Challenge accepted: Our first ever fundraising and volunteering campaign

13 Nov 2025

Every action matters

Challenge Accepted red text on a dark blue background

This week we launched Challenge accepted, our first-ever global fundraising and volunteering campaign, with an ambitious goal to raise £400 million and mobilise our community to tackle the world’s biggest challenges.

The campaign is one of the first bold steps in delivering our Manchester 2035 strategy; turning knowledge into impact by backing our people and ideas for public good.

Our campaign focuses on four priorities that reflect the ambitions of our 2035 strategy:

Student inclusion and success: Removing barriers to access and supporting leadership and career success through scholarships, mentorship, wellbeing support and paid work opportunities.
Research with purpose: Backing researchers tackling urgent problems — from cancer and climate change to quantum physics and social innovation — and helping get discoveries into the world faster.
Innovation and enterprise: Connecting research with civic networks and entrepreneurial hubs to drive inclusive growth and global solutions in areas like green energy, health equity and digital inclusion.
Culture and community: Harnessing the power of our cultural institutions — the Whitworth, Manchester Museum, the John Rylands Library and Jodrell Bank — to promote inclusion, creativity and wellbeing.

Every action — whether it’s giving, volunteering, or spreading the word — helps build momentum.

Ready to accept a challenge? Get involved by:

Using your three volunteering days to support a cause that matters to you — and share your story;
Supporting a challenge you care about through the Purple Pennies and Purple Pounds payroll giving schemes, or through fundraising for the University;
Advocating for the campaign, by celebrating the impact of philanthropy and volunteering in your area and how it supports our vision for 2035.

Find out more

Sign up for our campaign townhall with Duncan on Tuesday, 18 November, 11 –12pm, where you can join in-person or virtually.
Check out next week’s VC vlog, where Duncan will discuss the campaign’s ambitions and how it connects to our Manchester 2035 strategy.
Explore our webpages
Catch-up on the launch event