New funding announced to supercharge the Coronation Food Project

The Steve Morgan Foundation has pledged £890,000 to the Coronation Food Project to help bridge the gap between food waste and food poverty across Merseyside and North Wales.

The funding will go directly to the new Coronation Food Hub in Liverpool operated by FareShare, the UK’s biggest food redistribution charity, and will fund fifty percent of the running costs of the Hub for three years.

The money, along with donations from other supporters, will be used to double the existing warehouse capacity in Speke and to develop a training kitchen which will also act as a decanting kitchen allowing FareShare to make the most of donated fresh ingredients and help to deliver ‘ready meals’ where needed. The money will also fund three new members of staff and purchase five additional vans. All of this will improve the resources and efficiency of the food being received and distributed and will assist with the expansion plans to reach more communities in need.

With 140 community groups on the waiting list for surplus food, the funding will also help FareShare to begin providing food to two new groups per week and provide additional support directly to those in need. Other benefits of the funding include creating sustainable career opportunities, as volunteer staff will be given the chance to gain professional qualifications in the roles they undertake at the distribution centre.

The funding was formally announced at a reception on 23 January, organised by the Steve Morgan Foundation and hosted by FareShare, at the new Coronation Food Hub in Speke, Liverpool. The event brought together community groups, food providers and the Coronation Food Project partners to tackle the root causes of food poverty.

George Wright, CEO of FareShare commented:

“We are enormously grateful to the Steve Morgan Foundation for such a generous contribution, which will kick start the new Coronation Food Hub in Merseyside. Since its launch in November, the Coronation Food Project has brought together partners from across the food industry and beyond, to collaborate on new ways to address food insecurity and reduce food waste. The support the project has received to date has been incredible, with this landmark project already generating significantly more food for the 8,500 charities within our network, delivering millions more meals.

This launch of the first Coronation Food Hub will be instrumental in getting food that might otherwise have gone to waste, to more communities, more efficiently. This support will be transformative for surplus food redistribution in Merseyside and beyond. It will not only help us reach more charities and community groups, from afterschool and breakfast clubs to hospices and homelessness charities, but allow us to deliver additional benefits to support people in need.”

In addition to the financial support for the Coronation Food Hub, the Foundation will work closely with FareShare and the community groups to provide on-the-ground knowledge and expertise.

Steve Morgan CBE, Chairman of the Steve Morgan Foundation said:

“We are delighted to be able to support the Coronation Food Hub. We recognise that collaborations such as these between funders, delivery partners and community groups are essential to not only improving food distribution but to tackling the root causes of poverty and deprivation.

“Getting surplus food to hungry people is not easy and, despite best intentions, does not always work on the ground. Having grown up in the area served by the facility and from working with hundreds of local community groups, I know first-hand the challenges faced by families in our region. We are looking forward to working closely with FareShare to bring this powerful partnership to life and tackle the very real and daunting need in our communities.”

The Coronation Food Project, which was inspired by The King and launched on His Majesty’s 75th birthday, aims to create a fairer and more sustainable future by saving more surplus food, supercharging food distribution through distribution centres, and supporting the wider sector with flexible funding. The initiative is being led by Dame Martina Milburn and Baroness Louise Casey and is coordinated by the King Charles III Charitable Fund, with Dori Dana-Haeri leading the fundraising appeal as Chair of the Project’s Development Committee.

Dame Martina Milburn comments:

“Since the Coronation Food Project was launched by The King and Queen last year, we’ve been seeking support from partners who share our mission to reduce food waste and tackle food poverty. I am so delighted that the Steve Morgan Foundation, has stepped forward to fund the new Coronation Food Hub in Merseyside. This is going to make a transformational difference in the area – helping to rescue tonnes more surplus food and circulate it to communities in great need.”

Dori Dana-Haeri said:

“I was astonished by the scale of both food waste and food poverty in the UK, so I wanted to do something practical to help and I am delighted to be volunteering for the Coronation Food Project. We need more philanthropic leaders, like Steve Morgan, to step forward and support this crucial work.”

Click here to listen to the speeches from the launch reception and learn more about how the funding will be used to supercharge food distribution and bridge the gap between food waste and food need across our region.

A Steve Morgan Foundation Christmas celebration

On Sunday 10th December, we welcomed over 200 children and their families from selected organisations across the region to a children’s Christmas party at Carden Park Hotel.

Our children’s Christmas celebration has been an annual event since 2016 (with the exception of the COVID Christmases) for children’s charities and not-for-profit organisations, as well as some of our Enable grantees. We were delighted to bring the party back to Carden Park Hotel following a visit to the panto last year.

Liam Eaglestone, CEO at the Steve Morgan Foundation said:

“Our Christmas party is a great opportunity for children to come together and celebrate with other youngsters in our community in a safe and fun environment. It was fabulous to be together and see the excitement and joy on the children’s faces.

The wonderful YKids (one of our Associate Charities) lead from the front and we were delighted to be joined by some very special guests including the elves Dash and Gordon, Captain Jack Sparrow, and the tremendous Father Christmas. The children enjoyed a range of activities varying from party games and face painting, to making reindeer food and ‘human’ gift wrapping!

The team at SMF all look forward to our Christmas festivities and it was an absolute pleasure to be able to host this year’s event with support from YKids and the amazing Carden Park Hotel team.”

“We had brilliant time at the Steve Morgan Foundation Christmas party. Thank you so much for inviting us. Merry Christmas to all the SMF staff who worked so hard to ensure everyone had a great time.”

Cerebral Palsy United FC

“Thank you to the Steve Morgan Foundation for inviting our members to your Christmas party. They all had a fantastic time.”

Down Syndrome Cheshire

“Can you please pass on our thanks to everyone for a great day! The children and staff really enjoyed it, and were in awe of Carden Park!!!

The only improvement we could suggest, could be ear defenders for the adults to use while driving back, some protection from a full bus of hyper energized and happy children singing Christmas songs for an hour. Merry Christmas to all at the Foundation!”

Brighter Futures, Rhyl

Race to cure type 1 diabetes gets new boost

We’re thrilled to unveil the latest research funded by the Type 1 Diabetes Grand Challenge – a ground-breaking partnership between us, Diabetes UK and JDRF, following our momentous £50 million pledge into finding a cure for type 1 diabetes.

Earlier this year, we called on scientists to submit research proposals to get us closer to having new treatments for people with type 1 diabetes that tackle the root cause of their condition and restore their insulin-making beta cells.

Now, over £13 million of funding will support six outstanding research teams – made up of 40 scientists, working at 18 different institutions in the UK and Europe – to fast-track discoveries that could see us make huge strides in how we treat type 1 diabetes.

The Type 1 Diabetes Grand Challenge’s latest awards focus on two key research areas:

Improving methods to grow and transplant insulin-producing beta cells into people with type 1 diabetes.

Understanding how to stop the immune system attack at the root of type 1 diabetes.

Helping people make their own insulin

Professor David Hodson, at the University of Oxford, will lead to team to explore how insulin-boosting molecules, which sit on the surface of beta cells, could be harnessed to create better performing lab-grown beta cells. They will also test if the specialised molecules could help to protect transplanted beta cells from the immune system, or trigger new beta cells to grow inside the pancreas.

Working to create an unlimited supply of elite lab-made beta cells that can deftly respond to changing blood sugar levels will be the mission of the team led by Professor Shanta Persaud and Dr Aileen King, at King’s College London. They will utilise their expertise in human beta cell development to innovate improved methods of turning stem cells into beta cells and ensure they are well equipped to survive transplantation.

Professor Francesca Spagnoli, at King’s College London, will spearhead a multi-disciplinary team who will concentrate on keeping transplanted lab-made beta cells safe from harm. This will include developing a device that beta cells can live inside to protect them from the hostile environment they will face once inside the body.

Searching for ways to help more people benefit from islet transplants will be the focus of Professor Shareen Forbes, at the University of Edinburgh, and her team. Islet transplants involving taking clusters of cells from a donor pancreas and injecting them into the liver of someone with type 1 diabetes. The team will investigate if delivering drugs packaged inside micro-capsules alongside islet transplants could help donated cells produce more insulin and survive for longer.

Stopping the immune attack’s harm

A team led by Dr James Pearson, at Cardiff University, have been awarded funding to investigate how the time of day could impact the effectiveness of an immunotherapy, named Interleukin-2 (IL-2). They will study how cells, which help to shield beta cells from the type 1 diabetes immune attack, respond to IL-2 throughout the day to find the best time to give it to stop type 1 diabetes in its tracks.

Dr Danijela Tatovic, at Cardiff University, will head up a team to explore if combining multiple immunotherapies could make them more effective at protecting beta cells and slowing the progression of type 1 diabetes. Her team will run a clinical trial testing two promising immunotherapies, abatacept and IL-2, in people recently diagnosed with type 1 diabetes to understand how best to combine the treatments.

Summaries of each of these incredible projects can be found here.

Steve and Sally Morgan, Founders of the Steve Morgan Foundation, said:

“This is an exciting moment in our partnership with Diabetes UK and JDRF UK. We are astounded by the innovation and vision of the new projects and look forward to seeing how the research helps us realise our ambition of transforming the lives of people with type 1 diabetes.”

Dr Elizabeth Robertson, Director of Research at Diabetes UK, said:

“We’re in a hugely exciting period for the Type 1 Diabetes Grand Challenge, as today we welcome six exceptional scientists who will lead exciting multi-disciplinary teams to drive forward this pioneering initiative and build momentum towards our ambitious goal.

“This announcement brings with it fresh hope of a cure for everyone living with type 1 diabetes, and we look forward to seeing how these projects will break new ground in our search for life-changing beta cell therapies and treatments to overcome the type 1 immune system attack.”

Rachel Connor, Director of Research Partnerships at JDRF UK, said:

“Today’s announcement of six newly funded research projects demonstrates the speed and ambition of the Type 1 Diabetes Grand Challenge. All six projects hold great promise for people with type 1 diabetes. We can’t wait to see the results of this vital research to transform beta cell therapy and tackle the immune reaction that is at the root of driving type 1.”

Our latest awards take the total amount of funding the Type 1 Diabetes Grand Challenge has awarded in 2023 to over £20 million. We’ll keep you updated on the progress of this extraordinary research as our growing squad of scientists help us step closer to a cure.

Together Type 1 – the power of peer support

Together Type 1 (formerly Our Lives Our Choices Our Voices) recently marked its first anniversary having launched in September 2022, with a £5 million donation from the Steve Morgan Foundation.

The programme is run in partnership with Diabetes UK and brings together young people with type 1 diabetes through the delivery of a UK-wide peer support programme. Today, on World Diabetes Day 2023, we give an insight into what motivated Sally and Steve Morgan to provide this vital funding and support for young people living with type 1.

For other young people living with type 1 diabetes, stories and advice from their peers has the most power to help them feel they can manage their condition and are not facing their challenges alone.

Helping people who live with type 1 find others that they can relate to is vital, as Sally Morgan explains:

“We understand as parents of a boy with type 1 that the most powerful source of support is your peers. There is only so much that other people, who aren’t experiencing living with type 1 day-to-day, can do. If we can reach every young person in the UK out there with type one diabetes and help what can feel quite an isolating condition seem more normal, then that is going to make a difference.”

In October 2023, Young Leader Mike Cox interviewed Steve and Sally Morgan to talk about their motivation for funding Together Type 1.

Youth-led communication

Key to Together Type 1 is its Young Leaders initiative and, at the end of its first year, the programme now has 67 Young Leaders aged between 16 and 25 engaged across the length and breadth of the UK.

These amazing young people are leading on peer support, sharing communications, and also acting as powerful ambassadors for change within the healthcare system, by bringing to the conversation the voice of young people living with type 1. For the wider public, content from these young ambassadors is also helping to combat misconceptions and stigma by driving home the realities of life with type 1.

Creating a legacy

Together Type 1 is now ready to power into year two to deliver dynamic support and lasting change for young people.

“We want to encourage every young person with type 1 to be part of the programme to enrich and to help their lives and – most of all – to know that they are not the only one” – Steve Morgan CBE.

Read more about Together Type 1 and hear from the programme’s Young Leaders here.

The Steve Morgan Foundation funds new Maggie’s cancer support centre

Planning permission has been granted for a new cancer support centre in North Wales, which will be completely commissioned, designed and funded by the Steve Morgan Foundation and built in the grounds of Glan Clwyd Hospital in Bodelwyddan, Denbighshire.

The centre will provide free practical, psychological and emotional support for people with cancer, as well as their family and friends, from across the whole region – including Bangor and Wrexham.

North Wales sees 4,800 people newly diagnosed with cancer every year. It is hoped the centre will open in 2025.

Liam Eaglestone, CEO of the Steve Morgan Foundation, said:

“We are delighted to be helping Maggie’s bring its vital cancer support to the people of North Wales, ensuring they will have the warm, welcoming and free expert support of a Maggie’s centre right on their doorstep.

“Our collaboration with Maggie’s is one of the strongest examples of our philosophy of ‘disruptive philanthropy’. It highlights the Foundation’s ability to ‘give well’, by harnessing our expertise, practical support and commercial experience to maximise the impact of our financial support.”

Dame Laura Lee, Chief Executive at Maggie’s said:

“We are delighted to have been granted planning permission for our centre in North Wales.

“Without the Steve Morgan Foundation’s incredibly generous support in commissioning, designing, building and funding we wouldn’t have been able to bring Maggie’s to North Wales and for that I am so grateful.

“The Steve Morgan Foundation has committed to building three new Maggie’s centres – including the one in North Wales – which is a truly phenomenal act of philanthropy.

“I am greatly looking forward to working closely once again with the Steve Morgan Foundation, and Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, to ensure the people of North Wales have the support which has already been making such a difference to people’s lives in other parts of Wales for 12 years.”

The Steve Morgan Foundation provided £3m to build the centre in North Wales and has already commissioned, designed, built and funded Maggie’s Wirral, which officially opened in the grounds of Clatterbridge Cancer Centre in September 2021.

In 2022 it received 18,640 visits, including 11,025 people with cancer and 5,816 carers.

A third Maggie’s centre in Liverpool, to be built within the grounds of the New Royal Liverpool Hospital next to the new Clatterbridge Cancer Centre, is also in the development stages thanks to the Steve Morgan Foundation.

Glan Clwyd Hospital is managed by Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB) and is home of the North Wales Cancer Treatment Centre.

Adele Gittoes, BCUHB’s Interim Executive Director of Operations, added:

“I am delighted planning permission has been granted for this really important development. Working alongside the North Wales Cancer Treatment Centre, also based at Glan Clwyd Hospital, this will extend and enhance the support for people with cancer and their families.

“I also want to give my thanks to the Steve Morgan Foundation for its generous funding of what I’m sure will be a fabulous and highly valued facility.”

Steve Morgan Foundation commits to transparent giving

At the Steve Morgan Foundation, we believe in ‘giving money away well’ by building partnerships and supporting charities doing excellent work. We also believe in openness and honesty about the grants that we award and improving grant making across the UK. This is why we publish open grants data through 360Giving and have become an IVAR Flexible Funder.

360Giving

The aim of 360Giving is for more money to go to where it is needed most to support communities and good causes through a more informed understanding of the grant making picture. The Steve Morgan Foundation shares this view and so we have joined the UK’s leading funders in making our grants data open through the 360Giving Data Standard, helping to map and improve grant making across the UK.

The 360Giving Data Standard helps UK funders to publish their grants data in an open, standardised way so that people can better understand and use the data to improve charitable giving. Through 360Giving, we are able to share information on who, where and what we fund in a way that others can access for free. You can view all of our awarded grants since April 2020 here.

Since it was founded in 2015, more than 250 funders have published over 850,000 grants and more than 40,000 people a year access and use the data.

IVAR Flexible Funder

The Steve Morgan Foundation works hard to adopt the principles of open and trusting grant making, as set out by IVAR and London Funders. They are calling on funders to adopt simpler, more flexible practices that make life easier for those they fund.

We are one of over 100 funders who have signed up to the eight commitments and joined a community with other funders and charities to improve practice together. The eight commitments are:

Don’t waste time – funders will be open, transparent and clear about all of their priorities, requirements and exclusions.
Ask relevant questions – funders will test their application forms to ensure clarity, relevance and avoid repetition, only collecting information that genuinely informs a funding decision.
Accept risk – funders will clearly explain how risk is assessed and be realistic about how much assurance applicants can provide.
Act with urgency – funders will aim to make decisions as quickly as possible by publishing and sticking to timeframes to ensure they work at a pace that meets the needs of applicants.
Be open – funders will provide feedback, including reasons for rejections. They will analyse and share relevant data, including publishing success rates.
Enable flexibility – funders will aim to give unrestricted funding; where they can’t (or are a specialist funder), they will ensure their funding is as flexible as possible.
Communicate with purpose – a funders contact is positive and purposeful. They will be realistic about their time commitments.
Be proportionate – funders will ensure that their formal reporting requirements are well understood, proportionate and meaningful.

You can see who else has signed up and read more about these eight commitments on IVAR’s website: www.ivar.org.uk/flexible-funders.

We hope that our commitment to transparent giving will encourage more grant makers to adopt these standards and practices to improve the overall practice of grant-making across the UK.

Please click here for more information about our grants and types of funding.

Together Type 1: celebrating one year of the SMF-funded programme

The pioneering programme for young people with type 1 diabetes, funded by The Steve Morgan Foundation, marked its first anniversary with a celebration event and a new name. Our Lives, Our Choices, Our Voices is now called Together Type 1.

The Together Type 1 programme launched in September 2022 in partnership with Diabetes UK with £5 million donated by the Steve Morgan Foundation – one of our largest single grants awarded. The purpose is to bring young people with type 1 diabetes together through the delivery of a UK-wide peer support programme as they transition to adulthood.

Run by Diabetes UK, the initiative is an ambitious youth-led programme on a mission to tackle feelings of isolation and loneliness in children and young people aged 11 to 25 living with type 1 diabetes. It will give young people the confidence to manage their diabetes and relationships with healthcare professionals in the way that works best for them. It also creates a community where injecting insulin, counting carbs, and juggling the ups and downs of diabetes is the norm. And where young people can connect with others who know what living with the condition is really like, swap stories, and learn new skills along the way.

The new name ‘Together Type 1’ better reflects the purpose of the initiative – to emphasise collectiveness specifically for people with the type 1 condition (and is a little less of a mouthful to say!)

Celebrating with our Young Leaders

On 30 September a celebration event was held in Manchester with the programme’s Young Leaders to reflect on progress and successes and plans for the next few years. This national gathering saw the official launch of the new Together Type 1 brand, hosted practical workshops for our Young Leaders covering social media content creation, campaigning and coaching, as well as provided opportunities to connect and make new friends.

Liam Eaglestone, CEO of the Steve Morgan Foundation, attended the event:

“The first national gathering for Together Type 1 was an inspirational day – hearing directly from young leaders and youth workers about the impact of the programme has fully reaffirmed the Steve Morgan Foundation commitment to supporting young people and young adults with type 1 diabetes. We are very much looking forward to seeing how the programme grows and develops to support more and more young people in the coming years”.

Cradle to Career launches across Liverpool City Region

The pioneering place-based change programme, initiated and funded by the Steve Morgan Foundation is set to expand, with Mayor Steve Rotheram granting an additional £5.25m to tackle inequalities faced by families in the Liverpool City Region.

The expansion of the Cradle to Career programme was announced at a prestigious event at the House of Lords on Tuesday, September 19, where Steve Morgan addressed the guests and highlighted the impact the programme has had to date. This was followed by two events in the Liverpool City Region attended by the Mayor, Steve Rotheram on Thursday, September 28.

Cradle to Career was launched by the Steve Morgan Foundation in North Birkenhead in 2021 in partnership with Wirral Council and working alongside SHINE, an education charity and grant giver, and lead delivery partner Right to Succeed, a charity specialising in place-based change approaches. Funding provided by the Foundation to date totals £4.9 million, which includes a grant of £2.5 million to support the regional expansion.

**Liverpool City Region Mayor, Steve Rotheram speaking at one of the events**

Delivered by Right to Succeed, Cradle to Career puts the people of the Liverpool City Region at the heart of education, services and decision-making. Following discovery phases in Halton and Knowsley, bespoke programmes are being developed for communities in Halton Lea and Northwood. These will focus on supporting vulnerable learners; reducing the number of post-16 school leavers not in education, employment or training; developing robust facilities and activities for all; and creating a family support hub to support social, emotional and mental wellbeing in the community.

Further discovery phases are currently underway in Sefton and St Helens, with a vision to continue expansion across all six boroughs of the Liverpool City Region.

Commenting on the expansion of Cradle to Career, Steve Morgan CBE, said:

“We are incredibly excited to be taking this powerful partnership across the breadth of the Liverpool City Region.

“Good philanthropy and great partnerships are about bringing everyone together to deliver long-lasting and effective change, and Cradle to Career is a true exemplar of this; empowering communities, philanthropy and the public sector to work towards a shared vision to improve the lives of young people and their families.

“The Steve Morgan Foundation is involved in hundreds of initiatives not only in Merseyside but across the country but the impact of Cradle to Career is one of our most successful interventions and its achievements cannot be underestimated.

“In just two years, through Cradle to Career, the reading age for more than 1,600 children has improved exponentially; the number of young people at risk of being taken into care has significantly reduced, and Ofsted and the CQC are using the Cradle to Career programme as an example of best practice for family support.

“It is my hope that other cities and other regions in the UK will consider following suit by doing things differently and putting communities in control of their destinies.”

Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said:

“It is a gross injustice that children’s whole lives are mapped out before they ever leave the maternity unit; a postcode lottery dictating their bank balance, the food they can afford, the diseases they’re likely to develop, the quality of the air they will breathe and how long they will live.

“Addressing that imbalance is central to my politics. Cradle to Career is a radical, bespoke approach that works with the communities to identify local issues – and empowers them to come up with the solutions.

“Its results in North Birkenhead have been so impressive that we are investing more than £5m to roll it out across the rest of the region. Too many kids in our region have been held back, not by a lack of talent but a lack of opportunity – but I’m working to put that right.”

CEO of Right to Succeed, Graeme Duncan added:

“We are delighted that the Combined Authority has decided to fund the roll out of collective impact programmes across the Liverpool City Region, helping to realise our vision that every child can thrive from Cradle to Career.

“Our experience working in North Birkenhead on the Cradle to Career programme over the last three years has shown that by putting the decision-making power in the hands of the community and bringing people together around shared aims, you can accelerate the pace of change for children and young people.

“By rolling this out across the region, the Combined Authority is taking the lead, investing in a new approach that will see sustained change and improved outcomes for more children and young people.”

Visit the website for Cradle to Career North Birkenhead.

**Photo shows (LtoR) Rekha Patel-Harrison (Right to Succeed), Graeme Duncan (CEO, Right to Succeed), Jane Harris (Steve Morgan Foundation), Steve Rotheram (Liverpool City Region Mayor)**

Funding for charities: Am I eligible for an SMF grant?

At the Steve Morgan Foundation, our overarching mission is to deliver modern day philanthropy at its best. We are passionately committed to changing lives for good by working with like-minded people and organisations that are making a positive difference to those in need. We have awarded over 2,500 grants since 2001 – and counting!

But how do you know if your charity is eligible for funding from the Steve Morgan Foundation? Below, we explain the typical eligibility criteria we look for when providing funding for charities.

Who do we fund?

The Steve Morgan Foundation has helped to improve the quality of life for more than four million people, through harnessing the power of working together.

Our trustees support registered charities, CICs and not for profit organisations working exclusively in our remit area; specifically, those which are helping to improve life chances for children and families as well as the elderly, disabled and socially isolated, or which expand opportunities and life choices for young people.

Funding for charities – our options

Regional grants – Multi-year grants for core funding, salaries and ongoing running costs for projects.
Enable grants – For organisations and individuals needing disability equipment or transport resources. This is the only programme that funds individuals.
Social investment loans – For eligible property purchases.

Regional grants typically cover periods of up to three years. A minimum gap of one year is required between funding awards. To find out more about the different types of funding for charities that we provide, please click here.

Where do we fund?

Born in Liverpool, Steve Morgan CBE – our Founder and Chairman of Trustees – is passionate about bringing positive change to the communities closest to his heart through the Foundation. Our regional grants and Enable grants are therefore provided to projects, organisations and individuals based across Merseyside, North Wales, Cheshire west of the M6 and North Shropshire.

Through these grants, we deliver practical support and multi-year funding to bring positive change across the region. You can read some of our recent regional case studies here to see this work in action.

Please note that local branches of national charities which are based within the remit area, or programmes delivered locally by organisations working on a national basis, are not generally supported. However, our Strategic Partnership Funding programme, available by invitation only, may include organisations with a national profile. Examples of this are our work with Maggie’s and Diabetes UK.

How much do we fund?

For Regional grants, we consider no more than the equivalent of 25% of annual turnover for each year of an award.

Enable applications are means tested and applicants may be asked to make a contribution to the overall cost of the equipment. Please get in touch with our friendly team if you have any concerns or queries about your application or our funding criteria.

When providing funding for charities, the Foundation always welcomes proposals to match fund with other grant-givers.

How can you apply?

Firstly, please use our eligibility checker to ensure you meet all the relevant criteria. If you are eligible to apply for a grant, you will then be directed to the relevant online application form, where you can fill in your details and be put through to our team.

If for some reason you are unable to access the eligibility checker online, please contact the team directly for help on 01928 706 555 or email us at hello@stevemorganfoundation.org.uk.

How long will your application take to process?

Applications must be accompanied by up-to-date published accounts and details of the organisation’s reserves policy. Having these prepared and ready can help speed up the process. Some applications may need to be considered over two trustee meetings, which are held bi-monthly, but we always aim to make the process as quick as possible.

As part of the assessment process, a member of the Grants Team and a Trustee will come and visit you at your organisation to see the work you are doing in action.

“The Foundation might be able to help in ways you have not thought about…”

If you’d like to learn more about others’ experiences of applying for funding through the Steve Morgan Foundation, please check out our webpage on GrantAdvisor UK, a website that allows grant-seekers to share their first-hand experiences working with funders.

Steve Morgan Foundation invests in education opportunities for young people

The Steve Morgan Foundation, LFC Foundation, Everton in the Community, and the University of Liverpool have formed a unique, collaborative partnership to provide investment for five years to IntoUniversity, a new education facility based in Kirkby, Knowsley, that aims to deliver educational support and development opportunities for seven to 18 year olds in the region.

IntoUniversity is a national social mobility charity which runs 39 local learning centres across England and Scotland. Working with a number of primary and secondary school pupils through partnerships with schools in the area, the charity provides a safe space for young people to learn, explore and succeed in a welcoming and supportive home from home environment.

Due to open in October 2023 in Kirkby town centre, the new IntoUniversity facility will offer after-school academic support to young people in the area, as well as a variety of other workshops, university visits, mentoring opportunities and aspiration-raising activities – all designed to give them the skills, confidence and information to make informed choices about their future and ultimately reach their full potential.

Commenting on the partnership, Liam Eaglestone, CEO of the Steve Morgan Foundation said: “We are delighted to be collaborating once again with like-minded organisations to support the delivery of additional educational and development opportunities for our young people. We are excited to see the positive difference this ground-breaking partnership could have and hope that it will encourage other communities across the country to form similar collaborations.”

Councillor Margaret Harvey, Knowsley Council’s Children’s Services Cabinet Member, said: “I’m delighted to welcome IntoUniversity to Knowsley and look forward to expanding the educational offer for children and young people in our Borough. We know that IntoUniversity has successfully run a centre in Anfield over the last five years, which has delivered a range of benefits through their engagement with children and families in that area.

Dr Rachel Carr, CEO and Founder of IntoUniversity, commented: “We’re very excited to be expanding our work in Merseyside through this new centre in Kirkby. We look forward to working with local schools and the wider community, and most importantly to welcoming some of the amazing young people in the area through the doors of our centre very soon. Kirkby is brimming with potential, and we hope our centre can become an important feature within the local community, helping young people with the skills and support they need to realise that potential.”

Gavin Brown, Pro-Vice Chancellor for Education at the University of Liverpool said: “We invest more than £10m each year in financial support for students from under-represented groups to be able to study with us and in outreach activities with local schools and colleges. With the opening of the new learning centre in Kirkby, the University is delivering on its promise to further support and encourage young people across Merseyside to access life-changing educational opportunities.

“Following on from the success of the IntoUniversity North Liverpool centre in Anfield since it opened in 2017, the University is delighted to again be working with Future Goals partners, the LFC Foundation, Everton in the Community and the Steve Morgan Foundation, to help many more young people across the region make the most of their talents and abilities.”

Matt Parish, CEO of Liverpool FC Foundation said: “Our partnership with the University of Liverpool and IntoUniversity for the last five years has supported 3,000 young people from across Liverpool at the North Liverpool Centre in Anfield. We’re proud that 61% of students who attend IntoUniversity progress into further education, opening up opportunities that previously might have seemed unachievable.

“We are really excited to continue to be part of this journey which now includes Everton In The Community and the Steve Morgan Foundation. With their support and the opening of a second centre in Kirkby, the partnership will be able to provide further opportunities for even more young people.”

Sue Gregory, CEO of Everton in the Community, said: “We are looking forward to opening the doors of this important and much-needed facility in Kirkby and playing our part in helping to provide lifelong learning opportunities to young people in Merseyside and increase our collective impact on the education inequality gap.”

Find out more about IntoUniversity here and for more information about our other partners, please click here.

Steve Morgan Foundation and LFC Foundation shortlisted for international award

One of the most prestigious awards in the sporting industry has recognised the work of LFC Foundation and Steve Morgan Foundation.

The Leaders Sports Awards acknowledge industry success and achievements on a global scale with global brands highlighting their work in breaking down barriers and bringing communities together.

Steve Morgan Foundation and LFC Foundation have been shortlisted for our work within five community hubs across the Liverpool City Region.

Matt Parish, LFC Foundation Chief Executive Officer said,

“Working with a partner like Steve Morgan Foundation has been unbelievable.”

“When we started this journey just over two years ago our goal was to identify and help community centres in need and support them and the people who used those spaces.”

“With the help of Steve and his team, I’m delighted with what we’ve achieved. We’ve grown our number of people supported year on year and to provide life changing opportunities to more young people and adults.”

Liam Eaglestone, CEO of the Steve Morgan Foundation added

“We are delighted that our partnership with LFC Foundation has been shortlisted for this prestigious award.”

“We are proud of the place-based impact made by the five community hubs and we look forward to working closely with the team at LFC Foundation to extend their reach across the Liverpool City Region.”

“As a leading charitable foundation, we firmly believe that it is through long-term partnerships such as this that we can make the greatest impact and difference to those in need.”

The future now looks bright for our community hubs in Toxteth, Birkenhead, Bootle, Kirkby and Anfield with those centres being given a brand-new lease of life. They are now multi-purpose spaces, with people of all ages coming together for sport, play, to gain employability skills and training or a place to a community to gather.

Looking ahead, we will use this model to grow and expand our network of community hubs, and to reach and support more people.

Find out more about our partnership with the LFC Foundation.

View the Leaders Sports Awards Shortlist here.

Steve Morgan sixth on the Sunday Times Giving List 2023

Steve Morgan (CBE) – our Founder and Chairman of Trustees – has been named as number 6 in the Sunday Times Giving List 2023.

Sunday Times Giving List 2023

The Sunday Times Giving List, in association with the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF), tracks the philanthropic activity of almost a third of 350 of Britain’s wealthiest people. It is based on the proportion of total wealth donated or pledged to charity by those who appear in the Sunday Times Rich List.

Steve Morgan CBE was named number six out of the top 100 this year, having donated an incredible £59.6 million, via the Steve Morgan Foundation.

Collectively, the top 100 gave £3.431 billion – up by more than a billion on last year’s total giving. Seven members of The Sunday Times Rich List gave more than £100 million in the past year, 42 gave £10 million or more, while 90 were members of the £1 million donors club.

Giving money away well

At the age of 21, Steve established Redrow, which grew to be one of the UK’s most successful housebuilders. But despite his obvious success in business, Steve has never forgotten his roots on some of the toughest streets in Liverpool.

It was this desire to give something back that prompted him to set up the Steve Morgan Foundation in 2001 to help bring positive change to the communities closest to his heart and beyond.

He explains: “I am enormously proud to be on the Sunday Times Giving List, not just personally but also on behalf of the team at the Steve Morgan Foundation, who work exceptionally hard not just to give money away, but to give money away well.

“We’re supporting so many great charities to help change the lives of those in greatest need, and we’re committed to working with fantastic partners that share our vision of changing lives for good. I’m proud of and thankful to our staff and trustee team for all their dedicated work.”

The Steve Morgan Foundation

The Steve Morgan Foundation is passionately committed to changing lives for good by working with partners that make a positive difference to those in need. We provide funding, support, expertise and best practice to the charities and organisations we support.

By harnessing the power of working together, we address a range of areas including poverty, homelessness, health and wellbeing, and education and training, and have helped to improve the quality of life for more than four million people.

Steve continues to prioritise the ongoing support of the Foundation alongside his business interests and has donated over £300 million to it since 2001.

You can read some of the stories from individuals and communities who have benefited from support from the Steve Morgan Foundation here.