In February 2021, we publicly launched the Manchester’s Rising Stars Fund (MRSF), with the aim of removing financial barriers to success faced by young Mancunians. The Fund helps young people to take their next steps to success in Work, Qualifications and Entrepreneurship.
We have so far awarded over £70,000 to 45 successful applicants this year, with an average individual grant of around £1,500. The maximum MRSF grant value is publicly stated as £2,000, but our Trustees have on occasions awarded more than this in cases where they see a young person with ambition and a clear need for greater support.
One of these cases was Eden, an incredibly talented musician who earned himself a place at the prestigious Royal Conservatoire in Scotland to do a BMUs in Vocal Studies. Eden is an accomplished singer, pianist, composer and producer, however his chances of taking up that place were slim due to great misfortune in the family, which left him living in a homeless shelter and unable to afford necessary equipment for his course. Our Trustees awarded Eden £3,900, not only to purchase the equipment he needed to excel, but also at their discretion to cover a portion of his accommodation costs to reduce the burden on this young man’s shoulders.
More recently Boshra was awarded £3,600 to embark on an ambitious videography project that she believes will allow her to stand out in the spoken word and performance industry she has so much passion for. Despite her long-standing commitment to her artistic craft, and being an active ambassador for the Rio Ferdinand Foundation, she hasn't had the financial backing to have been able to develop her talent fully. Her infectious energy and enthusiasm gave our Trustees the faith to award a grant above the stated maximum of £2,000, and give Boshra the opportunity to fulfil her ambitions.
The above examples are just two of our recent successful applicants, encompassing not just artistic, but also sporting, business and vocational trade goals.
Our MRSF provides the opportunity for young people to achieve, when the one thing holding them back is their circumstance. We want to remove barriers to success. Therefore we are raising the maximum MRSF grant award to £5,000 so that we don’t deter young people whose needs were not covered by the previously-published ceiling of £2,000.