State of the VCSE Sector 2026
The State of the VCSE Sector is a major research project mapping the size, scope, diversity and impact of the sector across Greater Manchester.
Building on research from 2017 and 2021, the 2026 phase of the State of the Sector project is led by Salford CVS on behalf of 10GM, in partnership with all Greater Manchester LIOs, with Nottingham Trent University as the academic research partner. This coordinated research maps and analyses the size, diversity and value of the VCSE sector across the ten boroughs, providing up-to-date insight into its role, impact and needs.
“Your work matters and we want to make sure it’s seen, heard and celebrated. When you respond to this survey, you help show the real impact our sector makes. You help build evidence that demonstrates what communities need and what can be achieved. You make sure your voice – and the voices of the people you support – helps to shape decisions across Greater Manchester. The stronger our evidence, the better we can all advocate for our sector and support the case for funding and working with us.” – Greater Manchester’s Local VCSE Infrastructure Organisations
The project will produce a report for each GM borough with an interactive dashboard and a Greater Manchester-wide report – all publicly* available in Autumn 2026. Every organisation completing the survey will also receive a free Individualised Insight Report.
What the research covered
The programme is exploring:
- The size and characteristics of the VCSE sector
- The workforce, including paid staff and volunteers
- Financial resilience and funding sources
- Demand for services and emerging challenges
- The sector’s role in supporting communities and reducing inequalities
Why it matters
The findings provide a shared evidence base for partners across Greater Manchester, including the VCSE sector, public sector organisations, and funders. They support better decision-making, stronger collaboration, and more targeted investment in communities.
State of the VCSE Sector 2021
The State of the VCSE Sector 2021 Survey included eight key sections, which encouraged respondents in each of the 10 Greater Manchester localities to describe their organisations, workforce, volunteers and impact, the work that the VCSE sector undertook in each of those localities and the impact of the global Covid-19 pandemic on their work and communities.
This research has been commissioned by Salford CVS on behalf of the 10GM partnership (Action Together in Oldham, Rochdale and Tameside, Bolton CVS, Macc in Manchester and Salford CVS), other local infrastructure organisations and local authorities in GM, and GMCVO and undertaken by the Centre for Social and Health Research at the University of Salford. This report forms part of a wider collection of reports, which, may be downloaded from www.10gm.org.uk. To describe growth patterns and trends and draw some comparisons, this survey is based on previous State of the Sector questions originally developed by Sheffield Hallam University (2012 and 2017).
Download all the reports below
State of the Sector report 2021
| Full report | Headlines for Manchester |
|
Image
|
Image
|
Greater Manchester State of the VCSE Sector 2021 Launch
| Part 1: Method and findings | Part 2: Speech by Greater Manchester Mayor, Andy Burnham and panel |
State of the Sector report 2017
| Full report | Summary | 10 things you should know about the VCSE sector in Manchester |
|
Image
|
Image
|
Image
|
State of the Sector report 2012
| Full report | 8 things you should know about the VCSE sector in Manchester |
|
Image
|
Image
|
Greater Manchester State of the Sector reports
The State of the Sector reports from the Greater Manchester boroughs can be downloaded from the 10GM website here
The Greater Manchester wide report can be downloaded from the 10GM website here