ESF Community Grants – Greater Manchester 2019-2021: Re-Connect Priority Grants Round

The ESF Community Grant Programme has launched a targeted Grant Programme in response to COVID 19.

Re-Connect seeks applications from a wide range of voluntary organisations who are ready to reach out by using approaches which tackle the new and emerging barriers arising from the impact of COVID 19.

Small grants of up to £20,000 are available across Greater Manchester to eligible organisations in the VCSE sector

Projects should look to develop and maintain participant connections to learning experiences. Project activity should support, maintain and improve participant employability and resilience.

All project activity must be within the current government COVID restrictions, but should include flexibility to adapt as and when those restrictions change in future months

The funding can help all who are out of work or economically inactive but especially those that:

• Are homeless or at risk of being homeless
• Have low or no qualification
• Lack literacy and numeracy skills
• Are lone parents
• Have disabilities, learning difficulties or health conditions
• Are from ethnic minorities
• Are aged over 50
• Young NEET people [aged 16 and above]

This programme covers the 10 Greater Manchester boroughs, and all eligible participants must live in Greater Manchester.

To apply organisations must meet the organisational eligibility criteria:

• Are you a Third sector organisation run on a not for profit basis, i.e.
  • Constituted Voluntary / Community Group
  • Social Enterprise (Not For Profit)
  • Registered Charity
  • Community Interest Company (CIC)
  • Company Limited by Guarantee
• Do you have an annual turnover equal to or under £5,000,000
• Do you employ no more than 49 full time equivalent employees
• Has your organisation been in operation for a minimum of 12 months
• Does your organisation have a Governing Document/Constitution?
• Does your organisation have an Independent Bank Account into which the grant can be paid?
• Are you not already in direct receipt of funding from the European Social Fund, or other ESF co-financing with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA), or National Offender Management Service (NOMS)
• You do not have an active grant agreement for Rounds 1 , 2 or 3 of ESF Community Grants
• Are you applying for funding to work with unemployed and economically inactive people?
• Are the people you plan to work with at least 16 years old?
• Is your proposed activity taking place within Greater Manchester?

Project start date must be on or after 1 August  2020 and all activity must be completed by 31 May 2021.

ZOOM Workshops will be running in week commencing 18 May with more information about the programme, email: [email protected] to receive an invite.

For more information and to apply click here or email [email protected]

Deadline: 3 June 2020