The Renew Community Fund is part of Renew Greater Manchester – the UK’s largest reuse initiative. Items donated at recycling centres are repaired, refurbished or upcycled and sold in Renew shops, with money raised reinvested back into local communities through this fund.
We’re working towards a Greater Manchester where:
We’re looking for projects that:
This could include activities like repair workshops, reuse schemes, sharing libraries, upcycling projects or community redistribution initiatives.
For 2026, we’re introducing a new way to apply.
All applications will be managed through https://actionfunder.org/ an online platform that helps connect organisations with funding opportunities and streamlines the application process.
You will need to apply using the https://actionfunder.org/
We recommend creating an account in advance so you’re ready to apply when the fund opens.
We’re pleased to announce that the Renew Community Fund will reopen for applications on 29 June 2026.
The fund supports community groups, charities and organisations across Greater Manchester to deliver projects that reduce waste, encourage reuse and repair, and support local people.
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.
Bric-a-Brac Brew! Will be a community café built entirely from preloved / donated household waste, promoting reuse, repair, and shared skills. Through repair/upcycling workshops, pop-up shops, and composting, we will empower locals to reduce waste, share resources, and build a culture of fixing, not throwing away.
Restocked CIC takes donated household items from our residents, revives them and puts them back into communities that need them. Our aim is to minimise waste and improve homes while educating our communities on repair and reuse.
Our Share and Repair Shop will encourage the repair, reuse and redistribution of household items, encouraging sustainable living and reducing waste in Gorton and Greater Manchester, providing the community with the skills and knowledge to repair everyday items such as bikes, small appliances and furniture, promoting self-reliance and environmental awareness.
This 12-month project will challenge cultural stigma around reuse in African households by hosting workshops on 3R awareness, mending, repairing, and reusing items, promoting renting over buying, and teaching safe reuse practices. It encourages waste reduction by fostering a community culture of repair, reuse, and sustainable item exchange.
Our woodwork programme is an innovative project designed to engage 100 Jewish teenagers in Greater Manchester in the art of woodwork, emphasising the principles of repair, reuse, and sustainability. Through hands-on workshops, participants will learn to repair and upcycle wooden items, transforming discarded furniture and materials into functional pieces.
The KHIDMA Community Project aims to promote well-being, reduce social isolation, and empower community members. This project will work with South Asian, Middle Eastern and African communities to encourage reuse and repair run a series of monthly repair workshops, swap shops and donation drives.
