A broader support offer beginning to take shape, sparking new conversations with local organisations that may not have engaged with the social economy before.
10GM Blog: Supporting the Social Economy – The Story So Far
Over the past year, 10GM and partners have strengthened Greater Manchester’s social economy, building inclusive support, fostering connections, and prioritising wellbeing. Next, the focus is on reaching even more of our communities to reflect their full diversity.
The social economy is made up of organisations that are locally owned and put people before profit. Instead of wealth being taken out by distant shareholders, it stays with the workers, members and communities who create it. This can mean a social enterprise supermarket where profits tackle health inequalities, a pasty company with a mission to help ex-offenders reintegrate into society, a local credit union helping people save and borrow fairly, a co-op where employees own the business together, or a charity that also trades to fund its work.
What makes these organisations different is their purpose. Like any other business, they employ people and buy goods and services, but the value they generate is reinvested in their communities or shared more fairly through inclusive ownership.
Over the past year, 10GM has been working closely with local partners to support individuals and organisations involved in the social economy across Greater Manchester. If you’re new to this work, you can read more about the programme’s background here, including the thematic focus areas and the kinds of support delivered by the ten Local Infrastructure Organisations (LIOs) involved.
Building Foundations
In the first six months, our focus was on laying the groundwork. We made sure our processes were clear and inclusive so that all kinds of social economy organisations could get support. We reconnected with groups who hadn’t been reached by other programmes, spread the word through local networks, and built a strong partnership with Co-operatives UK, our delivery partners on the Social Economy programme, who run the Our Business GM Hub.
As the programme gathered momentum, we created time for the LIOs to reflect on the changes they were seeing – what were they learning about the support being offered and who was engaging with it?
Who’s Engaging and What That Tells Us
We’ve also noticed how often people’s own lived experiences inspire them to start social economy organisations. This is a real strength, but it also reminds us that wellbeing has to be part of the support, so people can avoid burnout and grow their work in a sustainable way.
We’ve been especially encouraged by the strong engagement from women. Many, however, come forward feeling unsure of themselves or lacking confidence, which shows why support needs to be paced carefully. Often, building trust has to come first, before any formal business or organisational guidance.
What We’re Learning About Support
Through this first year, it’s become clear that personalised, flexible support is essential. People are juggling many responsibilities, and building meaningful relationships takes time. Support works best when it fits around people’s schedules and allows trust and confidence to grow.
Peer connections are also powerful, as many appreciate learning from others navigating similar paths. At the same time, some conversations have challenged assumptions about profit, power, and governance, highlighting how these ideas shape the way organisations operate. Access to physical assets, like community venues or office space, remains a barrier in some areas, even as broader support meets many other needs.
What’s Changing at the Local Level?
One of the most encouraging developments is how the programme has widened and deepened the local support landscape. Across different areas, we’ve seen:
Opportunities to go deeper, building new relationships and gaining a better understanding of community-specific needs.
Time and space for LIOs to shape the support offer based on what’s working, what’s emerging, and what communities are telling them.
Looking ahead
Looking ahead, the LIOs are focused on reaching even more communities, making sure the programme is inclusive and truly reflects the diversity of the people it’s here to support.
In the coming months, we can’t wait to share some of the amazing stories that are already emerging from this work.
If you’d like to learn more about the programme or get involved locally, reach out to your local infrastructure organisation. Or, perhaps you’d like to help steer the ship? Consider applying for our new Partnerships and Programmes Manager (Social Economy) role. Closes 12PM, Monday 22 September 2025.
Find out more about the work going on across Greater Manchester
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Content last reviewed on 10 September 2025
