The MCR Charitable Foundation was launched in 2007 with an initial £250k start up funding from MCR and a perpetual 10% of MCR profits. The Foundation provides support, advice & funding for sustainable, grass roots rehabilitation, education, health & welfare projects. Target projects are those that encourage, build & help realise the talents and potential of individuals and groups in inner city based communities. Initially focused on Glasgow the foundation aims to benefit a wide range of people across the UK. In addition the Foundation is committed to providing support for education initiatives in Africa.
Sustainable funding model: The greater the financial success of the business, the more funding the Trust receives, providing further motivation for success.
“Throughout my professional experience, I have seen first-hand that individuals can break through environmental and upbringing constraints and go on to achieve things far beyond expectations. The impact these individuals can then have on their own communities can be far reaching.”
Iain MacRitchie, MCR Foundation founder & trustee.
Sports participation is a profound vehicle to create or re-establish motivation, teamwork, perspective and commitment, as well as demonstrate the impact of goal setting and other positive habits. The Foundation is actively involved in encouraging young people to participate in multiple sports and reap the positive mental and physical benefits as a result.
Specific projects include team kit sponsorship, transport and training subsidies, as well as management and organisational advice. As a former professional football player, Iain is particularly keen to use football as a prime vehicle for working with disengaged and challenging young people.
A core principle of the Foundation is the requirement that each project or initiative supported can become self funding over time. The key to this lies in the extent of community commitment and availability of motivated volunteers. Projects range from adult education to youth outreach and youth based recreation. Focus is on providing programmes to address education and recreational gaps and encourage users to have a sense of ownership and identity. Specific projects are varied from multi sports initiatives, respite facilities through to direct funding of youth workers.
Support for those committed to breaking destructive habits is a key remit of the Foundation. From our experience, not only do these individuals benefit from intense support, but more often when rehabilitated they provide the motivation and inspiration to others to follow suit.
The Foundation is committed to see the potential beyond the current circumstances and help deal directly with the collateral family damage that is often created. Current projects overlap into some of the sports participation initiatives in addition to the support offered to community based self help groups, outreach workers and help with the provision of respite facilities.
The encouragement of business and commercial ventures is a cornerstone of building confidence and employment opportunities in deprived areas. Corporate connections and relationships are equally as important to help restore pride and create jobs. Often supplying a critical local service, ventures can range from simple models selling household items and clothing through to more holistic, health, welfare and education initiatives.
The focus at the moment is on one major benchmark project as a means of establishing a repeatable model. The project is scaling up from a furniture and white goods recycling supplier combined with a Community Centre to a more integrated venture including expansion into residential and support for the homeless.
With deprivation, lack of facilities and resources comes an array of health issues. Lifestyles become restricted by circumstances as well as education and knowledge. Addiction can also follow destructive habits. The Foundation is committed to supporting healthy living, education and sponsorship of events that encourage better informed choices.
One initiative is a stand-out example in the provision of a healthy living centre, in the main staffed by volunteers, but also providing a base for other education programmes are ways in which to engage the local community. The Foundation is now supporting outreach workers as well as a refurbishment and expansion programme.
Helping cornerstone or providing advice for capital projects is another outlet. The focus is on the process of acquiring and finding sustainable models for community based facilities. The balance between start-up support and ensuring long term running costs are met has to be quickly found. A key component directly relates to the engagement of the local community and leadership provided by staff and the unheralded but essential volunteers.
The Foundation has provided capital to support 2 recent projects to develop Church buildings into more accessible community based facilities
Education in both the developed and developing worlds is a key to unlock individual potential and contribution. The Foundation equally recognises absolute academic achievement as well as progress and incremental improvement. Awards and recognition schemes as well as higher education and scholarship schemes are core to the Foundation’s activities in this area, particularly with respect to young people who have had social care support.
Specific projects have focused on recognition schemes in specific inner city schools and University Scholarship schemes to bridge hardship and financial gaps. Motivation Awards are being rolled out for school leavers to encourage commitment to further education and help build employability skills. Young people who have been in the social care system are also being encouraged to pursue their full potential in other initiatives. The Foundation is also helping support over 50 students in Kenya to receive Secondary education.