The aim of the Our Manchester Voluntary and Community Sector (OMVCS) Fund 2026-2029 is to support voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise (VCFSE) organisations to carry out activities that make an important contribution to meeting the priorities of the Our Manchester Strategy 2025-2035.
The fund can be used for core and activity costs for your organisation, to help you to continue delivering impact for Manchester residents.
Applicants can apply for a small, medium or large grant as listed below:
| Grant amount | Per year | Over 3 years |
| Small | £10,000 - £40,000 | £30,000 - £120,000 |
| Medium | £40,001 - £70,000 | £120,001 - £210,000 |
| Large | £70,001 - £100,000 | £210,001 - £300,000 |
Key dates:
Grant opens – Monday 7th July, 9am
Grant closes – Monday 1st September, 12pm midday
Please find further information in the documents available under 'Downloads' including; application questions, guidance, programme guide and FAQ.
Watch the launch video here.
Support for applicants
The aim of the Our Manchester Voluntary and Community Sector (OMVCS) Fund 2026-2029 is to support voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise (VCFSE) organisations to carry out activities that make an important contribution to meeting the priorities of the Our Manchester Strategy 2025-2035. The fund can be used for core and activity costs for your organisation, to help you to continue delivering impact for Manchester residents.
The Programme for 2026-29 opens on Monday 7th July 2025, 9am and closes on Monday 1st September 2025, 12pm.
To be able to apply for this funding, your organisation must meet the following criteria:
- Already have worked with Manchester citizens for at least 18 months
- Must be a constituted voluntary and community-sector organisation with its own bank account and meet all minimum eligibility requirements
- Must be working to at least one of the OMVCS programme’s areas of focus
- Must be able to demonstrate a fit with one or more of the 12 Our Manchester Strategy priorities
- Please note: organisations are strongly encouraged to check their eligibility to apply using the online eligibility checker tool.
Any group meeting the above criteria can ask for support. Support will be offered on a first come first served basis and is subject to capacity. How the support will work is explained below.
Support for applicants Get advice on your first application draft
Groups can receive constructive feedback on their first draft application from a Macc Development Worker, including any areas for improvement. Feedback on first drafts will be shared before a follow up meeting takes place. Meetings are 40 minutes long and groups need to have completed a first draft bid using Manchester City Council's downloadable Word document version of the application form.
Please note: that a draft bid to Macc is for Macc support purposes only. Your final application will need to be submitted through the Council’s online Smart Survey application portal by 12pm on 1st September 2025.
Draft applications for support need to emailed to us at: [email protected] by 1pm on Monday 21st July 2025.
Available dates and times:
Tuesday 5th August, Wednesday 6th August, Thursday 7th August, Friday 8th August, Monday 11th August, Tuesday 12th August, Wednesday 13th August, Thursday 14th August, Friday 15th August.
09:30-10:10 10:30-11:10 11:30-12:10 13:30-14:10 14:30-15:10 15:30-16:10 16:30-17:10 *17:30-18:10 *18:30-19:10
*Support slots will in the main run between 9:30 and 17:10. There will be a small number of later sessions on some days subject to availability and need.
What will the support be like?
The support will be delivered online through Zoom by our friendly development workers. The development worker will have read your first draft application prior to the meeting and will be able to talk you through any suggested improvements that you could make to strengthen your application. Honest and helpful advice will be provided!
Request support
You can request support on your first application draft from Monday 14th July 2025 by emailing us at: [email protected] with your group name and contact details.
Draft applications should be emailed to us at [email protected] no later than 1pm on Monday 21st July 2025.
Please note that Macc’s Capacity Building Team is offering to review your application and provide feedback. Applications will not be written for groups.