Report of the Assistant Chief Executive

This report provides an update on the process that has been followed to refresh the OMVCS funding programme for 2023-26. The report describes the steps that have been taken, as well as providing an overview of the applications received and the current position. The Committee is given an indication on next steps and timescales for decisions.

The Committee considered the report of the Assistant Chief Executive which provided an update on the process that had been followed to refresh the OMVCS funding programme for 2023-26. The report described the steps that had been taken, as well as providing an overview of the applications received and the current position. The Committee was given an indication on next steps and timescales for decisions.

Key points and themes in the report included:

• Background to the VCSE sector in Manchester;
• Summary of the OMVCS Fund and the refresh process;
• Progress update July – December 2022;
• Overview of applications received; and
• Next steps.

Some of the key points that arose from the Committee’s discussions were: -

• What would happen after the decisions were taken, in particular support for organisations which had submitted an application but had not been successful;
• The geographical spread of applications and what work was taking place to ensure different communities across the city were being served;
• Concern that smaller organisations were at a disadvantage in their ability to submit bids and the importance of supporting smaller organisations with submitting grant applications; and
• Future funding opportunities for organisations which were not successful.

The Assistant Chief Executive highlighted the support, outlined in the report, provided to organisations in submitting applications for the fund.  He advised that, due to the high number of applications, not all could be funded and that the infrastructure support provider would provide support to the organisations which were not successful.  He reported that a wide range of organisations, covering the different areas of the city, had applied to the fund.  He recognised that some areas of the city had historically had an under-representation of VCSE organisations.  He highlighted paragraph 4.16 in the report, which outlined how the Panel would proportionately target areas of under-representation across neighbourhoods and communities of identity.  In response to a question from the Chair, he highlighted that 69% of the proposals submitted aimed to tackle poverty.  He reported that a lot of bids had been received from very small organisations, with 81 bids in the small grant category, and that significant work had been done to engage with these organisations.  In response to a question about VCSE groups working to address climate change, he advised that it was a condition of receiving the funding that organisations had to have a plan for addressing climate change.  He supported a Member’s comment about the importance of collaboration between VCSE organisations, stating that collaborative working was a criteria within the funding process.  He reported that small voluntary organisations were supported by the infrastructure provider and neighbourhood officers in their ward.

In response to a Member’s question, the Policy and Programmes Manager (Communities and VCSE) clarified that, although organisations applying for the fund could be based outside the city boundaries, they needed to demonstrate a strong Manchester connection over at least 18 months.  He reported that all the organisations which had applied to the fund, both those which were successful and those which were unsuccessful, would receive strengths-based feedback on their application, including information on how they could improve their application in future, and that the infrastructure provider would provide ongoing support.  He advised that there were alternative sources of funding which unsuccessful applicants could be signposted to.  He informed Members that the panel had receiving training on conscious and unconscious bias, with the aim of ensuring that applications were considered based on what the organisation was proposing to do, rather than on how well-written the application was, as the latter tended to lead to already successful organisations continuing to receive the funding.  In response to a Member’s question, he advised that a diverse panel had been recruited and that an Equality Impact Assessment had been developed throughout the process.

The Chair recognised the important role of volunteers and thanked all volunteers in the city for their work, asking officer to pass on thanks to the voluntary organisations.

Decision

To request that information on which organisations are successful and alternative sources of funding for unsuccessful organisations be included in a future report.

[Councillor Hussain declared a disclosable pecuniary interest as a Director of Muslim Writers North which had submitted a bid for the fund and left the room for this item.]

[Councillor H Priest declared a personal interest as a volunteer at North Manchester FM which had submitted a bid for the fund.]

[Councillor Ogunbambo declared a personal interest as the Chair of Blackley Football Club of Manchester]

[Councillor M Dar declared a personal interest in relation to Youth on Solid Ground and Keep Youth Work Alive Beswick.]