Foundational Economy Innovation Fund

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