Free desk and meeting room space available for start-ups with a social goal

06 November 2018

Apply to Co-op Foundation to join social entrepreneur hub in Manchester city centre.

Start-up social enterprises and organisations with a social goal can now apply for one year of free desk and meeting room space in Manchester city centre.

Up to four desks are available per organisation at The Federation, close to Victoria railway station. Successful applicants will join a broad range of existing tenants including community film-makers FreshRB; Hive Learning, which supports young people to work in digital; and Foodinate, which partners with restaurants to fund meals for local people in need and homeless people.

As well as desk space, residents will also have access to free meeting rooms, the opportunity to put on their own events as part of The Federation’s specialist event series, and support to help reach their growth, sustainability, social impact and digital innovation aims.

To apply, please visit www.thefederation.coop/support and complete the simple enquiry form.

Support is being provided by the Co-op Foundation, through a grant from Luminate, part of The Omidyar Group. Emer Coleman, Technology and Engagement Director at The Federation, encouraged start-ups across the North West to get in touch.

Emer said: “The Federation’s co-working space is a one-of-a-kind social entrepreneur hub where social enterprises and teams providing a community benefit can work together, share ideas and learn from each other. I’d encourage any social enterprise start-up looking to grow in Manchester city centre to get in touch today to give you the best chance of success.”

Jim Cooke, Head of the Co-op Foundation, said:

“By providing free desk space at the Federation, Co-op Foundation is helping to bring together like-minded start-ups all looking to make a difference to communities. Our offer provides stability as well as access to peer support that is helping to grow an exciting network of ethical enterprises that do things differently and make the most impact.”

Andrew Clarke, Principal at Luminate, said:

“Luminate is supporting The Federation in bringing together tech and digital entrepreneurs with social enterprises and civic innovators, united by a commitment to ethical values. Not only is The Federation providing crucial support to early-stage entrepreneurs but it’s helping them navigate complex but crucial themes in responsible technology, such as algorithmic accountability, open data and privacy, and the potential of civic tech to transform the way citizens engage with government.”

Caroline Stevenson, Founder of Foodinate, an existing Federation tenant, said:

“The Federation is not just a workplace - it's a place you look forward to coming to where you feel like you are in the company of friends. The team is passionate about encouraging ethical business practices and social enterprise and, as the founder of a social enterprise myself, I can say they are some of the most supportive people I have come across in my journey growing the business so far.”

The Federation is part of Co-op. It houses a community of digital businesses and innovators in Manchester, built on ethical values.

Luminate is a global philanthropic organisation focused on empowering people and institutions to work together to build just and fair societies.

Visit www.thefederation.coop/support to find out more.

ENDS

To request interviews with spokespeople, please email Andy Mortimer, Communications Manager on andy.mortimer@coop.co.uk. Alternatively, call 0161 692 7756 / 07702 603516.

Notes to Editors

About The Federation

The Federation is home to a community of digital innovators and civic, private and public sector businesses in Manchester. An initiative by the Co-op Group and supported by Luminate and Co-op Foundation, it is based on ethical values and a commitment to creating a more inclusive digital economy. The Federation offers alternative business models such as co-operatives, community interest companies and social enterprises. The Federation offers co-working space and event space in the heart of Manchester with a full and diverse events programme. http://www.thefederation.coop/

About Co-op Foundation

● We are the Co-op’s charity, set up to help communities UK-wide work together to make things better. ● We are the leading funder of projects tackling youth loneliness in the UK. Our ‘Belong’ programme aims to connect and empower at least 5,000 young people while also strengthening youth services and tackling stigma associated with loneliness.
● We also provide interest-free loans and grants to eligible organisations looking to grow sustainably-funded community spaces.
● Co-op Foundation is a working name of Co-operative Community Investment Foundation, a charity registered in England and Wales (1093028) and Scotland (SC048102).
● www.coopfoundation.org.uk

About Luminate

Luminate is a global philanthropic organisation focused on empowering people and institutions to work together to build just and fair societies. It was established in 2018 by Pierre Omidyar, the founder of eBay. Luminate works with its investees and partners to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to participate in, and shape, the issues affecting their societies, and to make government, corporations, media, and those in positions of power more responsive and more accountable. Luminate does this by funding and supporting innovative and courageous organisations and entrepreneurs around the world, and by advocating for the policies and actions that will drive change across four impact areas: Civic Empowerment, Data & Digital Rights, Financial Transparency, and Independent Media. Luminate was previously the Governance & Citizen Engagement initiative at Omidyar Network and is now part of The Omidyar Group. To date it has supported 236 organisations in 18 countries with $314 million in funding.