April 2026 Awards

Throughout the year, our Trustees award grants from our two core funds. The 'Stronger Communities Fund' (SCF), where we provide funding to groups making positive differences in their communities, and the 'Manchester's Rising Stars Fund' (MRSF) where we award grants supporting ambitious young Mancunians from disadvantage in their next steps to success.  

In April, we awarded £12,470 through our Stronger communities' fund, awarding 6 community groups throughout Manchester.  We have also awarded 4 young people through our Manchester’s rising stars fund over £3000 to pursue their ambitions!    

Stronger Communities Awards  

Community Thriving Together CIC is a community-led group established to bring people together and tackle loneliness and social exclusion by creating inclusive, safe, and culturally sensitive spaces where people can connect, feel valued, and thrive. The central focus of their work is supporting women who experience persistent isolation, including older women and women from minority backgrounds.  

Thriving together have been awarded £3500 to deliver a fortnightly programme of 12 inclusive indoor and outdoor wellbeing and movement sessions for women aged 50+, mainly from minority ethnic backgrounds and disadvantaged communities in the Ardwick and Clayton.

We would like to express our sincere and heartfelt gratitude to the We Love MCR Charity for this award and for recognising the impact of our work at Community Thriving Together CIC. Your support represents far more than funding—it is a powerful vote of confidence in grassroots leadership and a meaningful commitment to strengthening communities across Manchester. It enables us to grow with confidence, build our capacity, and deliver high-quality, community-led programmes that respond directly to the needs of the people we serve.

 Mahtsen CIC 

Mahtsen CIC is a grassroots, women-led community organisation based in Hulme. Their vision is to build healthier, stronger, and more connected communities by supporting the physical, emotional, mental, social, cultural, and spiritual wellbeing of women and families — particularly within Eritrean, Ethiopian and wider Horn of Africa communities. They exist because many people in their communities experience barriers to accessing mainstream services and opportunities and are unfamiliar with all aspects of UK society with barriers around language, isolation, trauma, low confidence, poverty, digital exclusion, and lack of culturally appropriate support.

Mahtsen have been awarded £3840 of funding to support their 'Women's Coffee mornings' aimed at women and their pre-school age children. The sessions will welcome participants, host a traditional coffee ceremony, offer interpreting where needed, co-deliver with guest agency representatives and offer basic information, signposting, advice. 

We are truly grateful for this award and the trust in our work. As a volunteer-led organisation, this support will make a real difference to the women and families we serve. At Mahtsen CIC, we reduce loneliness and isolation by creating safe, welcoming spaces where women can connect, share, and feel supported. This funding will help us continue our Coffee Mornings and wellbeing activities, offering vital peer support and guidance. For many, these sessions are a lifeline a place to feel seen, heard, and valued. Thank you for helping us build stronger, more connected communities

 Better Things 

Better Things is an independent charity that works to improve the lives of people with learning disabilities and/or autism in the Greater Manchester area. They work to represent their rights and interests while also promoting inclusion, health and wellness, Originally set up by parents over fifty years ago to create services that were lacking for their children.  They focus on health and wellbeing activities that promote inclusion and reduce social isolation and include sports and physical activities, dance, music, arts, drama, nature and outdoor learning, hobbies and skills and learning activities including healthy eating, transport and personal safety and healthy relationships.   

Better Things have been awarded £2560 to support their ‘Hobby Pod’ sessions.  The activities in the Hobby Pod will include a variety of physical moving activities such as inclusive dance and sports, other activities including nature, expression through art, music and singing and providing a safe space for sharing, learning, discussion and self-reflection. There will be the opportunity for both group and individual activities and learning opportunities including some recognised qualifications such as first aid and food hygiene. 

‘We are so grateful for this award which will support activities for people with learning disabilities and or autism. The grant will enable our Hobby Pod project to reach more people and support them to make friends, be active and contribute to their community. By doing this, it will also support families and carers gain vital respite.’

 AF League 

The AF League is the first and currently only of Manchester's fully-inclusive, small-sided football leagues for women, non-binary and transgender individuals. Their aim is to create a connective community, a support-network and a place where everyone is welcome and feel that they matter, regardless of experience, age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, religion or financial background.  Players regularly tell them how the league had positively impacted their mental health, helped to combat feelings of isolation, loneliness, social anxiety and depression. 

The AF club have been awarded £1200 to subsidise funding and providing safe sportswear for players from low socioeconomic backgrounds so that they can continue to participate. The funding will support them to fully subsidise fees for the 20 players who require it and help with sportswear provision for a further 15 players. 

‘We are so incredibly grateful to We Love MCR for this amazing funding opportunity which will help the AF League to continue to provide an inclusive, safe space for teams and players of all backgrounds to access sport and community in Manchester. We are especially proud of being able to offer fully or partially subsidised places to anyone who can’t afford to take part. Football, and the physical and social benefits it provides, should be for everyone and that’s something we feel really strongly about. This funding allows us continue to put that into practice and make sure nobody is excluded because of their circumstances’ 

Sudanese Cultural evenings  

The Sudanese Community association of GM (SCAGM) organisation exists in order to provide support to the Sudanese community in Manchester with the intention of increasing wellbeing and social inclusion by empowering people to navigate national processes and supporting people to integrate into the wider community.  Many people in their community have come to Manchester as asylum seekers and refugees due to political unrest and war. As the war in Sudan continues the community in Manchester continues to grow. 

The SCAGM have been awarded £3840 to host 6 Sudanese cultural events in Moss Side with anticipated 70 - 100 people attending each event. The aim of these events is to bring communities together to reduce isolation, build connections and celebrate culture with the events are open to anyone in the local community who would like to learn more about Sudanese culture. 

‘A massive thank you to the We Love MCR Charity for this award! This funding is going to make a huge difference, allowing us to host meaningful cultural events that bring our community together. We are so proud to celebrate Manchester’s diversity and can't wait to share our heritage and traditions with the city’ 

Manchester’s Rising Stars Fund Awards 

Kady, 20 from Woodhouse Park has ambitions to work in the travel industry.  Kady has been awarded £654 towards an online travel and tourism course and a laptop to support her these studies 

‘I would like to thank We Love MCR for this amazing opportunity. It allows me to take real steps towards my dream of working in travel and tourism. Without this support, my goals and ambitions would be on hold. I am truly grateful for the confidence and hope this brings to my future’ 

Oscar, 17 from Northenden has ambitions to work in policy and has been awarded £1430 to support him to attend Camp America to broaden his skills and experience. 

‘I’m incredibly grateful to receive support from the Manchester Rising Stars Fund. This award will help me take part in Camp America, giving me the opportunity to build further independence, develop new skills, and gain valuable life experience working in a completely new environment. It’s a big step towards my future ambitions, and I’m really excited to make the most of it and represent Manchester positively. Thank you for helping me take this opportunity.’ 

Armun, 18 from Clayton and Openshaw is studying for his GCSEs and has been awarded £299 to towards a laptop to support these studies. 

‘Many thanks for helping me to get an important tool for my daily use, work and my future. This really helps me a lot’ 

Jack, 20 from South Manchester, has ambitions to be an actor.  He has been awarded £560 to support him to access a professional showreel and headshots.  

‘I want to say a massive thank you on how much this is going to help my acting career in getting this professional showreel so excited to be able to get my dream of getting an acting showreel.’