Connecting Belfast business with local schools — the conduit between the commercial and education sectors, helping companies across Northern Ireland turn their CSR, ESG and social value commitments into real impact for children — and helping Belfast schools raise funds and engage with business.
Belfast is known for its fintech, cyber, film and booming tech sector — and every one of those businesses sits within reach of a school that could do more for its pupils with the right backing. The Business & Education Alliance is the conduit between local business and the education sector, making it simple for Belfast companies to direct their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), ESG and social value where it is felt most: the classrooms and children of their own community.
Rather than donating into the void, a Belfast business is matched with a nearby school through a clear, accountable partnership. You gain meaningful local visibility and a genuine CSR and ESG story; the school gains funding — and help to raise funds for any project — for the experiences that cost too often puts out of reach. It is, simply, business and education working together — for the benefit of both, but most importantly for young people across Northern Ireland.
These national figures drive everything the Belfast chapter does.
of children have intentionally not told a parent about a trip, to avoid the financial burden on their family.
The Independent, 2022parents would be concerned by a letter home about a school trip — cost being the main worry.
Hyundai 2022, via The Independentof parents could not let their child take part in a trip in the past year, purely due to cost.
NASUWT, 2018We're building a UK-wide network of local chapters, each led by ambassadors who know their community.
Local champions introduce Belfast businesses and schools and host engaging networking sessions.
We carry out due diligence and pair each business with a school that fits, through a clear agreement.
A Business & Teacher Association forms the lasting bond — the patron/PTA model, for business and education.
A fixed share of every contribution funds extra-curricular experiences, with an annual impact report.
Turn local goodwill into a measurable CSR story and visibility across Northern Ireland.
We bring vetted local businesses to your door, so no child misses out because of cost.
Become an ambassador, start a chapter, or partner as a business — and put Belfast at the heart of the campaign to bridge business and education.
The Business & Education Alliance acts as the conduit between local business and the education sector, so a Belfast company can meet its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) goals by sponsoring a school on its own doorstep. You choose a Gold, Silver or Bronze partnership, we handle the matching and due diligence, and a fixed share of every contribution goes directly to the sponsored school to fund extra-curricular opportunities for children.
Charities have patrons and schools have a PTA — the BTA is the equivalent for business and education. It is a lasting, structured partnership between a Belfast business and a local school, built around the child. Yes, BTAs can be formed across Northern Ireland as the chapter grows.
We are recruiting chapters and ambassadors across the UK. An ambassador champions the campaign locally, introduces businesses and schools, and helps run engaging networking sessions in Belfast. Email info@thebea.org and we'll help you get the Belfast chapter moving.
Any state school in Belfast and the wider Northern Ireland area can be matched with a sponsoring business. Funding is directed at the experiences that cost too often shut children out — trips, residentials and enrichment — so no pupil misses out because of their family's circumstances.