Free digital skills, online safety & employability support
FBM Empower Foundation helps disadvantaged adults build digital confidence, find work, and stay safe online — completely free of charge.
We support adults who are digitally excluded, unemployed, or facing hardship — including refugees and asylum seekers, people with limited English, young mothers and pregnant women, and anyone at risk of being left behind by the digital world. No experience needed. No cost. Everyone welcome.
Closing the digital divide for people too often left behind
FBM Empower Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation providing free digital skills training, online safety and cybersecurity awareness, employability mentoring and language-supported learning to disadvantaged adults across Greater Manchester and Sheffield. We meet people where they are, support them in plain language, and help them gain the confidence and skills to find work and take a full part in everyday life.
Our charitable purpose
- Advancement of education — digital skills, cybersecurity awareness and employability learning.
- Prevention & relief of poverty — mentoring, employment guidance and digital inclusion.
- Relief of those in need — by reason of hardship, disadvantage or social exclusion.
Our values
- Accessible — free and open to those who need us.
- Practical — skills that lead to real outcomes.
- Safe — safeguarding and online safety come first.
- Inclusive — we support people in plain language, whatever their background.
I was scammed twice. I lost more than £49,000. I founded this charity so that no one in my community has to face that alone.— Felix Bizimana Mugabe, Founder & Lead Trustee
Four free programmes, all hands-on and practical
Join us in person at a community venue near you, or online from home. No prior qualifications are needed, and language support is always available.
Digital Skills for Everyday Life
Computers, smartphones, email, and the online tools you need — banking apps, NHS services and job-search sites.
Online Safety & Cybersecurity
Spot scams and phishing, protect your passwords and your family, and use the internet with confidence.
Employability & Work
CV writing, job searching, interview practice and the digital skills employers expect — with one-to-one mentoring.
Inclusion & Language Support
Friendly, language-supported help for people with limited English and those facing isolation or hardship.
Across Greater Manchester & Sheffield — and online
We run free sessions in person across the region, and online for people in the same areas. Wherever you are, there's a way to take part.
Behind every number is a person
Real change, told in our beneficiaries' own words.
Share your skills, or help fund the work
Volunteer With Us
Share your skills in IT, online safety, design or employability with people who need them most. Volunteer from home or in person across Greater Manchester and Sheffield, with flexible hours to fit around your life.
See volunteer rolesDonate / Support Us
Every gift pays for training sessions, DBS checks for volunteers, devices and data for people who cannot afford them, and online-safety resources for families.
Support our workRun responsibly, for public benefit
Our trustees
We are governed by a board of three independent, unpaid trustees who oversee the charity, set its direction and ensure it is run responsibly. None are related to one another or receive any payment from the charity.
Meet our trustees & governance →Safeguarding comes first
Because we work with vulnerable adults, safeguarding is central to everything we do. Our Designated Safeguarding Lead is trustee Mary Musaniwabo, a registered mental health nurse.
Read our safeguarding commitment →FBM Empower Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation in the process of registering as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) with the Charity Commission for England and Wales.