GMCVO have launched a new social investment fund for organisations and businesses working in Greater Manchester who are trading for social good and looking to grow.

They are working in a unique partnership with the Greater Manchester Credit Union Consortium, Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), Access – The Foundation for Social Investment and Esmée Fairbairn Foundation to deliver local investment with real impact, in communities where the need is highest.

Find out more here

The Macaulay Moat Foundation is an independent grant-maker supporting charities and social entrepreneurs (including Community Interest Companies) who focus on Autism and Church Outreach.

There is no deadline and grants are given out on an ongoing basis.

GMCA’s new Foundational Economy Innovation Fund will provide grants for businesses and organisations in Greater Manchester’s “foundational” economy, to trial innovative new ideas and improved ways of working. The “foundational economy” is the “everyday economy”, or the “essential economy” – the businesses we all rely on for our daily needs.

It will provide £10,000 grants for 40 projects, plus expert support, to test innovations and ideas in stage 1, followed by £60,000 grants for 10 projects, plus expert support, to develop the best ideas from stage 1.

They are starting with four sectors: adult social care, early education and childcare, retail and hospitality, leisure and tourism.

The fund is for you, if you:

- own or run a business, social enterprise or cooperative in these sectors
- support or represent a cluster of businesses in one of these sectors
- can provide technology and / or innovative solutions or new ideas that could be used in one of these sectors

Key Fund can support a range of activities, from restoring a derelict building to buying equipment or meeting start-up costs. Investment of between £5,000 and £150,000 to support:

Working capital to pay for staff or overheads.

Growth and development.

Contributing to the purchase and renovating of buildings.

Marketing & Promotion

The Booster fund helps all types of community businesses to prepare a community share offer, to support their recovery from COVID-19.

Development grants – up to £5,000 to prepare a community share offer: financial planning, governance support, marketing costs and being awarded the Community Shares Standard Mark.

Match equity investment – typically matching pound for pound up to £25,000 invested by the Booster Programme, providing that the minimum share offer target is achieved.

Organisations such as Registered Charities, Community Interest Companies, Co-operatives and Credit Unions; etc. that have a Community Directplus account can apply for funding of up to £1,000 from the Customer Donation Fund.

Applications close in March and September every year

The Henry Smith Charity provides grants to charitable organisations that help people when other sources of support have failed, are inappropriate, or are simply not available. Grants of £20k-60k are available for up to 3 years.

Ongoing deadline

The Proper Good Investment team offer affordable and accessible social investment aimed at small and very small social enterprises and charities that trade, including new organisations. There are three tiers: Early Stage Loan Fund, Scale Up Loan Fund and Buildings Loan Fund.

If you refer an individual to the investment programme and they are subsequently approved, your VCFSE organisation will receive 1% of the total award for the early stage and scale up funds when the investee draws down.