Forever Manchester has delivered over £2.8 million in funding to support over 600 community groups and organisations in Greater Manchester that have responded to the impact of Covid-19.
On Friday 23rd March 2020, the same day as the Prime Minster announced UK lockdown measures, we launched our Community Support Fund where community organisations across all ten boroughs of Greater Manchester could apply for funding of up to £5,000.
Priority was given to groups and organisations who were providing a service in direct response to community need created by the Covid-19 pandemic. These included community foodbanks; organisations providing food parcels, toiletries and everyday essentials to vulnerable people and those self-isolating; services supporting victims of domestic abuse and support for people experiencing mental health issues; and groups providing emergency welfare, helplines, financial advice and befriending and information services.
In addition to the Community Support Fund, we also opened a number of specifically targeted funding programmes, helped support breakfast clubs and adapted our way of working to continue to support people and groups locally.
With the support of our Business supporter CDL, we were delighted to support 50 community groups with funding to purchase an annual Zoom licence to help keep people in their communities connected.
Our Community Centre Support Fund is helping community centres make adaptations in preparation to welcoming people back into their spaces in a Covid-secure way.
Our Forever Manchester Awards programme is funding community groups in Greater Manchester whose activities have been disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic
The Auto Trader Community Fund in partnership with Forever Manchester is currently offering funding for community groups whose core activity is aimed at supporting older people in the community.
We’ve continued working with Kellogg’s throughout the pandemic to deliver funding to school-based breakfast clubs, to help them provide breakfast to those children who need it most, including vulnerable children and the children of key workers.
Our Community Building Team has been working directly with communities, connecting people to each other and signposting individuals to relevant support, as well as finding inventive ways to meet new people and encourage community activity. Read more >>
At Forever Manchester we believe that connected communities make stronger, happier communities, so keeping our communities strong, and doing all we can to support them has been our goal.
We are immensely proud of the thousands of amazing people and community groups that have been willing to step forward to make a difference in their local community, helping others in whatever way they can. During these uncertain times, through generosity and kindness, community groups and organisations have been coming together to help those most affected by the pandemic.
We’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has given up their time going above and beyond to help people in communities affected by the pandemic.
Click here to view the list of all groups our Community Support Fund has funded >>
Click here to read over 40 inspiring stories of groups responding >>
Forever Manchester has been working with UK Community Foundations to distribute funding raised by the National Emergencies Trust Coronavirus Appeal.
We will be announcing details of further funding very soon which be published on our website, featured in our newsletter and shared on our social media channels.
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Date added: 2nd October 2020
Last updated: 14th December 2020
