Businesses asked to give more by local charity

Local charity and grant maker the Community Foundation for Greater Manchester has called for businesses in Rochdale to make one very simple New Year’s resolution – get giving, and give locally.

The Community Foundation last year distributed £541,072 in grants in Rochdale to voluntary and community groups who desperately needed these funds to carry out valuable work in their local communities. Only 1.9% of this money came from donations from private businesses.

Nick Massey, chief executive of the community Foundation comments: "The need for more local businesses to get involved has never been greater. With Government funding streams, such as the Local Network Fund for Young People, coming to an end, we have a massive shortfall to make up this year, just to provide the same level of funding as last year to the hundreds of voluntary groups running across the region.

"Astonishingly, only approximately 4% of money raised in Greater Manchester stays in Greater Manchester – we want to see that percentage increase, as we can make sure that money from local businesses is injected in an effective and transparent way directly into the communities where it is most needed."

In the last three years the Community Foundation has worked with Borough and City Councils across Greater Manchester, to launch individual borough funds. These funds were launched using revitalised dormant trust funds held by the Councils, along with some contributions from local businesses. The Foundation wants to see a significant rise in the level of donations from local businesses in the next twelve months to help meet the growing needs of local community groups.