Knight Frank has announced the establishment of a three-year partnership between its Limitless social impact programme and Sported, a UK wide charity promoting fairness and equity for young people through grassroots sport and physical activity.
Limitless is a long-term programme that empowers Knight Frank people to use their expertise and time to drive positive change and build meaningful connections in the communities where they live and work. Knight Frank colleagues use volunteering days to support causes close to their hearts, develop new skills and strengthen community ties.
Limitless offers a valuable approach to creating lasting social impact, while offering personal and professional growth opportunities. It reflects Knight Frank’s broader commitment to shaping a better future by engaging its people and deepening relationships with clients and communities.
Sported represents the first official partner of Limitless. The charity comprises the UK’s largest network of community groups, transforming the lives of around a million young people each year and strengthening communities through sport and physical activity. Sported – set up as a legacy charity of London 2012 – ensures every community has access to sport, and offers resources and support to the committed, passionate volunteers who give up their time to run initiatives that help people to succeed.
As a charity, Sported’s role is to provide much-needed professional expertise, resources and operational support, free of charge, to help each grassroots group survive and thrive, and is therefore reliant on external partners to provide funding and skills-based volunteering. Knight Frank represents the charity’s first corporate partner from the real estate sector and aims to support 100,000 young people over the next three years, creating a sense of belonging through the medium of sport.
The partnership will be rolled out across two initial hubs – London and Manchester – in the first instance, enabling Limitless volunteers to work with member community groups in both cities.
Live initiatives include: The Pirate Castle on Regent’s Canal, a community boating charity that promotes learning, life chances and healthy living through water sports that are fully-accessible to special needs and disability groups of all ages; and ProjektsMCR, which aims to develop people and places through skateboarding and skatepark activities. They focus on making skateboarding accessible to underrepresented groups, including those from lower socio-economic backgrounds, women and girls, the LGBTQ+ community, and people with disabilities.
Sarah Beattie, Global Head of Corporate ESG Strategy at Knight Frank, commented: “Through Limitless, Knight Frank is integrating social impact into our core business strategy, strengthening communities, driving long-term meaningful change and positive outcomes, not just for our clients, but for communities and society at large. Sported is the first of what we envision to become a growing network of social impact partnerships. We are deeply committed to the communities we serve, actively engaging with their needs and addressing local challenges. By partnering with Sported, we are proud to support inclusive local groups, equipping them with the resources and opportunities that they need to thrive.”
Stephen Clifton, UK Managing Partner, at Knight Frank, said: “As a business, we have a responsibility for strengthening the communities where we live and work, as well as those our clients serve. We are deeply committed to using our resources effectively to identify and address the needs of the most vulnerable in society, driving meaningful and lasting change. Partnering with Sported is an exciting opportunity to help community sports groups thrive. It’s an incredibly worthy cause that perfectly aligns with the bold ambitions of our Limitless social impact programme, which makes volunteering personal – recognising our people’s time, skills and desire to connect with the communities around them.”
Sarah Kaye, CEO of Sported, added: “Community sports groups are an absolute lifeline for so many people and even more so for those in deprived and marginalised communities. Sadly, despite the incredible work of those who volunteer and run them, many groups are under-resourced and underfunded. And that’s why partnerships, like this one with Knight Frank, are so key to ensuring the life-changing benefits of sport and physical activity remain accessible by everyone.”
