Manchester Impact Ventures

Create Change with Purpose: Tackle Social, Environmental, and Community Challenges.

Are you looking to create change and make a difference? Have an idea or project with social aims and impact? Want to know how to turn your vision for a better world into reality?

If so, the Manchester Impact Ventures Programme can help you! Support, mentoring, activities, and the opportunity to apply for funding, with up to £15k available.

Applications for Manchester Impact Ventures are now open! Apply here

We are looking for any University of Manchester students, recent graduates, and members of staff with a passion to make an impact through social change with ideas, with a project that has just started or an up and running venture that can be located anywhere in the world.

The sessions will cover the following topics, we ask that at least one member of your team attends every session:

  • 28/01/26: Identifying the need - why it matters (passion, vision, community, context)
  • 11/02/26: Making a start - from ideas to action (what are you doing, governance, who to network, testing)
  • 25/02/26: Social Business Model Generation (structure, problem, impact measurement)
  • 04/03/26: Acquiring people & funding options (volunteers, grants, awards, trading)
  • 11/03/26: Growing your impact & mentoring (meet your mentor)
  • 25/03/26: Branding, marketing, pitching & launch (establish the venture)

Application Process:

Submit a 3-slide presentation You can submit your application in any format (slides, video, or written document).

Your presentation should answer:

  • What is your project or idea?
  • How much progress have you made so far?
  • What have been your biggest challenges?

Application deadline: Monday 19th January 2026 - Apply for Manchester Impact Ventures

Each session will:

  • give you tried and tested tools to support your journey
  • provide live stories from experienced entrepreneurs to show you their way
  • give time and support for you to develop your venture

By the end you can have a social venture to meet your vision with a mentor to support your next steps.

Social Impact

How Manchester Impact Ventures Will Help You Succeed:

  • Passionate about positive change? Channel your drive into a structured pathway for building impactful ventures.
  • Unsure how to start? Get step-by-step guidance to move from an idea to a real, tested social enterprise model.
  • Want to make a difference? Explore how entrepreneurship can solve pressing social, environmental, or community challenges.
  • Lacking confidence? Learn from experienced social entrepreneurs and mentors to build resilience, clarity, and belief in your idea.
  • Seeking long-term impact? Access resources, networks, and tailored support to build a venture that creates lasting change.

What You’ll Gain:

  • Practical tools to design and launch a social enterprise.
  • Mentoring from purpose-driven entrepreneurs and experts.
  • A supportive community of like-minded changemakers.
  • The confidence to create meaningful, lasting social impact.

Designed For You:

  • Activity-based workshops and masterclasses on social innovation.
  • Real-world frameworks to validate and scale your idea.
  • Expert feedback from social enterprise leaders.
  • Support tailored to University of Manchester students, graduates, and researchers.
  • Pathways to funding and advanced social innovation opportunities.

Turn your purpose into impact, Manchester Impact Ventures accelerates socially-driven ideas into real, sustainable enterprises that change communities and protect our planet. Apply for Manchester Impact Ventures