Our Manchester Voluntary and Community Sector Grants Programme 2018/2019 Annual Report Community Hub Contents Foreword Manchester’s Voluntary and Community Sector This annual report celebrates the successes (VCS) organisations are a vital part of the fabric of the VCS organisations funded by the Council. Foreword 3 of the city. Their work is key to reaching those It’s wonderful to see what has already been untouched by Manchester’s success, to create achieved in the first year of the programme. Introduction 4 resilient and vibrant communities, and to make sure that they are able to access the best of It’s also a great opportunity to look forward Our year in numbers – what Manchester has to offer. The VCS plays and outline our ambitions for the next two 2018/2019 6 an important role in improving people’s skills years of the programme. This includes working and job prospects, encouraging residents to to strengthen our partnership with Manchester Supporting individuals 8 get involved in their neighbourhoods, building Health & Care Commissioning to extend the local partnerships, and celebrating the city’s reach of our investment and support to a Community impact 10 diverse communities. The work of voluntary broader range of organisations and residents. organisations is also typical of the Our Supporting volunteering We also recognise that these successes only Manchester way of working: listening to represent a portion of what VCS organisations in the city 12 people and recognising the best in them, deliver across the city. Despite the many and working together to improve the lives Better relationships 14 challenges and changes we face, our ambition of individuals and communities. to continue to support and work with the Looking ahead 16 Manchester City Council is committed to sector remains. We are optimistic about the supporting the city’s VCS. The Our Manchester future as we work in partnership with the VCS OMVCS Programme Board 18 VCS (OMVCS) grants programme embodies our to continue to make our city a great place to ambition to invest in the sector and to work live, work and visit. Our thanks 19 more closely with VCS partners. Following an almost two-year co-design with the VCS and our partners in other public-sector organisations, we’ve developed a programme that sets out to achieve exactly that. By integrating multiple Council grant funds into one, we made it easier for organisations to apply for funding. In changing the funding from one year to three years, we’ve listened to the calls from VCS groups for more financial stability. Also, by having one point of contact, organisations can now grow their relationship with the Council. Councillor Sue Murphy CBE Deputy Leader of Manchester City Council and Lead Member for the Voluntary and Community Sector Joanne Roney OBE Chief Executive, Manchester City Council 3 Introduction The VCS plays an essential part in delivering The story so far We’ve also established a dedicated team to Looking ahead and achieving the aims set out in the Our This new funding programme represents a shift manage the programme. The team is supported Finally, as well as reflecting and celebrating Manchester Strategy, the long-term vision in the model for grant funding by Manchester by a group of liaison officers that act as the what has been achieved in the past year, we to make the city the best it can be by 2025. City Council following an almost two-year main link between the VCS organisations we also know that the work has just begun. There co-design process that involved the voluntary fund and the Council. Our aim is to build is a lot to be done in the next two years of the The Our Manchester Voluntary and Community sector and our partners in other public-sector better, more positive relationships where programme and beyond, including the launch Sector (OMVCS) grants programme was organisations. Through this process, we VCS organisations know they can go to if they of the Older People’s Neighbourhood Support developed in recognition of this role, and were told about how the sector wanted more need support and guidance. We’re already (OPeNS) Fund and the First 1,000 Days Fund. aims to work with and invest in organisations stability in the current economic and funding seeing the positive impact this is making, There is also work to be done around our that support the individuals, families and environment, and how time-consuming with organisations feeling they have someone priorities of working with and supporting neighbourhoods of Manchester. multiple monitoring systems were taking staff to go to to share their thoughts and ideas and VCS organisations in north Manchester, and Launched in 2018, the OMVCS grants programme away from delivering services to residents. celebrate their successes. As well as sharing developing more work with black, Asian and is investing £7.4million over three years into 63 the impact VCS organisations are having with minority ethnic (BAME) organisations and We heard this feedback loud and clear, and organisations. We are now a year into the new residents of Manchester, you’ll also get to hear leaders. We’ll discuss these and our vision in response developed a programme that programme and a huge amount has already in more detail how these changes have started for the future towards the end of this report. emphasises the move towards both long-term been achieved. The organisations on the OMVCS to make a difference. funding and building positive relationships grants programme have supported over 124,0001 with the sector as valued partners. We’ve done Manchester residents through a wide range of this by bringing together five grant funds into activities, including peer-support programmes, a single pot, and extending our grant-funding information, advice, support services, and length from one year to three years. This has health and wellbeing activities. We’re incredibly already started to make a huge impact on proud of the work that’s been done in the past the VCS organisations on the programme by year. This report gives an insight into just some increasing their ability to plan ahead and to of this work, highlighting the positive impact it secure further funding from other sources. has had on the residents of Manchester. Organisations also tell us they now spend a lot less time filling in monitoring forms and more time delivering to residents, which is great to hear! 1 The data used in this report is collected and reported by the VCS organisations on the OMVCS grants programme. Data is collected via an electronic survey system, and variations in data collection processes across organisations may affect data quality 4 5 Our year in numbers Higher Blackley 2018/2019 Charlestown We support organisations Crumpsall Key facts across the city that work Moston and figures with the wide diversity of Harpurhey Manchester’s communities. Cheetham Miles Platting A large proportion of the & Newton Heath organisations we fund work Our organisations Over 6,000 beyond the ward boundaries in worked with more than Manchester residents spent Ancoats 209,881 hours volunteering, We are investing which they’re based. Residents & Beswick Clayton & Openshaw 124,000 which equates to £1.8million in from every ward in Manchester Deansgate Piccadilly residents in Manchester economic impact if calculated £7.4million using the real Living Wage in 63 organisations have accessed these services over three years Ardwick throughout the year. Hulme Gorton & Abbey Hey For 2018/2019 this is Longsight Moss Side 17 new Groups brought in nearly £2,466,033 in 63 organisations Whalley Rusholme Liaison Officers Range spread across the Council £4million Fallowfield Levenshulme support VCS organisations worth of additional money Chorlton on the programme to Manchester! Old Moat Chorlton Park Withington Burnage Didsbury West The programme funds activities across the city and communities of identity. All organisations Brooklands Didsbury meet at least one of the following objectives: East Northenden Strong sense of Support the contribution No. of VCS organisations Baguley citizenship and pride older people make based in each ward in the city (Age-Friendly city) Sharston 0 3 Collectively improve health and 1 4 wellbeing Woodhouse Park 2 5+ Increase Support volunteering carers 6 7 Supporting Young and elderly residents have met through individuals Chorlton Good Neighbours befriending scheme The funding provided by the OMVCS Manchester Rape Crisis – Celia Chorlton Good Neighbours – Hilde Back on Track grants programme goes to a wide range of When Manchester Rape Crisis (MRC) met Hilde is 85 years old and lives in Whalley Range. “Before I started my courses at organisations across the city. These include Celia2 in 2016, she was extremely fragile and She loves getting out and about and visiting Back on Track I was a drug addict, and those that support refugees to gain safety and suicidal. She had issues of trust and building friends, but this has become more difficult shoplifted to fund my habit, I lived in a support in their new home, those that help relationships, and would break down in in recent years due to reduced mobility and very dark place and went to prison for the people who have been homeless to get back meetings and group sessions. Over time, with bereavements, which have made Hilde less consequences of my actions. Then I found on track, and those that advocate for the rights support from MRC, Celia has become more confident to go out alone. This meant she was Back on Track six months ago, which has of disabled people – to name just a few! All confident and has developed self-esteem. often spending more time alone in her home.