Join us for a lunchtime workshop led by Mel Safari from Yaran North West and Kush Chottera from Europia which will focus on the systemic inequalities faced by immigrant communities in GM. . 

This session, based on the evaluation of Comic Relief's Care Home Challenge 2 grant scheme, focuses on ways in which activity providers can improve their delivery in care homes. At the session, Emma- Rettaa Koivunen will discuss how to design an evaluation to increase the potential for organisational learning. 

Following on from the previous success of the Greater Manchester Cancer Conference, 2021 will see Greater Manchester Cancer deliver 'Virtual Cancer Week'.

The themes for the 5 days include:

Living Well
Early Detection
COVID-19
International World Cancer Day
Engaging Communities

If you are interested in joining any of the virtual sessions, please register your interest for the whole week. Agendas and viewing links for each of the days will be distributed in due course.

All sessions will be available live or on-demand. Tickets are free 

Ambition for Ageing are hosting a series of online practice-based workshops on key issues for those developing age-friendly place-based work in localities across Greater Manchester. The three workshops are: 

1. Meeting the Challenge of Taking an Equalities Approach to Place-Based Work

2. The Value of Shared Spaces in Place-Based Working

3. Coproduction in Sustaining Age-Friendly Places

Over the last year, many of us have felt the strain on our mental well-being or supported colleagues, friends, and loved ones who are struggling. This week is Mental Health Awareness Week, hosted by the Mental Health Foundation. 

It is an opportunity for us to talk about all aspects of our mental health and look at how we can maintain good mental health and seek support when we need it. This year’s theme for Mental Health Awareness Week explores the connections between Nature and Mental Wellbeing. 

Curious about social investment? Wondering if it’s for you? Want to see how social investment has helped other social enterprises and trading charities across GM?

We have created an interactive map showcasing all the wonderful work and organisations that the GMCVO Social Investment Team have supported to access social investment.

Our investees range from organisations impacted by Covid, to those looking to grow and expand their impact, to communities wanting to develop community owned housing or sporting facilities.

The second round of Emergency Grants for GM BAME Communities awarded 34 micro grants and 39 small grants to BAME communities afffected by the Covid-19 pandemic

Created in partnership with the Greater Manchester's Hidden Talent Youth Panel and endorsed by Youth Employment UK, this toolkit offers employers practical tips for making video interviews and remote inductions accessible for young people.
Formatted as series of checklists for recruiters, hiring and line managers; the guidance considers that young people with limited workplace experience may never have previously used video call platforms in a professional context, and may also need additional guidance when starting a homeworking or hybrid home / office job.

FoodCycle - the charity that hopes to make food poverty, loneliness and food waste a thing of the past for every community - is expanding across Greater Manchester. With Projects already running in Salford, Levenshulme and Prestwich, the team will also re-open FoodCycle Oldham this year and add a fifth Project in Wythenshawe.

FoodCycle relies on the kindness of volunteers to help run the Projects and needs your help to spread the word to the community. Do you know anyone that might want to share a wholesome vegetarian meal and have a natter in a welcoming space? How about someone who has always wanted to give back to their local community? FoodCycle meals are open to all and volunteer roles are available to anyone that has time to spare.

If you are interested in knowing more about FoodCycle please contact pamela@foodcycle.org.uk. 

In the latest GM Poverty Action newsletter, following the publication of the Greater Manchester Independent Inequalities Commission’s report, GM Poverty Action looks at the work of the Poverty Reference Group and their recommendations as well as the need to embed socio-economic duty in future plans for the city region. The Association of Charitable Organisations provides information about their Here to Help Campaign and a new payment solution for cash disbursements is outlined.

There is a range of activity ideas for the whole month of May to inspire, motivate and encourage as many people to get out and walk this May. What would you pledge to do? Get outside for 10 minutes every day in May? A GM Daily Mile? 10,000 steps each day in May? 45, 60 or 90 miles in May? There are 3 levels of calendars for the month, providing activity ideas as a visual prompt to encourage lots of people across Greater Manchester to walk more during May. You can mix up any of the ideas and suggestions, or create your own.

The King’s Fund has reviewed existing evidence and experience on place-based working. They explored the development of place-based partnerships within three systems and undertook targeted engagement with local leaders from Integrated Care Systems, local authorities and voluntary and community organisations. This research highlights the potential role of place-based partnerships in improving health and shows how these opportunities can be realised.

The Health Creation Alliance have published a report on learning from the community response to COVID-19; how the NHS can support communities to keep people well.
The research for this report uncovered that a key contributor to the health and wellbeing among those people who received support and services during the pandemic was remaining connected. 

The insights and recommendations featured in this report are useful for everyone who has a role in health, care and wellbeing.

On the 13th May GMCVO's Ambition for Ageing project released a new report Pandemic Pressures, which summarises our research into how Greater Manchester equalities organisations have responded to the needs of older people during the Covid-19 crisis and provides recommendations for actions to be taken now to support future emergency planning

Alongside the full report, we have also published two briefings:

A briefing for service commissioners, funders and contractors summarising the key recommendations from the report to contribute to future planning
A briefing for VCSE organisations outlining how equalities organisations responded to the pandemic, and the impact this had on organisations, staff and volunteers..

The purpose of the Emergencies Partnership is to build greater national resilience and a better experience for people impacted by emergencies, by making the best use of resources across the voluntary and community sector. This impact report from the partnership covers the learnings from the last year responding to Covid-19 and how they can be used to develop and improve the response for future emergencies.

We are very sorry to hear that Wigan Borough Community Partnership are closing after doing such a great job of support VCSE organisations in Wigan.

We are awaiting news of new arrangements for wigan but in the meantime organisations can advertise their own events and activities through the Borough Wide Community Network newsletter who have a website and also email out a weekly newsletter to residents and community groups across the borough - email info@bwcn.org.uk 

The Queen's Award for Voluntary Service is the highest award given to local volunteer groups across the UK. Nominations for the 2022 Award can be submitted until 15th September, 5pm

We are recruiting for two Apprentice Administrators to provide general administration and support related to the co-ordination of the Greater Manchester Black Asian and Minority Ethnic Social Enterprise Network.
Closing date for applications: Friday 14th May 2021 (subject to extension)

GM Equality Alliance (GM=EqAl) are looking for five additional VCSE members to join their Working Group. They want to hear from people with an in-depth understanding of particular areas of inequality and strong connections to relevant communities and networks. 

Applications from Bury, Tameside and Trafford especially welcome. A small bursary is available to those who would otherwise face financial barriers to getting involved in work outside of their organisation. Applicants should submit their expressions of interest by the end of Tuesday 18th May. 

Greater Manchester Police are running an ongoing advert to recruit independent scrutiny panel volunteers across each of our 10 boroughs - it is open to everyone and anyone - they particularly welcome young people who have either lived experiences or are simply have an avid interest in the Police Use of Stop Search Powers and would like to influence future policy on its use. 

The Greater Manchester Health & Social Care Partnership is offering a funded development opportunity for 3 Perinatal & Parent Infant Mental Health Champions from VCSE groups that work specifically with BAME* communities.

Deadline for Expressions of Interest: Monday 31st May 2021

The National Lottery Community Fund (TNLCF) are inviting VCSE organisations to be part of their new Community Coffee Club for the North West region.

The post pandemic world is going to be challenging for VCSE organisations. Now is the time to review where you are now and where you need to be to ensure you can continue to deliver your mission. Skills for Growth – VCSE Support is a fully funded service that can help you do just that. Our dedicated VCSE Skills Coach will work with you to develop a tailored development plan and access the resources and advice you need. 

Contact Sittu for an initial chat about what we can offer. .

Get a Clarion Future Digital grant of up to £5,000 for innovative digital inclusion projects. Clarion House supports projects that help residents of all ages – and the wider community – to get online and safely and confidently use the internet as an everyday tool. The deadline is midday on 26th May 2021.

Ambition for Ageing is seeking community groups and organisations to deliver projects of up to £2,000 in specific neighbourhoods across Greater Manchester to help us create social connections and build age-friendly places for people aged 50 and over, especially those from marginalised and low-income communities.

There are online information sessions for those interested in applying on 18th May, 19th May and 24th May. Follow the link below to book your place. Support is also available to develop a project idea or with the application process. Please get in touch with ambition@gmcvo.org.uk for more information.

Deadline to submit your proposal/s: Monday 14th June, midday.

Tesco Community Grants has relaunched and is open for applications here from community groups and schools. Currently, funding is focused on projects which support children and families and food poverty.

The funding available for grants will be £500, £1,000 and £1,500 depending on the group’s place in the store vote. 

The NSUN Side by Side Fund will award grants of up to £500 to peer support, mutual aid or self-help groups in England and Wales to connect remotely, prepare to move their activities to face-to-face, or make their group more sustainable. The peer support, mutual aid or self-help group must benefit people or communities who live with mental ill-health, trauma and distress. Deadline 31st May. 

The latest GM Funding Bulletin produced by a partnership between Action Together, Bolton CVS, Macc and Salford CVS has been published.

Grants of between £20,000 and £60,000 per year, for up to three years, are available for small charitable organisations working at a grassroots level, targeting places that are economically marginalised and affected by poverty. No deadline.

Grants of up to £2,000 are available to give a helping hand to projects and initiatives across the UK that are seeking to bring music to their community. The funding is for UK-based groups, schools and organisations that are bringing music to their communities that need assistance to fulfil their potential in developing truly sustainable music programmes. Deadline: 1 July 2021.

The Adamson Trust funding aims to support organisations and registered charities that provide assistance with the cost of holidays or respite breaks for disabled children (aged 3 to 17 years) with physical, mental, or emotional impairments. Applications are accepted from individual families and on behalf of groups of children, registered charities and other organisations. Grant amounts are discretionary. Deadline: 31 May 2021.

The Trust's grant programme for UK registered charities aims to support people with an emphasis on building confidence, knowledge and skills, and therefore increasing prospects of employment. The funding (up to £5,000) will support a project or running costs for a charity that equips people (aged 11 and over) with the skills ready for employment. Please note, the applicant’s annual turnover should not exceed £500,000.

The Windrush Community Fund is financial support available to organisations across the UK to fund projects which raise awareness of the Windrush Scheme (documentation), the Windrush Compensation Scheme or both. Grants of between £2,500 and £25,000 are available for projects that reflect the objectives of the Windrush Community Fund. 

The deadline for this fund is 30th June 2021. 

The 2021 Charity Digital Skills Report research is now underway! By taking part in the survey you are helping build a picture of how the digital needs of the sector across the UK are changing. Anyone who works for a charity or a non-profit organisation based in the UK can complete the survey. Questions include your organisational priorities, barriers and funding needs, digital skills and service development.

Equality and Diversity UK want to support you in telling your stories and hearing your suggestions for beginning the journey for eradicating racism. They want to collect and share your lived experiences and thoughts about how racism impacts lives, affects, well-being and reduces productivity.

The Women’s Health Strategy for England will set out an ambitious and positive new agenda on women’s health, with women’s voices at the centre. The Government have launched a call for evidence to inform the priorities, content and actions within the Women’s Health Strategy. This exercise will ensure that the strategy is evidence-based and reflects what women identify as priorities. There is strong evidence of the need for greater focus on women’s health and to recognise and act on the inequalities. Deadline: 13 June, 11:45pm

Community Futures are offering free training courses to help people to develop employment skills including how to present themselves and their business, word processing workshops, and interview skills. These courses are perfect for those looking for a job or starting their own business. Community Futures is a CIC offering fully-funded support for people in Greater Manchester.

Are you a woman living in Rochdale, Oldham, Salford, Manchester, Wigan or Bolton? Would you like to take part in a series of free workshops to develop your facilitator/leadership skills and develop your own creative campaign or workshop? This project aims to bring together women from all different ages, backgrounds, cultures and belief systems to empower them to become even greater peace and cohesion leaders within their community.