npower Business Solutions Foundation: celebrating environmental sustainability

nBS is one of the UK’s leading business energy suppliers, supporting around 18,000 customers — from mid-sized enterprises to major industrial and commercial (I&C) organisations.

Alongside its core services, nBS maintains a strong and ongoing commitment to corporate social responsibility (CSR), striving to enhance the economic, social, and environmental wellbeing of the communities it serves.

In line with this commitment, nBS launched the nBS Foundation last year to take its CSR efforts even further. nBS has now committed a total of £10 million to the nBS Foundation and its mission is to provide grants that empower impactful individuals and projects to thrive. With offices based in the Midlands and Yorkshire, nBS is proud to give back to not-for-profits and educational institutions across these regions.

Core areas of impact

The nBS Foundation is built around five core areas of impact:

• Celebrating environmental sustainability
• Championing diversity and inclusion
• Helping the vulnerable
• Boosting economic and employment opportunities
• Supporting families and young people

In the first of our series of articles exploring these areas of impact, we focus on how the nBS Foundation is helping to celebrate environmental sustainability, and shine a spotlight on some of the wonderful organisations who’ve received direct support. In this context, the nBS Foundation celebrates environmental sustainability by empowering projects that cut carbon emissions, embrace renewable energy and revitalise local spaces.

Here are three of the projects that have benefited so far:

Empowering change in Leeds with St George’s Crypt

In the heart of Leeds, St George’s Crypt is a lifeline for people facing homelessness, marginalisation and vulnerability. Every day, it opens its doors to offer a warm, two-course lunch to those living on the streets or in unstable housing — no questions asked. But the support doesn’t stop there.

The Crypt also delivers meals to crisis accommodations, substance recovery programmes and high-need housing sites across the city. Alongside food, it serves up hope — offering training in food preparation, hygiene, safety and employability to people on the path to recovery.

Thanks to a £37,550 grant from the nBS Foundation, St George’s Crypt has purchased a new electric van, replacing an ageing vehicle that had become unreliable. This upgrade ensures the Crypt can continue its daily food collections and deliveries to over 200 clients across Leeds — without disruption.

But the benefits go beyond logistics. The electric van also supports Leeds City Council’s carbon reduction goals and strengthens the Crypt’s partnerships with local food suppliers. Most importantly, it empowers clients in addiction recovery, by providing dependable infrastructure for their training and development through the Crypt’s Nurture programme.

Together, St George’s Crypt and the nBS Foundation are not just feeding people — they’re fuelling futures.

Helping Carriers of Hope transform lives in Coventry

Since 2009, Carriers of Hope has been a lifeline for displaced families in Coventry. What began as a grassroots effort to collect second-hand furniture and household items has grown into a powerful force for good — creating safe, welcoming homes for those starting over in unfamiliar surroundings.

But the charity’s impact goes far beyond furniture. With a team that includes five former asylum seekers and refugees, Carriers of Hope offers practical support, access to vital services and a sense of belonging to families facing hardship. Their work not only helps people settle into permanent housing — it also diverts an incredible 44,440 litres of waste from landfill, proving that sustainability and social good can go hand in hand.

Yet, like many community organisations, Carriers of Hope faced an uncertain future due to a lack of sustainable funding, which is where the nBS Foundation stepped in.

Thanks to a £100,000 grant, the charity has been able to secure its future and expand its furniture and recycling projects. The funding will enable the team to support up to 1,700 vulnerable families — helping them turn empty spaces into homes filled with comfort, dignity and the promise of a fresh start.

This is more than just a donation. It’s an investment in people, in the planet and in the power of community.

Brightening lives and building a greener future at Lineham Farm

Leeds Children’s Charity at Lineham Farm provides a safe, happy space where disadvantaged children — many of whom face difficult or even abusive home lives — can enjoy nature, adventure and friendship.

But Lineham Farm’s mission doesn’t stop at emotional wellbeing. The charity also set its sights on environmental sustainability, recognising the need to upgrade its facilities to meet modern green standards.

The nBS Foundation provided £88,000 of vital funding to help Lineham Farm make much-needed energy efficiency improvements, including upgrading the heating system, installing new solar panels and replacing rotting windows — all combining to improve the sustainability and comfort of the farm’s buildings and lower energy bills.

These upgrades have transformed the site, making it not only more sustainable but also more welcoming and comfortable for the children who stay there.

A lasting legacy

These projects are shining examples of how the nBS Foundation is delivering meaningful benefits to communities across the Midlands and Yorkshire, helping to create brighter futures for these communities and build a new, more sustainable world.

To find out more about how E.ON, npower Business Solutions and E.ON Next are driving positive social impact across the UK, click here.