February Charity Partnerships Roundup | Corporate Partnership Highlights
The start of the year has kicked off 2026 with energy and ambition in the world of corporate partnerships. We have seen a mix of exciting new Charity of the Year partnerships, renewed collaborations, and brand-new initiatives, all designed to make a tangible difference in communities across the UK. From mental health and youth opportunity to homelessness, food security, and environmental action, organisations are joining forces with purpose, creativity, and determination to tackle some of society’s most pressing challenges.
Each new and renewed partnership is a powerful reminder of what can be achieved when expertise, resources, and vision are combined. Businesses are embedding social value into their strategies, charities are co designing solutions with corporate partners, and communities are benefiting from initiatives that go beyond one-off gestures. These early collaborations set the stage for a year of bigger, deeper, and longer-lasting impact.
These highlights celebrate the innovation, generosity, and dedication of everyone involved and point to a year of ambition and meaningful change.
Centrepoint x Newsquest Media Group
The recently announced partnership between Centrepoint and Newsquest Media Group marks an exciting and ambitious step forward in tackling youth homelessness. As Charity of the Year for 2026, Centrepoint will benefit from a powerful £4 million advertising commitment, supported by strong editorial coverage that will shine a national spotlight on this growing crisis. Together, the partnership will amplify Centrepoint’s vital work providing safe accommodation, emotional support, and clear routes into education, training, and employment for young people aged 16 to 25.
Mencap x Chopstix Group
Mencap and Chopstix Group have announced an exciting renewed partnership, taking a positive step forward and building on a relationship that has already delivered real, lasting impact. Over the past year, Chopstix and Mencap have worked together on a Supported Internship Programme, helping young people with a learning disability gain valuable work experience that has led to meaningful employment opportunities and stronger inclusion across Chopstix teams. This new charity partnership takes that success even further, combining fundraising with a shared ambition to open doors to long term careers, raise awareness, and champion the talents of people with a learning disability. Leaders from both organisations have highlighted how personal this work is and how powerful it can be, not only in raising awareness of learning disability, but in encouraging more employers to recognise the talent and potential of the 900,000 working age people with a learning disability in the UK.
Hubbub x Virgin Media O2
With a renewed commitment announced this year, Hubbub and Virgin Media O2 are expanding a partnership that helps thousands of people get online and stay connected. Following the donation of 12,000 refurbished phones to people experiencing financial hardship last year, the partnership is scaling up its ambition through the Community Calling programme. Throughout 2026, a further 12,000 phones will be donated to help people get online, stay connected, and access essential services. From booking medical appointments and exploring work opportunities to keeping in touch with loved ones or finding somewhere safe to stay, the initiative shows how practical support and environmental action can come together to make a real difference in people’s lives.
Mind x Asmodee
Bringing play and purpose together, Asmodee has announced a new partnership with Mind to spotlight the powerful role board games can play in supporting mental wellbeing. Over the next three years, the partnership will raise awareness of mental health, champion the wellbeing benefits of play, and encourage people to reconnect through shared experiences around the table. Alongside a minimum annual fundraising commitment, the collaboration will explore co created Asmodee x Mind games and Play for Mind events hosted by hobby stores and board game cafés, helping to turn play into moments of genuine connection. The partnership lands at a critical time, reinforced by findings from Mind’s Big Mental Health Report 2025, drawing on data from the Office for National Statistics, which highlight the strong link between loneliness and mental health. Together, Asmodee and Mind aim to show that something as simple as sitting down to play a game can spark conversation, strengthen relationships, and create space for connection, laughter, and emotional wellbeing.
Magic Breakfast x Deutsche Bank
Kicking off an ambitious new commitment, Deutsche Bank has welcomed Magic Breakfast as its UK Charity of the Year for the next two years. Working alongside schools across the UK, Magic Breakfast helps ensure children start the day with a nutritious breakfast so they can arrive at school ready to learn, a simple idea with a powerful and lasting impact. Through flagship fundraising events and the expertise, skills, and energy of Deutsche Bank employees, the partnership will support Magic Breakfast’s mission to help end child morning hunger. The collaboration sits within Deutsche Bank’s long running UK Charity of the Year programme, which since 1999 has raised more than £31 million and supported the strategic growth of 30 charities. With a strong focus on creating long term impact and a meaningful legacy, the partnership builds on a proven model where employee fundraising and matched giving have already generated over £1 million in just two years, showing what is possible when collective effort is put behind an urgent social issue.
Barnardo’s x AstraZeneca
Focused on long term impact for young people, Barnardo’s has partnered with AstraZeneca through the Young Health Programme UK to tackle health inequalities and support young people living in poverty across the UK over the next three years. At a time when nearly one in three children grow up in poverty, often without reliable access to nutritious food, the partnership aims to reach 50,000 young people and families with practical support that empowers healthier choices. Together, Barnardo’s and AstraZeneca will deliver initiatives including grocery and cooking vouchers through the Healthy Living Fund, a co-created Healthy Living Toolkit developed with young people, and wide distribution of resources through schools, food banks, and community networks. More than meeting immediate needs, the partnership is about reducing health inequalities and giving young people the confidence, knowledge, and tools to thrive now and in the future.
Conclusion
These partnerships demonstrate the power of collaboration to create meaningful, lasting change. From new Charity of the Year initiatives to renewed and brand-new collaborations, the start of 2026 is already full of ambition, creativity, and impact. Each story reflects the difference that can be made when charities and businesses bring their expertise, resources, and vision together to tackle society’s most pressing challenges.
The partnerships highlighted in this round-up are just the beginning of what promises to be an extraordinary year. If you’d like your partnership to be featured in next month’s edition, do reach out!
For more details on the partnerships included this month, please see the reference links below.
References:
https://toyworldmag.co.uk/asmodee-announces-partnership-with-mind/
share article
take the next step
