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Steve Morgan Foundation announces £100m funding pledge

The Steve Morgan Foundation has pledged to invest £100m over the next five years to tackle social disadvantage and fund internationally ground-breaking research into Type 1 Diabetes.

Founded in 2001 by entrepreneur and philanthropist, Steve Morgan CBE, the Foundation provides funding, support, expertise and best practice to not-for-profit organisations and has helped to improve the quality of life for millions of people.

As it approaches its 25th anniversary, the Foundation has set out a bold and ambitious new long-term strategy to invest in sustainable solutions that will change lives for good.

Steve Morgan CBE explains:

“This is a pivotal moment for the Foundation as we continue to drive proper impact across our region. We recognise that these are really tough times for so many communities who are facing poverty and a lack of meaningful opportunities. This is why we are significantly scaling up our support and pledging £20m each year for the next five years to support collaborative partnerships that tackle these issues head on.”

Liam Eaglestone, CEO at the Steve Morgan Foundation, added:

“We remain deeply committed to the region we’ve long supported – Merseyside, North Wales, West Cheshire, and North Shropshire. By combining our financial resources with the expertise of our partners we are determined to break the cycle of social disadvantage, creating long lasting impact across our region.”

Building on the success of strategic partnerships to date, the Foundation will deliver large-scale, long-term investments to improve outcomes in education, employment, and ensuring access to provision for those that need it the most, using learnings from previous projects to deliver an even greater impact.

A true Steve Morgan Foundation success story is the multi-partner Cradle 2 Career (C2C) programme, which has been hailed ‘a potential blueprint for transforming outcomes in left behind communities.’ In North Birkenhead, it has brought together communities and services to improve literacy standards and transform the lives of children and young people. Following its success, C2C is being scaled up across five other communities in the Liverpool City Region.

Another shining example of clear strategic impact is the Foundation’s backing of Maggie’s Centres’ expansion. The Foundation enabled Maggie’s to bring its vital cancer support services to Merseyside by commissioning, building and funding a brand-new centre in the Wirral. The Foundation is currently building a Maggie’s centre in North Wales that will open later this year and is committed to building a further one in Liverpool.  

And in a landmark act of philanthropic giving, the Steve Morgan Foundation committed £50 million in 2022 to the Type 1 Diabetes Grand Challenge – a research initiative that brings together Diabetes UK and Breakthrough T1D UK and aims to find a cure for Type 1 Diabetes. The Grand Challenge is funding the most promising projects to fast-track discoveries that will lead to life-changing new treatments.

Sally Morgan, Steve Morgan Foundation trustee, explains:

“We are incredibly proud to continue supporting the pioneering work of the T1D Grand Challenge – the UK’s first Type 1 Diabetes Virtual Research Institute. As with all our other partnerships, this is a cause that is close to our hearts. It is fantastic to see research projects funded by the Type 1 Diabetes Grand Challenge up and running across the UK and beyond, each taking us closer to new treatments and cures for Type 1 Diabetes.”

Steve Morgan CBE adds:  

“I am proud and humbled at what we have achieved through the Foundation over the past 25 years, but now is the time for meaningful change and a new strategic direction. We are committed to ensuring that the Steve Morgan Foundation delivers powerful and lasting change, starting now, investing £20m every year for the next five years.”

Steve Morgan Foundation shortlisted for the Charity Awards 2025

The Steve Morgan Foundation is delighted to announce that we have been shortlisted in the Grantmaking and Fundraising category for our work on the hugely impactful Cradle to Career programme.

Cradle to Career was initiated in 2019 to bring together the local authority and third-sector organisations to deliver systematic and long-term change for children and young people in North Birkenhead, one of the most deprived areas in the Liverpool City Region.

The Charity Awards is the sector’s most highly-regarded excellence recognition scheme and is this year celebrating its 25th anniversary. All 30 shortlisted charities this year have been judged by an independent panel of sector leaders as having demonstrated best practice in leadership and management, from which other organisations can learn.  

The 10 category winners will be announced at a black-tie dinner on Thursday 3 July, held at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London. The evening will be hosted by BBC news presenter Asad Ahmad, who will be joined on the night by a host of celebrities, representatives of the shortlisted charities, as well as leaders from Britain’s best known and best loved charities.

Of the shortlist, Liam Eaglestone, CEO at Steve Morgan Foundation, said: “I am thrilled that the Steve Morgan Foundation has been recognised for its work on the Cradle to Career programme.

The difference that this programme has made in the community, by the people in the community, the partners and the professionals is remarkable and is being recognised nationally as an example to follow.

Matthew Nolan, chief executive of Civil Society Media which organises the Charity Awards, congratulated Steve Morgan Foundation on making the highly-coveted shortlist. He said:For a quarter of a century now, the Charity Awards has been showcasing and celebrating the terrific work of UK charities large and small.

We offer our heartfelt congratulations to all the charities on this year’s shortlist; we know that times are tough and you should all be very proud of getting this far. We wish the Steve Morgan Foundation the best of luck on the night.”

The team is looking forward to attending the awards this July and meeting up with friends and peers in the not-for-profit sector. Keep an eye out on our socials to see our time at the event.

Take a look at the full shortlist and find out more about the awards on the Charity Awards 2025 website here. 

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