Building Stronger Communities Together Manchester Community Grant Programme

Main Information

Fund Objectives

The Building Stronger Communities Together (BSCT) Manchester Community Grant Programme is aimed at building stronger communities through delivering the BSCT strategy, which was launched in May 2024 – Building Stronger Communities Together strategy | Building Stronger Communities Together strategy | Manchester City Council.

The strategy focuses on people, and the following three objectives:

1. Relationships ‘It’s about all of us’ – getting to know one another and bridging differences between communities. More people doing things to help them and others to belong to their community; those who are newly arrived as well as those who have always lived here, engaging, being trusted and trusting others around them, including those from different social and ethnic backgrounds.
2. Participation ‘We get involved to make a difference’ – helping all communities to feel empowered to act to improve their neighbourhood and address shared challenges together building on the strengths and advantages of Manchester’s rich diversity, cultures and histories.
3. Belonging ‘Making an effort’ to make ourselves and the people around us a part of our local neighbourhood and the city; valuing diversity and difference and celebrating what we have in common. Being proud of the places we live. Knowing that all together we belong to Manchester. Whether a new arrival to the city or someone whose family goes back generations we celebrate what we have in common, the ties that bind us together, and the shared values of welcoming and inclusivity

Delivery Principles

The principles for the BSCT Manchester Community Grant Programme have been developed with the priorities above in mind.  Strong project proposals will be those that demonstrate delivery against at least three of the following grant principles. However the assessment panel will focus on how well proposals deliver against the principles, not just the number of principles.

1. Two or more organisations working together to improve their relationships with each other and better support the local community
2. Bring two or more different communities together to build bridges across difference, change behaviours and attitudes and resolve social tensions.
3. Focus on vulnerable or under-represented communities e.g. inclusion of racial or ethnic minorities, refugees, young people) and ensure that all groups regardless of socio-economic background, gender, religion or culture have equal access to the project activities.
4. Encourages active participation from local communities in decision making, planning and implementation along with prioritise initiatives that empower communities to solve their own problems and build resilience
5. Foster intercultural dialogue to build understanding between different cultural, ethnic or religious groups.
6. Encourage innovative approaches to building social cohesion such as using technology, arts or new social media platforms to bring people together.

Assessment Criteria

Applications will be assessed using the following criteria:

1. The skills and experience of the organisation(s) applying
2. How well the application responds to the objectives and principles of the fund (see above)
3. The impact of the project on beneficiaries
4. Value for money

Project activity

The grant funding should consider projects and activities that deliver social cohesion as described in the BSCT strategy – Building Stronger Communities Together strategy | Building Stronger Communities Together strategy | Manchester City Council.

• Projects that can be scaled or replicated in other communities and neighbourhoods, or where there are tools or resources established that can be shared outside of the life of the project to maximise impact, may be considered favourably, however this is not required for an application to be successful.

Some of the ideas for your activity might include:

• Co-designed community projects to improve local neighbourhoods.
• Intercultural exchange programmes building awareness of, celebrating and respecting different traditions and communities.  
• Sporting activities bringing people from different backgrounds together.
• Youth Engagement and Empowerment to become more active and responsible in their local community.
• Intergenerational projects like community gardening, digital literacy and inclusion programmes, mentorship.
• Codesigned multi-cultural programmes with an arts focus, e.g. community art murals, theatre for social change, exhibitions, collaborative film and documentary making, cultural exchange programmes, community radio or podcasts for diverse voices.
• Misinformation and Disinformation – Equip individuals with the skills to critically evaluate the information they encounter and recognise false or misleading content. 
• Conflict Resolution, e.g. community mediation and dialogue circles, community reconciliation, Youth Peace Ambassadors, restorative justice initiatives.
• Build understanding between different religious, ethnic and cultural groups e.g. interfaith social action and volunteer projects, educational programmes and exchange visits.

What we won’t fund:

• Capital costs, for example refurbishments.
• Recruitment costs. 
• Staffing costs not related to the specific project or activity. 
• Core or operating costs not related to the specific project or activity.
• Individuals, including for travel, study, or other purposes.
• Projects or activities that have already taken place before the grant funding timelines.
• Projects where food provision is the main offer.

Points to consider:

• The maximum grant available for applications is £30,000. 
• Funding is provided on a one-off basis and is not renewable.
• The decision to award a grant rests with the Council and there is no appeal process. 
• As part of the assessment, we will consider if the costs appear reasonable.
• If the application form is not fully completed and the necessary supporting evidence not provided, then the application will be rejected.
• Applications should be completed using the online application form on Smart Survey. A Word version of the application form is available to help you plan your answers, but you should then use this to make your application using the online form. If you need help using Smart Survey, please email [email protected].  
• Grant payments will be made to organisations by 31 March 2025.  All activity will need to have been delivered by 31 July 2025.
• An evaluation report setting out key outputs e.g. number of events/workshops, people attending / participating (including equality breakdown), feedback, quotes, learning etc will be required from each project by the end of August 2025.