Everybody needs good Neighbours'

Client: Islington Giving

Over ten years ago, financial services firm Macquarie Group moved its European head office into the London Borough of Islington – the partnership that has been built with local charity Islington Giving over that decade has not only changed thousands of lives for the better, but has created a blueprint for how companies and non-profits can form genuine and enduring place-based partnerships.

Islington is a place of extremes, where both significant poverty and wealth and opportunity live together. High levels of poverty and some of the lowest levels of open green space make life really challenging for many of the 243,000 residents, with 38% of children living in poverty. Since 2012, Macquarie has supported Islington Giving in a number of ways. The flagship project has been to establish the BIG Alliance, alongside East London Business Alliance, which has mobilised corporate volunteers to deliver targeted support across the Borough. Through the partnership nearly 12,500 volunteers have given their time – including 440 from Macquarie; 90 other businesses have engaged in volunteering and funding; over 1,500 students have been directly helped, many into their first job on leaving school; meanwhile, Macquarie has donated over £1.5 million to support expansion and innovation.