cafés and workshops have given residents the skills and confidence to fix everyday items, while informal courses in sewing and upcycling have helped people build practical skills and explore new opportunities.

Restocked CIC, which operates across Stockport, works to tackle furniture poverty by collecting donated furniture from local residents, reviving it and putting it back into the hands of those who need it most.

Rebecca Hill, Director of Restocked CIC, said,

“Without the Renew Community Fund, Restocked CIC simply would not exist. The fund gave us the initial start to help those in need in Greater Manchester. It secured us premises, bought us the tools and developed the skills needed to upholster furniture for those in need, which keeps our nonprofit going.”