Greater Manchester Community Grants

Phase 2 Open Funding Round - May 2025 - LIVE

WEA (Workers Educational Association) and GMCA (Greater Manchester Combined Authority) are pleased to launch a small open funding round, across 2 strands, for the GMCA Community Grants Programme.

This will enable local VCSE organisations and Housing Associations to bid for funding to carry out projects in localities, to mobilise disadvantaged or excluded unemployed and inactive people to enable their progress towards further education and inclusive employment. Please ensure you comply with the relevant local authority funding cap for applications as detailed and your overall community grant application can be no higher than £100k .

There are two funding strands open for application, click on the one most relevant to your organisation to check your eligibility and apply.

If you have any questions or need further information, please contact us at [email protected].

The application deadline is 5pm on Friday 13th June 2025.

Strand 1: Essential life skills

This strand aims to increase participation in Adult Skills. Currently, in Greater Manchester, just 8.7% of working-age adults with a prior attainment of Level 1 or below are accessing skills via the Adult Education Budget.

We are looking for new and innovative ways of engaging with our residents, and supporting them in further skills provision – although targeting English, Maths and IT skills this could be any Skills provision, except ESOL, that suits the resident’s needs.

Learn more

Strand 2 : Progression towards inclusive employment

The aim of this strand is to progress people into employment and is very much linked to wider UKSPF People & Skills activity, as well as wider work & skills activity e.g. Working Well.

This helps with re-engagement and engagement activity for residents who would benefit from these programmes but can’t access them at the moment. This could be linked to a range of barriers our residents are facing.

Learn more