10GM - A joint venture to support the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector in Greater Manchester

UKSPF E11 GM Infrastructure Development Programme

The E11 GM Infrastructure Development Programme (GMIDP) will improve the Voluntary, Community, Faith, and Social Enterprise (VCSE) locality infrastructure support for community activity.

What is VCSE locality infrastructure?

What is the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF)

The UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) is a three-year fund running from 2022-25. It replaces European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) and is part of the UK government’s Levelling Up agenda. All areas of the UK received an allocation from the Fund via a funding formula, rather than through a competitive process.

The primary goal of UKSPF is to build pride in place and increase life chances across the UK while recognising the acute challenges town centres and communities have faced during the COVID-19 pandemic.

UKSPF funding is split into three investment areas: Communities and Place; Local Business; and People and Skills.

Each investment area is broken down into interventions, which form a menu of options that funding can be used for. E11 is an option within Communities and Place with a focus on Investment in capacity building and infrastructure support for local civil society and community groups.

E11 GM Infrastructure Development Programme (GMIDP)

In Greater Manchester, the E11 GM Infrastructure Development Programme (GMIDP) will improve the Voluntary, Community, and Social Enterprise (VCSE) locality infrastructure support for community activity.

Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) selected E11 as the priority area for the city region. Members of the GM VCSE Leadership Group also lobbied for a volunteering and social action investment but were not successful in getting them included.

Why invest in VCSE Infrastructure?

Local Infrastructure Organisations (LIOs) support the VCSE in their localities. Strong local infrastructure enables communities to influence decision-making, builds partnerships and networks, and encourages volunteering opportunities. When this support is accessible locally, individuals and communities thrive.

The GMIDP will build on the strengths of locality infrastructure, identifying gaps and best practices to accelerate developments where they are needed. It will be delivered by the partnership of LIOs and other organisations with reach across all 10 boroughs of Greater Manchester.

For the GMIDP to develop a robust VCSE sector across GM, the work is focused at locality level. LIOs self-assessed their strengths and areas for development using a shared framework to identify gaps and needs.

The GMIDP will deliver a £1,664,000 investment into localities over from 2022-2025, with 10GM providing management and administrative support.

The GMIDP differs from the VCSE Accord, which is a three-way collaboration agreement between GMCA, the NHS GM and the GM VCSE Leadership Group to develop communication and collaboration between the partners and other system stakeholders, and is primarily focused on Greater Manchester planning and systems and not locality infrastructure.

The GMIDP was formally launched in GM in April 2023.

Locality Infrastructure Development Plans

Find out the focus of each VCSE Local Infrastructure Organisation's focus and their engagement measurement methodology

Locality Infrastructure Development Plans:
Establish new networks & increase participation in Voice & Influence spaces; launch a new website; increase digital skills of BCVS workforce; conduct a membership review & VCSE locality training review.

Engagement Measurement Methodology:
Increase the number of instances of development and capacity-building support for VCSE groups and organisations & instances of attendance by VCSE sector participants across our Voice & Influence spaces.

Locality Infrastructure Development Plans:
Deliver a VCSE training programme based on identified need; undertake a further training needs survey to inform 23/4; and promote Bury VCFA membership to local VCSE organisations.

Engagement Measurement Methodology:
Increase the number of individuals attending Bury VCFA training and learning opportunities and the number of registrations to Bury VCFA membership.

Locality Infrastructure Development Plans:
Implement a new Membership Model to increase accountability & collaboration within Manchester VCSE networks.

Engagement Measurement Methodology:
An increased number of registrations for the re-designed Membership Offer.

Locality Infrastructure Development Plans:
Identify VCSE training needs in the locality and develop and implement a training plan, with a focus on capacity building in 2023/2024 and leadership in 2024/2025.

Engagement Measurement Methodology:
An increased number of individuals participating in Action Together training.

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Locality Infrastructure Development Plans:
Develop training and support for social entrepreneurs & social enterprises; improve awareness of social investment and support to become investment-ready; and improve their social value support offer.

Engagement Measurement Methodology:
An increased number of VCSE organisations supported with capacity building around social enterprise, social value and investment readiness, using State of the Sector data to convert groups to individuals engaged.

Locality Infrastructure Development Plans:
Introduce a new membership proposition and deliver organisational health checks with members to increase and better tailor support to the sector.

Engagement Measurement Methodology:
An increased number of people registering as a member of Sector 3. Everyone who registers will commit to having an organisational health check.

Engagement Measurement Methodology:
An increased number of individuals participating in Action Together training.

Locality Infrastructure Development Plans:
Develop a new support offer for social enterprises and social entrepreneurs; promote awareness of and access to social investment; develop a VCSE information strategy; and re-launch Thrive Trafford's website.

Engagement Measurement Methodology:
An increased number of groups receiving social economy advice/ support between 1 April 2022 and 31 March 2023, using the State of the Sector workforce data to convert groups to individuals engaged.

Locality Infrastructure Development Plans:
Establish a dispersed VCSE Leadership Model, by grant funding and networking up to 12 VCSE leaders to represent Wigan's VCSE sector in local and GM-level strategic settings.

Engagement Measurement Methodology:
An increased number of memberships to The Deal for Communities mailing list; Wigan Borough Social Enterprise Network; and the Healthier Wigan Partnership.

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Anticipated Impacts of the E11 Infrastructure Development Programme

More diverse VCSE organisations accessing infrastructure support, and more diverse VCSE insight, representation & voice

The VCSE sector feels more supported, connected & valued

An increase in the skills and confidence to lead & influence

More VCSE-funded & investment-ready organisations in GM

Wealth created & retained in communities

Increased VCSE influence locally & in GM

Increased VCSE resilience, sustainability, and growth

Stronger connections between LIO & wider VCSE through improved partnership working & collaboration

Improved VCSE business management

GM VCSE Infrastructure Development Programme:
Autumn Update 2023

The Greater Manchester VCSE Infrastructure Development Programme is funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, aiming to improve infrastructure support for community activity. The programme runs until March 2025 and is delivered by Local Infrastructure Organisations across Greater Manchester. It focuses on priority areas such as Membership Models and Promotion, Website and Information Strategies, Social Enterprise and Social Investment, Voice and Influence, and Training and Development. This briefing covers updates since July 2023 and plans for the next three months.

Read the update