Corporate Partnerships
YMCA is dedicated to supporting young people across England and Wales. Our work supports more than 375,000 young people every year through our YMCAs, which offer a range of innovative and effective programmes designed to help young people develop their skills and abilities, overcome challenges, and achieve their goals.
We are passionate about advocating for youth voices and empowering young people to become active participants in their communities. Our aim is to bring about positive changes that benefit society as a whole. We believe that everyone should have a fair chance to discover who they are and what they can become
Our commitment to young people is reflected deeply in our values. We provide a safe and supportive environment where young people can learn and grow, and we work closely with local communities and partners to ensure that our programmes are relevant and effective. Our ultimate goal is to inspire and empower young people to become confident, resilient, and thriving members of society.
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Work with us, and together we can build stronger communities and create even greater opportunities for future generations.
Working together
- Partner with us nationally to support our programmes, working with young people in multiple locations to have a far-reaching impact
- Become a Roomsponsor Partner, and help us provide dynamic support to more than 20,000 people affected by homelessness each year.
- Let us introduce you to your local YMCA so you can connect your business with the communities that matter most to your employees and customers.
- Sponsor a YMCA event, give your team or clients a fantastic feel-good evening at YMCA’s Youth Matters Awards, or reach new customers to build your business at our annual National Conference.
- Join us as a Youth Voice Champion, funding or sponsoring our many high-quality research reports or campaigns.
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Work with us to build stronger communities
Interested in partnering with YMCA or want to hear more about how we could work together with your company? Contact the Corporate Partnership team today
Corporate Partners
After initially launching a two-year partnership with Cadent in April 2023, our collaboration with the UK’s largest gas distribution network has grown from strength to strength – with two partnership projects supporting tens of thousands of people vulnerable to fuel poverty:
- Safe and Well Communities
- Cadent Cost of Living Fund
Our first project, Safe and Well Communities, provides targeted support to young people and families through the provision of energy efficiency and income maximisation advice alongside slow cooking workshops and emergency fuel voucher referrals. Now extended until March 2026, Cadent anticipates the project’s 5-year gross social return on investment of over £31 million.
Our second partnership project, focused on providing holistic support to communities affected by the cost-of-living crisis, has seen grants given to 32 local YMCA branches to provide services such as benefits and welfare support signposting, mental health and wellbeing support, money management and budgeting, and healthy living activities.
In 2024, we celebrated a decade-long partnership between Charity Bank and YMCA England & Wales!
Charity Bank is a loans and savings bank owned by and committed to supporting the social sector. Through Charity Bank loans, YMCAs have addressed homelessness, unaffordable housing, and inadequate housing by purchasing, developing, and innovating new housing solutions for vulnerable individuals.
Alongside offering valuable support to member YMCAs, Charity Bank has also supported YMCA England & Wales in its research and advocacy workstreams.
In May 2022, YMCA England & Wales, YMCA London City and North, and the London office of global law firm Sidley Austin LLP launched a dynamic five-year partnership to provide a vibrant new sanctuary for young people to explore their talents, passions, and individualism.
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and its disproportionate effect on young people, alongside the significant cuts to youth services seen in the past decade, Sidley’s office in London wanted to support the young people living in their local community.
Two years later, we were proud to announce the opening of VYBZ Youth Hub, named after the very young people it serves, to serve young Londoners from eight to 25 years old. The hub represents a culmination of vision, partnership, and unwavering dedication to the young people of London and fostering community spirit.
Sidley has committed £500,000 to support YMCA’s efforts to reach more than 1,000 young people through VYBZ Youth Hub across our five-year partnership and many more young Londoners in the years to come. Sidley personnel continue to raise funds and volunteer.
Vestey Holdings is a fourth-generation family business involved in the global food industry since the 1890s. In April 2023, Vestey Holdings partnered with YMCA, pledging its long-term support, resources, and passion for investing in people and communities to help YMCA realise its shared vision of seeing young people reach their full potential.
Staff at Vestey Holdings and its family of businesses are fundraising to provide 350 supported placements for young people in YMCA housing as part of YMCA’s Roomsponsor programme. These placements provide a safe place for young people to realise their potential, gain confidence and new skills, and find an onward path to independence.
Alongside this group-wide commitment as YMCA’s first Corporate Roomsponsor Partner, Vestey Holdings is also sponsoring YMCA’s Youth Ambassador Programme for 2023-25. This programme provides young people with the skills, experience, and confidence they need to speak out on behalf of their peers and effect meaningful change.
Our partnership currently spans England, Scotland, and Wales and will expand over time to impact the lives of young people further afield in mainland Europe and beyond. It will reach across Vestey Holdings and YMCA’s shared geographies to empower and inspire future generations, regardless of borders.
