Greater Manchester Funders Forum Open Event

We are excited to invite you to our second online Greater Manchester Funders Forum open event on Tuesday 9th March.

We are keen to bring together local and national funders to hear speakers talk about topics important to funders and provide an opportunity to share and learn from each other.

At this event, we will be welcoming Graham Whitham from GM Poverty Action to speak about how funders can help address the underlying causes of food insecurity and poverty. Analysis of poverty in Greater Manchester (GM) reveals that 620,000 people in GM are living in poverty[1], and food poverty has been at the forefront of discussion throughout the Covid-19 crisis.

Dr Virginia Tandy OBE, part time Director of a new national initiative on age and creativity hosted by Manchester Museum, will be speaking about the value of cultural projects in building confidence and community and the importance of community spaces and the arts following the impact of Covid-19.

Please note, this event is for GM Funders Forum members only. Please contact sharon.summers@gmcvo.org.uk if you are interested in joining.

Speaker Bios

• Graham Whitham worked for Save the Children as a Senior Policy Advisor for seven years, leading a number of policy and campaign projects focussing on poverty in the UK. During this time Graham successfully influenced policy in Westminster and in the devolved nations. Graham then spent two years in a similar role at Oxfam, helping to strengthen Oxfam’s work on economic inequality in the UK. In his current role as CEO of GM Poverty Action, Graham leads on policy, research and advocacy work and represents the organisation at a strategic level across the city region.

• Dr Virginia Tandy OBE is the part time Director of a new national initiative on age and creativity hosted by Manchester Museum and funded by the Baring Foundation. The former Director of Manchester City Galleries (1998-2008) and Director of Culture for Manchester City Council (2008-2011), she was President of the Museums Association from 2006-2008 and a trustee of the Heritage Lottery Fund from 2009-2015. A board member of the Granada Foundation, she chairs Brighter Sound, a creative music charity and is a trustee of National Museums Liverpool and a member of the Fabric Committee for St Paul’s Cathedral. She also works as an arts and heritage consultant. Recent clients include: John Ellerman Foundation, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, Arts Council England and National Lottery Heritage Fund.

About the GM Funders Forum

The Greater Manchester Funders Forum is co-ordinated by GMVO and 10GM. Its purpose is to bring funders together to provide opportunities to share intelligence, perspectives and understanding of need and enable greater alignment of plans. Members hope this will bring more strategic investment and reduce unintentional duplication and gaps in provision.

[1] https://www.gmpovertyaction.org/poverty-monitor-2020/