13 FEBRUARY 2023
Grosvenor Property UK’s Greener Futures community investment programme is already helping to change people’s lives in London and Liverpool. This four-year programme running until 2025 has three aims: to support training for jobs in the green economy; enable community-led climate action; and improve young people’s access to nature.
Programmes like this are needed now more than ever, with 75% of UK adults worried about the impact of climate change (ONS, 2022), 92% of young people eager to project the environment (Groundwork, 2021) and 1 million+ green jobs expected by 2050 (Ecuity for Local Government Association, 2019).
One year on, we’ve already made an immense impact; donating £500,000 and contributing 1,100 volunteering hours. This has created 25 new jobs for people who were previously unemployed and funded 26 climate-led community projects that will benefit over 25,000 people.
Watch our short film to see the positive impact we've made in the programme's first year below.
Support for training and jobs in the green economy
We’ve established a long-term partnership with national charity Groundwork, which mobilises practical community action on poverty and the environment. We currently support its Westminster Wheels and Green Team projects enabling unemployed people to secure training, qualifications, and long-term employment, whilst also providing environmental benefits.
So far, we have donated £150,000+ to Groundwork which was bolstered by an immense fundraising effort from employees. This has already made a huge impact, enabling Groundwork to provide training placements to 25 previously unemployed people, donate c.300 refurbished bikes to Westminster residents who need them most and green community spaces across 20 London parks.
A Greener Futures Fund for community-led climate action
£230,000 was awarded to 9 projects in Westminster and Southwark through our partnership with the London Community Foundation. Over the next two years these projects will collectively benefit over 23,000 people. Initiatives included an educational garden for people with learning disabilities and a social action leadership programme for young people from minority ethnic backgrounds. Read more about the projects here.
£44,000 was also donated to 11 projects based in or around the Liverpool City Region through our partnership with the Community Foundation for Merseyside. These initiatives will support the needs of around 900 children and young adults. Projects including food growing, waste prevention and theatre to support climate anxiety in young people. Read more here.
Improving young people’s access to nature
Every year Grosvenor donates c £1.5m to the Westminster Foundation to support vulnerable young lives. As part of Greener Futures, we are now focusing a proportion of that on improving disadvantaged young people’s access to nature. In 2022, we gave £127,000 to 6 projects including a climate change education programme for young people with learning disabilities.
Helping employees champion community-led change
Employees are also directly benefiting from making a difference to, and learning about, our communities and the issues that matter to them. All Grosvenor employees have two annual volunteering days to support Greener Futures grantees, which in 2022 resulted in 1,100+ hours. Our Executive team led from the front and were the first to volunteer with Groundwork’s Green Teams, helping improve green spaces in nearby Estates.
Graham Duxbury, Chief Executive, Groundwork UK: “We’ve been blown away by the enthusiasm and creativity of the Grosvenor team in generating funds to support our mission. This has been exemplified by the support Grosvenor have given to our Westminster Wheels cycle repair enterprise, which is now going from strength to strength in partnership with Westminster Council. We look forward to deepening our relationship and extending our activities into other areas to help the communities in which Grosvenor has a stake become more cohesive, sustainable, and resilient.”
Amelia Bright, Executive Director, Grosvenor Property UK: “Creating better, greener neighbourhoods is at the heart of what we do at Grosvenor and our Greener Futures programme is a key part of that. It’s one way we can play our part in delivering environmentally and socially sustainable places. We’ve come a long way in the first year – opening up life-changing jobs for young people and supporting community projects that are driving positive change locally. From environmental festivals to greening projects and youth-led climate action, I’m excited to see how much more we can achieve together and would encourage as many local organisations as possible to apply for funding.”