Corporate charity partnerships in October 2025
Howard Lake | 1 October 2025 | News
This month’s round-up of corporate charity partnerships features RS Group with SolarAid, Levens Village Store in the Lake District, an auction of Max Verstappen’s race-worn suite for Kids in Mind, Cardfactory’s new range to benefit Macmillan Cancer Support and Invesco’s first two years supporting the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust.
RS Group supports SolarAid to bring safe solar light to 150,000 people across Africa
RS Group plc, a high-service global product and service solutions provider for industrial customers, has announced a three-year partnership with international development charity SolarAid.
The three-year partnership aims to raise £1 million through corporate donations, matched funding, product contributions and fundraising to accelerate access to safe, sustainable energy.
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The partnership forms a central part of RS Group’s 2030 ESG action plan and champions the shared ambition to “make amazing happen for a brighter world.”
According to SolarAid just “one solar light benefits every member of the household leading to a 90% reduction in kerosene, candles or torches, with a 95% saving on their energy spend and enabling a child
to study safely for the first time after sunset”.
Employee engagement is at the heart of the partnership. RS employees are entitled to two annual volunteering days, and the company aims to inspire 50% of colleagues to use this time to support their communities and the SolarAid partnership. In addition a global fundraising challenge, Active for Change, will enable employees to raise money by logging physical activity in teams.
The partnership builds on RS Group’s track record of successful collaborations, including raising nearly £1 million for The Washing Machine Project since 2020.
To amplify the collective impact, RS Group will match donations and funds raised by employees.
Levens Village Store backs local women with latest MADL community donations
Levens Village Store in the Lake District has made two new donations, backing both women’s welfare and grassroots sport.
A £1,000 donation has been made to Springfield Domestic Abuse Support, a local women’s refuge, through a partnership with Maltesers. The store has also awarded £500 to Sedgwick Women’s Cricket Team to encourage participation and inclusion in the sport.
These contributions form part of a wider commitment to the area by the story. Since 2021, Levens Village Store has donated more than £27,500 to good causes through Co-op Wholesale’s Making a Difference Locally charity, with funds raised via sales of Co-op own label products.
Over 20 organisations have benefitted, including Levens Toddler Group, Manna House, Growing Well and Proud in Kendal, showing the breadth of impact across different parts of the community.
Kate Carroll, Social Value Lead at Co-op Wholesale, said:
“These donations show how independent retailers can make a real difference to the lives of people in their communities.”
Max Verstappen’s race-worn suit to be auctioned for Kids in Mind
Max Verstappen won the Azerbaijan Grand Prix this weekend and now his 2025 race-worn suit, donated by Red Bull, will be auctioned in November by BUDDS with the money raised going to Kids in Mind. It is expected to raise from £12,000 to £15,000 for the charity that provides mental health support to disadvantaged children and young adults.
This suit has been worn by the four-time F1 World Champion at the Australian, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Verstappen competes under the Dutch flag in Formula One for Red Bull Racing.
Andew Moyers, Head of Motorsport at BUDDS, said he was proud to be turning “passion for racing into real-world impact”. He added:
“We believe in using our platform to create meaningful change – and this collaboration is a perfect example of that. Mental health challenges can affect anyone, especially young people, and we’re committed to helping ensure they get the support they deserve”.
Cardfactory creates range of cards especially for people affected by cancer
Cardfactory has worked with Macmillan Cancer Support to launch a range of cards designed especially for people affected by cancer.
People with lived experience of cancer, including carers for those with cancer, were at the centre of the creation process. In collaboration with members of the design and editorial team at cardfactory they guided the messages and imagery to ensure the designs “reflected what really matters when words are hard to find”.
For every card sold, cardfactory will donate 15p to Macmillan Cancer Support, helping the charity deliver round-the-clock cancer information and support for millions of people with cancer and their loved ones.
Zoe, who was part of the design process following her own experience of cancer, said:
“Working on this project has been great fun and it was fascinating to see the creative process from an initial idea to a completed range. The cardfactory team did a great job in reflecting our thoughts and ideas. Many of the cards have words and images that I found helpful during my cancer treatment. It’s often hard to know what to say to someone impacted by cancer. This card range offers simple and meaningful messages and images that can help people show they care.”
Superdrug’s total for Marie Curie reaches £15 million
Health and beauty retailer Superdrug and Savers have now raised £15 million for Marie Curie, as part of a long-standing partnership with the end of life charity since 2013.
Fundraising highlights since the partnership began in 2013 have included celebrity collaborations with Joe Baggs (Gogglebox) and Mollie Pearce (The Traitors), and in-store campaigns for the charity’s biggest annual fundraising campaign the Great Daffodil Appeal.
Since 2013, the partnership has funded 652,173 hours of expert nursing care and support for people at the end of life – in their homes, in hospices and via the charity’s free support line.
The partnership between Superdrug, Savers and Marie Curie has been extended for an additional two years, with the aim of raising a total of £20 million by the end of 2027.
Invesco marks two years of partnership with the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust
International asset managers Invesco has donated over £300,000 to the Blue Recovery Fund over the past two years of its support to the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust. This makes it the largest contributor to the fund, and a key member of the Blue Recovery Leaders Group, a group that brings businesses together to create and restore wetlands across the UK.
In addition over 100 Invesco volunteers have supported conservation efforts at the London Wetland Centre, saving the onsite team days of work and resources. Four new volunteering dates are already booked for 2026, continuing the momentum of employee-led conservation.
WWT scientists have continued to educate Invesco staff sharing research in the firm’s Global Green Team meetings, enriching employee understanding of wetland ecosystems. All Invesco UK employees and their families now have access to WWT visitor passes, and Invesco donated over 170 WWT centre tickets to families through the firm’s charity partner, Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity.
Last year at Invesco’s Henley office staff built a mini wetland and wildlife pond guided by WWT experts, and collaborated to produce a “How to Build a Wildlife Pond” video (30K views on YouTube) and a follow-up One year update (5K views), to promote the cause and inspire wider public engagement on the topic.
Cloudflare supports UNICEF’s Giga to accelerate school connectivity worldwide
Connectivity cloud company Cloudflare, Inc. has partnered with Giga, a joint initiative of UNICEF and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), dedicated to supporting Governments in connecting every school to the Internet.
As a result Giga will have access to real-time data from Cloudflare’s Speed Test solution to better measure and monitor Internet connectivity at schools around the globe. This will help the charity advocate for and implement better connectivity solutions where they are needed most.
Cloudflare will conduct up to 10 million availability tests per month directly from schools to collect data on Internet speed, latency, and affordability. This will help power Giga’s live open-source platform, Giga Maps, to give governments, the private sector, and civil society groups the data they need to develop strategies and track progress in bringing the Internet to underserved communities.
Matthew Prince, co-founder and CEO of Cloudflare, explained:
“Cloudflare’s mission is to help build a better Internet, and that means making the Internet more accessible to everyone. Helping UNICEF’s Giga with additional tools to measure and monitor school connectivity all over the world, means we’re helping to ensure that millions of children can get online and prepare for an increasingly digital world. I’m proud of our work helping play a part in that effort, and working to close the digital divide.”
Cloudflare’s global network, with data centres in over 330 cities worldwide, is strategically positioned to minimise latency and provide accurate, real-time assessments globally to support Giga’s mission.
Big Issue and Lenovo partner to support digital access for UK social enterprises
Big Issue has partnered with global technology company Lenovo to equip charities and mission-driven businesses with Certified Refurbished ThinkPad laptops.
The devices will support day-to-day operations, help organisations increase efficiency and improve how effectively they can serve various communities across the UK.
Through the partnership, Big Issue Invest, the social investment arm of Big Issue, is providing several of its investees with refurbished Lenovo laptops. An initial 50 devices have been made available.
Organisations that successfully applied to receive the devices include a charity dedicated to fighting digital poverty in Greater Manchester, a prison rehabilitation programme, and a London-based filmmaker with an outreach programme for young people to learn about film.
Big Issue investees will be able to use the technology to help communities get online, make better use of digital services and unlock the benefits of AI.
Approximately one in five low-income households in England have no internet access, highlighting a clear divide between opportunity and access.
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About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.