The Voluntary Sector Partnership is scheduled to meet on Thursday 25 September 2025 at Castleton Community Centre, Manchester Road, Rochdale. The meeting is scheduled to include a verbal update on the Social Value Framework from the Head of Corporate Policy, Performance and Improvement – Rochdale Borough Council, and a presentation on the Rochdale VCFSE Grant Funding Report 2024/2025 from the Deputy Director – Action Together.

Rochdale VCFSE Grant Funding Report 2024/2025

The Deputy Director of Action Together is scheduled provide a presentation on the Rochdale VCFSE Grant Funding Report 2024/2025. Action Together is described in the report pack as:

the infrastructure organisation for the voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise (VCFSE) sector in Oldham, Rochdale, and Tameside.

We connect people with what's happening in their community, develop community ideas into action, strengthen local organisations, and provide strategic influence for the VCFSE sector.

Action Together's work is centred on:

• Volunteering
• Capacity building
• Investment
• Partnerships and collaboration
• Leadership and advocacy

The report pack includes details of funding updates from Action Together, including:

• Micro grants of up to £500 for unconstituted groups
• Grants of up to £1,000 for organisations with a turnover of less than £25,000, for projects that challenge poverty and drive equality, or promote health and wellbeing.
• Grants of up to £10,000 for projects relating to trusted spaces and information, accessibility and communication, and community outreach.
• Grants of up to £5,000 for activities that build essential life skills, provide young people with educational skills, or provide mental and emotional literacy for young people.

The report pack also lists upcoming training dates, and contact details for funding support from Action Together.

The Rochdale Communities Fund awarded a total of £903,775.27 via grants in 2024/25.

The report pack also includes a geographical breakdown of all grants by neighbourhood, and a list of the 148 organisations in Rochdale that were successfully funded in 2024/25, including:

• Army of Kindness
• Deeplish Community Centre
• KYP
• Masking in the Middle
• The Lighthouse Project
• Your Trust

The report pack also includes feedback from beneficiaries of the grants, and a breakdown of the priorities for each fund.

In 2024/25, Action Together aimed to make its grant funding more accessible to Rochdale's diverse communities, improve its decision-making process, and increase the quality of monitoring it receives.

Social Value Framework

The Head of Corporate Policy, Performance and Improvement – Rochdale Borough Council is scheduled to provide a verbal update on the Social Value Framework.

Minutes

The minutes of the previous meeting of the Voluntary Sector Partnership, held on 27 March 2025, are to be noted. At that meeting, the Partnership received a presentation on Bee in the Loop, a free community messaging service by Greater Manchester Police (GMP). The Partnership also received a verbal presentation from the Rochdale Director of Action Together, who informed attendees that an open letter had been sent to commissioners in relation to current issues of instability for VCFSE organisations. Councillor Susan Smith, Portfolio Holder for Communities and Cooperation, opened a discussion for attendees to agree Voluntary Sector Partnership meeting themes for the upcoming 2025/26 year, including commissioning, Live Well, and Public Health.