We are hosting a one-hour Meet the Funder event with Ian Wilson from The Vernon Charitable Foundation.

Vernon Building Society has a long history of giving back to Stockport and Poynton communities. So, in our centenary year, we're excited to announce the launch of Vernon Charitable Foundation. Through grants of up to £5,000, the Foundation will support local charities providing public benefit in Stockport, Cheshire and Greater Manchester, focused on the prevention and relief of poverty and community development.

Please note, the Vernon Charitable Foundation only funds registered charities - you are more than welcome to attend if you are a VCFSE group that is considering becoming a charity, but please bear in mind that you won't be able to apply for funding until your registered chartiable status has been approved by the Charity Commission.

To find out more and register your attendance, click here.

Are you interested in gaining bid-writing skills or refreshing your knowledge? Our three-hour interactive workshop aims to help you improve your confidence and increase your chances of successful funding bids, through:

• Knowledge of key funding terms

• Better understanding of funding eligibility and criteria

• Knowledge on how to answer key questions for every bid

• Top tips to put into practice

This workshop will be a mixture of presentation, interactive activities, and group discussion. It is aimed at those working, volunteering, or starting out in the VCFSE (voluntary, community and faith-based groups, and social enterprise organisations) sector in Stockport.

Register your place here.

Join the Sector 3 Team and Jilla Burgess-Allen from Stockport Public Health to break down the Live Well Fund.

In it's first year, the grant is aimed to fund ‘projects addressing entrenched health inequalities affecting global majority communities, socially isolated individuals, and children and young people, with priority to groups and projects working in areas of deprivation within Stockport.’ 

At this Meet the Funder event, you’ll be able to find out more on:

• Eligibility criteria

• Application Process

• Decision making

You will then have time to ask any questions you may have about the fund, advice on how to apply, and anything else!

Find out more and book your place here.

Join the Income Club: Empowering Voluntary and Community Groups to Thrive!

Are you part of a Voluntary, Community, Faith-based, Social Enterprise (VCFSE) or charitable group in Stockport, navigating the world of funding and resources? The Income Club is for you.

Through our conversations with Voluntary & Community organisations, we understand that navigating the funding landscape can be at often times isolating and lonely. With this in mind, Kaylie and Charlotte are running a monthly Income Club to bring anyone involved in fundraising together.

Find out more and book your place here.

We are hosting a one-hour Meet the Funder event with Gin from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

At this Meet the Funder event, you’ll be able to find out more on:

• Eligibility criteria

• Application Process

• Decision making

You will then have time to ask any questions you may have about the fund, advice on how to apply, and anything else!

Find out more and register here.

Join the Groundswell Project for a unique interactive 1.5 hour workshop designed for community groups to combat hateful ideologies and build resilience. This workshop is a multimedia workshop that combines academic knowledge, personal experience and testimonies.

This is a free event.

Register your attendance here.

Your monthly online forum to share learnings, meet others in the sector and work through challenges together.

Facilitated by the team at Sector 3.

Register here.

We are hosting a one-hour Meet the Funder event with Lizzy McDowell (Kao Data) and Vicky Bloomfield (Sector 3) who are facilitating the brand new Kao Data SEED Fund.

The 'Kao Data SEED Fund’ aims to support innovation, community-led projects, and initiatives that improve local sustainability and encourage enterprising within Stockport's communities.

There will be two grant pots, £500-1000 and £1000-2500, available for any eligible VCFSE working in Stockport.

At this Meet the Funder event, you’ll be able to find out more on:

• Eligibility criteria

• Application Process

• Decision making

You will then have time to ask any questions you may have about the fund, advice on how to apply, and anything else!

This event is aimed at those working, volunteering, or starting out in the VCFSE (voluntary, community and faith-based groups, and social enterprise organisations) sector in Stockport.

Register your attendance here.

This focused training session exploring how Artificial Intelligence can support and enhance your bid-writing process.

During this event, you’ll learn:

• The Benefits and Considerations of AI: Gain a clear understanding of AI’s potential and its limitations

• Top Tips for Using AI: Discover practical advice on integrating AI into your workflow

• Using AI for Bid-Writing Support: Participate in an activity designed to demonstrate how AI can streamline and strengthen your proposals.

This session is perfect for anyone looking to better understand AI’s role in bid-writing and how it can be used effectively.

Find out more and register your place here.

This is a new 8-week course funded by Sector 3 in partnership with Walthew House, starting every Tuesday evening from January 14th 2025, and will run until March 4th 2025. Each session will be 2 hours long, starting at 6pm and finishing at 8pm. As

this 8-week course is funded, we are charging a £50 refundable cover fee. Once you have completed the course, the £50 will be refunded back to you. Please note, the total amount you will be refunded is £50 (we are unable to refund eventbrite fees).

Find out more and register here.

Does your voluntary & community organisation / group want to start creating video content but don't know where to start?

Join this entry level workshop for a 60 minute practical workshop Stockport based voluntary & community groups.

- Learn how to plan your films to get the best results possible

- Learn technical tips on how to improve your footage and sound

- Have an introduction into editing and how to build a campaign around your film

There will also be a chance to ask questions and get feedback on your footage.

No previous experience necessary.

Hosted by Clare Finch, Sector3's Volunteer Hub Lead, this three-hour interactive workshop will take you through all the need-to-knows from start to finish with working with volunteers.

We'll look at:

• legal requirements

• the recruitment stage

• looking after volunteers, and

• an exit strategy.

Find out more and register your attendance here.

Join DigiKnow & Family Hubs With Community Computers. There will be opportunities to buy a low-cost laptop (on sale for £60), get data on SIM cards and sign up for digital courses.

Refurbished devices including Microsoft Office (*Laptops ONLY available to Stockport residents in receipt of benefits)

Your monthly online forum to share learnings, meet others in the sector and work through challenges together.

Anyone working or volunteering in Stockport's charity sector is welcome to attend but we're particularly keen to speak with people working in Stockport's faith communities at this session.

We would like to hear from faith organisations and groups about how they feel Sector 3 could support you more; it could be networking, raising awareness, access to funding or anything else. The event is open to all faiths and everyone is welcome.

Starting with the Jewish New Year comes the period of time called Teshuvah, which literally means to return, a period of self-reflection. How do you self-reflect, recalibrate, start again?

Facilitated by the team at Sector 3.

Register here.

Thinking about starting a socially minded business?

Wondering what you need to know and if you have the right skills?

Why not join us for an interactive session to learn from Jenny Matthews at The Enterprise Bridge CIC what you need to start your journey.

Jenny will deliver this session in bite sized pieces with plenty of coffee and tea breaks to talk through what we have learnt and what the next steps are. If you are at the very early stages or have some ideas already but haven’t quite got going yet, then this workshop is for you!