Our Emergency Investment fund is aimed at Social Enterprises, Charities and Community Businesses who are in urgent need of capital caused by Covid-19. This Emergency Investment Fund helps organisations by providing loans ranging from £50,000 to £250,000. There is a repayment and interest free period of up to 2 years at the start of the investment and then a 3 year repayment period.

In line with other Covid-19 support funds, we have recently secured an extension for this fund to allow more time for organisations to submit an application.

Applications are now scheduled to close on Sunday 16th May 2021.

For organisations impacted by Covid-19, we are also able to support applications for Social Investment Businesses’ Resilience and Recovery Loan Fund and the Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS) offered by Growth Company.

If you have any questions how any of these funds might help your social enterprise, charity or community business, or are thinking of applying, please contact our social investment team on gmsocinvest@gmcvo.org.uk

Greater Manchester Rail Stations Alliance are developing a programme to reinvigorate and bring into use station rooms and buildings across Greater Manchester and are inviting expressions of interest from community organisations, social enterprise groups or charities who may be interested in the use of any of the buildings. The locations are: Altrincham, Broadbottom, Heaton Chapel and Trafford Park.

You can find out more about the buildings and express your interest by clicking the link below.

A new service has been launched to help organisations come back stronger from the challenges presented during the pandemic, this time better equipped and better prepared with the skills for the future. 

Available to all VCSE organisations in Greater Manchester with up to 250 employees as well as individuals, Skills for Growth - SME Support is a fully funded, tailored service offering one-to-one, personalised and impartial advice from skills coaches, wellbeing champions and change specialists to help organisations grow through re-shaping, developing talent and enhancing team performance.

Congratulations to Wigan Borough who have been officially recognised as a Social Enterprise Place by Social Enterprise UK. SEUK have recently published the official press release, with more info about the background to Wigan's well-deserved award.

The Place status recognises and champions Wigan's growing social enterprise sector. Wigan is the now the second Greater Manchester borough to be awarded Social Enterprise Place status by SEUK, following on from Salford back in 2015.  

Good Finance have today launched their new Diversity and Inclusion Hub on their website as part of the Addressing Imbalance partnership project. The aim is to work alongside Black and Ethnic Minority led charities, social enterprises and networks to improve access to information, knowledge and resources on social investment to improve financial sustainability and increase social impact. 

The 8 partner organisations include the Caribbean and African Health Network (CAHN) and the GM BAME Social Enterprise Network which GMCVO have been hosting and developing over the last year as part of the Connecting BAME Entrepreneurs project, in association with the GM BAME Network. 

GMCVO and Manchester City Council have created a pre-employment opportunities website for young people.

M-EET Your Match specifically targets young people aged 16-24 in Manchester who are not in education, employment or training and lists volunteering opportunities, educational courses, work placements, life and employment skills courses, and Level 2 apprenticeships. Young people, or people who are acting on their behalf, can register an interest in any of the opportunities and arrange for the provider to contact them with more details.

Providers with relevant pre-employment opportunities can also upload their own openings onto the website by filling in the online form.

GMCVO has established a partnership with the Growth Company to help VCSE employers in Greater Manchester access and benefit from the government’s Kickstart scheme.

Kickstart is a £2 billion initiative to create high quality, six-month, paid work placements for young people aged 16-24, who are claiming Universal Credit and at risk of long term unemployment. Kickstart funding will cover 100% of the relevant National Minimum Wage for 25 hours a week, plus the associated employer NI contributions and employer minimum automatic enrolment contributions.

Employers can register their interest with the Growth Company who will apply for funding on organisations’ behalf and offer a package of support which includes a range of HR and ‘back office’ assistance to help ‘onboard’ new-starters.

Millions of low paid workers are struggling to get the hours they need to make ends meet. That’s why the Living Wage Foundation has developed a new standard of what good looks like for those employers that can offer ‘Living Hours’ alongside a real Living Wage. 

A Living Hours report highlights the extent of insecure and precarious work practices which is hitting those on the lowest incomes hardest. It also lays out the Living Hours programme.

GMCVO’s latest annual review includes an overview of the work we are doing to support Place Based Working, Employment and Skills, VCSE Engagement in Public Policy and the Social Economy in Greater Manchester. Download the report to read about this work, the impact it is having on localities and our plans for the coming year.

Page 17-19 gives an overview of our work growing the social economy across GM. 

Power to Change have published their 6th annual report on the state of the community business market in England. In a turbulent year, this research demonstrates how the sector adapted and remained resilient during the early stages of the pandemic to continuously support their local communities. 

An extension to the furlough scheme and social investment tax relief are among the big announcements affecting voluntary sector organisations. Charity sector figures have strongly criticised the government for the lack of sector-specific announcements in the Spring Budget.

Follow the link below for the full story from Andy Ricketts at ThirdSector (you'll need to subscribe to ThirdSector but it is free)

Pioneer's Post have published their response to UK Budget 2021. 

"Social enterprises and investors welcome UK chancellor’s Social Investment Tax Relief extension, but commit to fight for further support. Other measures offer short-term help, although long-term outlook remains uncertain."

Key takeaways include a £150m Community Ownership Fund and an extension to government business support programmes, including the continuation of the furloughing scheme until the end of September and a £5 billion Restart grant scheme for 'non essential' businesses impacted by lockdown. We were also pleased to learn that Social Investment Tax Relief is being extended. 

Read on through the link below for Co-operatives UK's initial take on the 2021 spring Budget.

To cap off International Women's Day, Good Finance have published a round up including all nominations of inspiring individuals that #ChooseToChallenge from within the social investment, social enterprise and charity sectors. 

Particularly positive to see nominations for women in Greater Manchester:

Taslima Ahmad from CDM UK
Atiha Chaudry from Manchester BME Network
Grace Dyke & Kirsty Day - Yellow Jigsaw

Congratulations to all! :-)

After a recent tidy up and round of listings updates, now is the perfect time to explore the diverse range of social enterprises listed on the GM Social Enterprise Directory. Whether you run a social enterprise, are looking to buy from a social enterprise or are just curious to see what organisations are out there, you can explore the directory via this link. 

If you run a social enterprise and are not already registered on the directory, you can do so via this link. 

Nickala Torkington from GMSEN member Flourish Together CIC did a #TwitterTakeover on Friday on the GMSEN Twitter account, shining a spotlight on a whole range of activities and achievements from women in social enterprise across GM.

For those in the Twittersphere, it's a really positive round up following the recent activities, celebrations and campaigning for International Women's Day. 

You can have a browse through on GMSEN Twitter - @GMSE_Network

GMSEN member Alchemy Arts are delighted to announce the launch of a brand-new online merchandise store.

The store allows Alchemy supporters to purchase a range of Alchemy-branded jumpers, baseball caps and winter hats, with further products to be announced in due course.

All profit generated through the online store will be reinvested into future initiatives.

By purchasing through the online store, you will be supporting the growth of opportunities for underprivileged and underrepresented communities within Greater Manchester and beyond.

An online resource bringing together a growing range of social enterprise support together in one easy-to-use directory:
- filter by the type of support required
- digestible summary of each support provider's offer
- up to date contact details.

Oscar Evans from the Salford CVS comms team has put together a helpful blog on how to present yourself on video to get the best out of those virtual calls. These tips are not only useful for people wanting to stand out in the next all-staff video call, but can be applied to anybody hosting a virtual training session, recording a member update video for social media, or even just to upgrade your own one-to-ones with your colleagues. Anywhere where you are trying to get your point across to another person will benefit from these upgrades.

Flourish have developed a podcast series full of tips, hints, insights and interviews to help change makers and those in Social Enterprise create the change they see needed in communities and society at large. The 12 episodes cover a wide range of topics, such as legal structures, generating income, self-care, measuring social value and impact, marketing & PR and many others

In response to the Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, a dedicated web page which lists sources of advice and information useful to VCSE organisations on Greater Manchester. There is an overwhelming amount of information being circulated, and we hope our web page makes it more navigable.

The webpage has sections tailored for
- social enterprises
- BAME-led organisations
- locality specific support and advice
- funding and volunteering

This page contains a wide range of information, resources and tools designed to support charities and social enterprises navigating COVID-19. It includes funding guides, operational guidance and webinars designed to support social enterprises through the pandemic.

Wednesday 17th March, 2-4pm

This event, hosted by VCSE Crown Representative Claire Dove CBE, is aimed at VCSE organisations interested in finding out more about the new Social Value model and the opportunities it brings to the sector. You will also find out more about the Central Government bidding process including Contracts Finder, the Public Procurement Review Service and Consortia Bidding.

Wednesday 17th March, 9-10am

Join social enterprise leaders from Thailand and Singapore to learn about the rise of social enterprise, the middle class and the economies of South East Asia. We'll be looking at the potential Asian Century ahead, the idea of Singapore-on-Thames, inequality, and social enterprise as a global movement. 

The UK often positions itself as a global leader in social enterprise but through this webinar, and future ones like it, we hope to share learnings from around the world, looking at what our sector can learn from our colleagues in other countries and building a picture of the global impact of the social enterprise community and its vital importance in taking on the interconnected challenges we face. 

Tuesday 23rd March, all day
£79 / £99 / £119 / £139 / £159 (depending on organisational turnover)

A training day with the School for Social Entrepreneurs looking at getting going with fundraising. Are you new to fundraising and keen to learn how to get started? Need to raise money for your organisation or project? This new course is designed to give you an overview of how fundraising works, what types of fundraising are appropriate for your organisation, and what you need to do next to begin securing grants and donations.

Wednesday 31st March, 11-12.30pm
£35 (£25 for students & SSE fellows)

Among Social Entrepreneurs, LinkedIn can often be overlooked and under-utilised and yet it is the most trusted social media platform, contains a huge amount of free-to-access data about potential funders, collaborators and industry leaders, and can provide an almighty boost to the performance of your website.

Wednesday 31st March
Online

Moving more is vital to feeling happier, stronger, living and coping better during the pandemic and beyond. VCSE organisations are key in a whole system approach to supporting active lives and addressing inequalities.

 This workshop is an important conversation as we engage widely on the refresh of the GM Moving Strategy - GM Moving in Action.

 If you are a group, organisation, volunteer or individual interested in supporting others to move more we encourage you to attend this event.

Thursday 8th April, 6-7pm

The fourth event of our Lean Coffee Series is here!

Join us for an opportunity to come together over a coffee* to share challenges, make sense of the current climate and what it means for you, your organisation and the people you serve or just socialise and meet new like-minded people!

There will also be an opportunity to capture themes/topics that you would like to see in the next events.

Lean coffee is a structured meeting where you can turn up, build an agenda and start talking.

Click on the link below to access a wide range of current VCSE vacancies in Greater Manchester. You can also submit a form to get your own organisational vacancies listed, and there is also a board with trustee and volunteer vacancies, besides paid positions.

We currently have 24 external vacancies listed.

Closing date: Wednesday 17th March (5pm)

This programme has helped more than 2,000 people to start up, build and scale social enterprises, charities, community projects and impact-led organisations.

We could support you with:

• A free learning programme, shaped by your needs, to help you adapt to a post-Covid 'new normal'
• A grant (£1,000 – £7,000)
• A mentor
• A supportive community of peers in a similar role to you

The programme is split into 3 levels: Start Up, Trade Up and Scale Up, depending how established your enterprise is and where it's at in its development. 

Applications close at 1pm 16th April 2021.

Pioneers Post and NatWest are once again seeking entries for the NatWest SE100 Index & Social Business Awards. Don't miss your chance to be counted among the UK's top social enterprises this year – enter by midnight on 25 April.

A new ‘Climate Champion’ award is to be announced as part of this year’s NatWest SE100 Awards – applications for which are now open.

The award will recognise a social enterprise that is leading by example and inspiring others to work against climate change and towards a greener, more resilient future. It comes in the same year as the UK will host the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow.

Resilience will also be important for another key theme of this year’s awards – Covid resilience and recovery – as we explore how social enterprises across the UK have navigated through the global pandemic.

The Association of Mental Health Providers are currently holding an application rounds for its Enterprise Development Programme.

The programme supports mental health-focused organisations with a combination of grant and learning support to increase the capability and capacity to develop or grow a trading / enterprise venture.

If you are interested in this programme, get in touch with Greg Woolley, Enterprise Development Manager (greg@amhp.org.uk) to share details of your enterprise, get details of next steps and when application windows will open.

This training is open to organisations who:
- Whose stated mission/objects are to support individuals suffering from mental health issues or illnesses
- Have a turnover of £50k - £1M

Expressions of Interest close for this on Friday 19th March.

A capacity building programme led by the Black United Representation Network (BURN) - Restore, Strengthen & Scale Up is a FREE contract readiness programme to build the capacity of African and Caribbean businesses and organisations who want to be equipped with skills, competences and know-how to win £100k+ public sector contracts to become stronger, more resilient and bigger. To register for the programme and to view the course dates, please follow the link. 

Design Your Own Eco-Street is a new and exciting opportunity from Groundwork Greater Manchester giving communities the chance to win £6,000 funding to transform an unused area into an exciting green space.

The Eco-Streets competition seeks to transform two un-used, un-loved areas in Greater Manchester into spaces that feature nature-based-solutions to climate change. Each design will receive £6,000 in funding and support from Groundwork’s Community Enablers to transform their spaces in 2021.

Applications are open for Greater Manchester community groups or groups of residents, consisting of at least 3 people from different households.

Groundwork are running online workshops where you can find out more about this opportunity on March 23rd, 25th and 31st. 

The Greater Manchester Disabled People's Panel is made up of Disabled People’s Organisations across GM. It operates at the highest strategic level with the GM Mayor Andy Burnham and GM Combined Authority to advise, consult, influence, and create policy with the aim to improve the lives of disabled people throughout GM. 

The Panel is inviting applications for new members from organisations or groups. 

The Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership are leading a programme to improve mental health support and services for families in pregnancy and the first two years of a child’s life.

To ensure that there is a strong network of voluntary community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations available to help deliver this service, grants are available to help build capacity of groups who support parents facing challenges relating to the maternity experience.

If you are a Greater Manchester based group or organisation offering support to parents, and would like to extend your peer-to-peer offer and become more financially sustainable, we may be able to help with a one-off development grant.

We have extended the application window our Emergency Investment Fund, aimed at Social Enterprises, Charities and Community Businesses who are in need of capital as a result of COVID-19. This Emergency Investment Fund will help fund organisations by providing loans ranging from £50,000 to £250,000. There is a repayment and interest free period of up to 2 years at the start of the investment and then a 3 year repayment period.

The extended closing date for applications is Sunday 16th May 2021.

In addition to our own Emergency Investment fund, we are also supporting organisations to access urgent social investment, including:

Resilience and Recovery Loan Fund (Social Investment Business)

Bounce Back Loan Scheme (Growth Company)

If you are considering emergency investment in response to Covid, please contact us for advice and a potential referral at gmsocinvest@gmcvo.org.uk

This fund invests in projects looking to develop community led and owned assets for both affordable/social housing and/or sports facilities in Greater Manchester.
The fund aims to invest in substantial projects, normally in excess of £1 million across Greater Manchester. As the local delivery partner, GMCVO will provide support and connect community groups with local partners to help deliver the projects.

Through our Access to Growth fund, we offer blended finance (mix of grant and loan) aimed at small and very small social enterprises and charities that trade, including new organisations. Whether you address social needs, strengthen communities, improve people’s life chances, enhance culture or protect the environment – if your business trades for the common good, this opportunity is for you.

Awards up to £1,000 for small and grassroots community groups in GM.

Closing date: 26th March

Grants of £3,000 to £5 million to support heritage sector organisations with a focus on projects that support local economies, places and communities.

Grants up to £40,000 for organisations supporting women and girls to improve their mental health and wellbeing and/or improve their financial resilience.

Closing date: 25th March

Action Together publish a monthly funding bulletin showcasing current opportunities, accessed through the link below. 

Action Together also have an online 'find funding' directory which you can access via this link. 

This survey of social enterprises in the UK is a vital piece of research providing information on the social enterprise landscape. It is widely cited by Government, social enterprise support bodies, think tanks and social enterprises to help create a more supportive environment for the sector.

All Social Enterprises in the UK are invited to share their views in this survey before 9th April.

Your responses will help Co-operatives UK understand the challenges faced by co‑ops across the UK – so that they can raise awareness of co‑ops in the media, as well as developing and campaigning for support.

If your co‑op has not yet taken part, please spend 15 minutes answering the questions before the closing date of 4 April. They want to ensure a broad cross section of co‑ops from all sectors complete the survey, so make sure your co-op is represented. 

The GM VCSE Mental Health Leadership Group are undertaking a mapping exercise to identify the existing level of mental health service provision currently in place to support children and families, in order to build a Greater Manchester wide network of family-centred support that operates within all ten localities.

This survey is part of wider work being carried out to meet the surge in demand for such services due to Covid-19 which, it is hoped, will lead to better co-ordination, connection and enhancement of existing mental health services going forwards. 

To support this work, we would be grateful if you could spare some time to complete this survey, as well as passing these details onto any of your relevant contacts and networks.  

Please note: respondents should only complete this survey if their service (either in whole or part), undertakes mental health support for children, parents/carers or families. Any queries about this survey should be directed to Jonny Wineberg via jonny@communityfutures.co.uk

Greater Manchester Combined Authority want to hear your views to help shape Greater Manchester’s first Local Nature Recovery Plan.

The Nature Recovery Plan will be a blueprint for the future of Greater Manchester’s natural environment and local wildlife. It will set out what needs to be done to restore declining species and habitats, and give nature the best chance to recover.

SSE are looking to the future and keen to understand how they can best support social entrepreneurs coming out of the pandemic. It takes 5 minutes and you'll be added into a prize draw as well.