Social Enterprises
Supporting the Social Economy
This programme supports communities across Greater Manchester to set up, develop, grow and collaborate in our Social Economy.
Our ambitions with this programme
We have a vision where Greater Manchester is powered by and for our people. For example, imagine changing the social care market – currently being eroded through the short-termism of private equity investment – to one driven by citizen economic power. Worker-owned social care co-operatives have the potential to create better provision and better jobs. There is a lot to do to ensure these opportunities are fundamentally inclusive: the social economy needs to be rooted in our diverse and growing communities, and we should challenge ourselves to be able to support this.
What is the Social Economy?
The Social Economy includes organisations that have ‘inclusive ownership’ – locally owned and socially conscious organisations with ownership models that enable the wealth created by their users, workers, and local communities to be held by them, rather than flowing out as profits to shareholders. This includes:
Trading Charities
Credit Unions
Community Benefit Societies
Worker co-operatives (co-ops)
Consumer co-ops
Mutuals
Community businesses (for profit but social purpose)
Employee-owned private businesses, and entrepreneurs.
As organisations defined by social purpose rather than profit, there is a unique contribution that social economy organisations make to the places in which they operate. They have the familiar economic footprint of all types of businesses (as employers, as purchasers of goods and services), but the benefits of the activity are distributed differently – either as social impact in communities or through more equitable and inclusive forms of ownership.
How is the Social Economy Programme being delivered?
The programme is managed and funded by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), coordinated by 10GM, and the 10 Local Infrastructure Organisations (LIOs) in GM deliver activity in each borough. Years 1 and 2 of the programme were funded by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (previously the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities) through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund allocation to Greater Manchester.
LIOs have a strong understanding of the needs of individuals and organisations operating in the social economy within their local areas. Under the requirements of this programme, LIOs are focusing their support on the following themes:
Financial and legal
Access to and management of physical assets
Demonstrating social impact
Digital transformation
Contract bidding and marketing
The types of support that LIOs offer include facilitating support networks, providing training courses and giving access to 1:1 time with specialists. The support in local areas across Greater Manchester helps members of our communities to set up, develop, grow and collaborate.
The programme started in April 2024 and is currently funded until March 2027. It has built on the current support provision in each borough, for example, in local areas where Proper Good is being delivered, to add to the offer.
Support in your area
Find out what support is available under the E26 programme in your area by contacting your LIO.
5 Calls to Action: Business for Good Youth Hack
Young people are often told they are the future of our communities, but they must be given meaningful opportunities to shape the systems, funding decisions and business ecosystems – now.
Together with young people, social enterprises, funders, policymakers, community organisations and business leaders we explored a vital question:
How can we create better pathways for young people to build businesses, organisations and ideas that deliver positive change for their communities?
Together with Young Manchester we co-designed 5 calls to action.
1
Upskill: Fund programmes for community wealth
Fund programmes on how to start and sustain a social enterprise or community business – making it a realistic and sustainable option for young people.
2
Fair representation on funding decisions
Include young people on panels that distribute funding.
3
Democratise the data
Data and market research made accessible to both youth entrepreneurs and social enterprises.
4
Space for connection
Create spaces for young people to connect, build networks and turn ideas into action – from people taking their first steps to people already growing an enterprise.
5
Meet young people and communicate where they are
Communicate and collaborate to meet young people where they are, in the places they feel safe and connected. Such as, in practical social enterprise education spaces online, in schools and in youth clubs. These resources should be shared in ways young people can access them.
Case Studies
The delivery partners have been busy over the last 2 years! Below are examples of some of the case studies from this work; they show the range of organisations and individuals that have been supported, and begin to capture the impact of the programme. They include:
- Social Enterprise Support
- Education, Skills and Training
- Arts, Music and Creative
- Health and Wellbeing
- Employment
- Trades and Business Services
- Children and Family Services
Sector 3 delivered a tailored ‘Intro to Bidwriting session’, working with North West Strategic Migration Partnership and their members.
Nearly 11,000 people with evacuee status (Ukranian, Afghan communities & Hong Kong BNO’s) are living in Greater Manchester. A national survey found that for BNO holders across the UK, the employment rate in GM was just over 52%, significantly below the national average of 76%.
NWSMP approached Sector 3 to deliver an ‘Intro to Bid-Writing’ training session, specifically for their VCFSE member organisations, so that they can successfully bring in funding to deliver ESOL classes. Many of these voluntary & community organisations supporting people with Evacuee Status living in Manchester are social enterprises and enterprising charities operating across GM.
Salford CVS has been working with the Salford Business Group supporting an informal Social Enterprise Network for several years with the quarterly Social Enterprise SUP Meeting (held in the evenings). Through the E26 project we have been able to expand this to hosting quarterly Social Enterprise Breakfast events. During the 2025 / 26 year, as part of this initiative, we have previously hosted a Social Enterprise breakfast in May 2025 at Community Little Hulton’s new pavilion building in Little Hulton, and at the Mental Marathon in September 2025. The locations are deliberate to help raise the profile of local VCSE organisations.
The Proper Good Pop-Up Shop premiered during the week of Social Enterprise Day 2025 (18th – 23rd November) as a dedicated space for Social Enterprises and Enterprising charities in Stockport to generate unrestricted income through trade and to raise awareness of the benefits of buying social.
The shop provided Stockport residents and visitors with the opportunity to ‘Stock Local, Shop Social’ and buy purpose-fuelled gifts that give back to their communities.
Village Greens are a community-owned co-operative, set up in 2014 in the heart of Prestwich Village. They offer an alternative to large supermarkets – providing local organic produce to help the Prestwich community lead healthy, happy and sustainable lives. Village Greens endeavour to trade honestly and ethically with all growers, producers and suppliers, sourcing organic, local and fair-trade goods from sustainable sources where possible, including local artisan producers. They are currently owned by over 600 members.
In addition to the shop, through their Community Fridge they have collected and redistributed over 57,000 meals to local residents, helping to tackle food poverty and making a C02 saving of 90 tonnes from food diverted from landfill.
Since setting up in 2014 until June 2025, Village Greens had their shop site at the Longfield Centre in Prestwich Village. However, due to the upcoming demolition and major £100m redevelopment of the Longfield Centre site, Village Greens had to find a new home or face closing the business. The Board proposed to members that it was the right time to try and find a larger premises to expand the business. Members voted in favour of the move.
FAB Family Centre CIC was founded by Dorota Zak, Mariola, and Ewelina, who identified a gap in culturally appropriate support for children, young people, and families—particularly those from the Eastern European community in Oldham—experiencing additional needs. Their ambition was to create a community-led organisation, based at the Oldham Polish Catholic Centre, that could deliver high-quality, sustainable services and empower families through tailored support and activities.
Watering Your Soul is a Community Interest Company that provides support for women as they overcome challenges and rebuild their lives. They deliver a trauma informed service that includes 1:1 advocacy, peer support networks and healing focussed workshops.
They support:
- Women and young women (16+) who have experienced domestic abuse.
- Survivors of trauma, including those affected by substance misuse or homelessness.
- others impacted by child removal or the criminal justice system.
Karen’s Haven for COPD is a compassionate and supportive space for individuals living with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and other life limiting conditions. Their mission is to empower local people with the knowledge and support needed to navigate life with COPD.
In May 2025, Emma Liston approached Action Together to find out more about setting up an organisation in honour of her Mum Karen who passed away from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).
Salford CVS worked with Monika Sulowska during the 2025 school summer holidays. Monika has a background in Education and was working in a local high school.
Monika identified a need in the local community of Walkden and Little Hulton, in particular, for an organisation that assists people whose first language is not English. During the summer of 2025, we held a couple of meetings with Monika and the other directors discussing what the business wanted to achieve and to establish if a CIC was the right legal structure to deliver this. Monika wanted to set up a CIC, as at some stage in the future, she would like to earn some income from the business. I therefore worked with the group to prepare the documents for company registration.
Action Together Tameside launched the Tameside Social Economy Network in October 2024. This network is co-facilitated with the following partners; Build a Business in GM Libraries, Tameside Means Business and GM Business Growth.
The purpose was to create a space where social enterprises and community businesses could connect with one another and key support providers. The network aims to improve access to business development resources, foster peer learning, and address common barriers to sustainability and growth.
Catherine, a Whitefield-based musician, has spent many years performing, teaching piano, and working as a classroom music teacher. In 2024, she launched a community arts initiative called Always Wanted To, with the aim of offering inclusive group drumming and singing sessions for adults in the local area.
Inspired by conversations with older people who said they had “always wanted to” play music in a group but never had the chance, Catherine launched a pilot programme called Drum4Fun. Her ambition was to provide high-quality, accessible music activities that promote wellbeing and connection across the community.
Body Mind Educate CIC is a Salford-based social enterprise offering high-quality, educational and supportive services for young people.
Their mission is to guide young people in becoming the best versions of themselves, focusing on personal growth, wellbeing, and development through engaging workshops and initiatives.
Body Mind Educate CIC sought support from Salford CVS to review their CIC registration process, help identify what was going wrong, and guide them towards successful incorporation and local recognition.
Down’s Syndrome Manchester is a charity that has supported individuals with Down’s Syndrome and their families for over 20 years. Based across Greater Manchester, the organisation provides vital advocacy support and activities for its members across the region.
In July 2024, DSM sought to diversify their income stream and increase their network connections within Stockport.
While the organisation already had a solid reputation and track record, the team recognised the need to adapt to a changing funding landscape and build new partnerships that would support future growth and visibility within Stockport. The organisation specifically needed support to identify new funding opportunities and strengthen its skills at bid writing.
In Tameside EJV Aspire CIC noticed a need for supporting young females who are face various disadvantages that prevent them from accessing education or lacking social and emotional support. It was a model they had been working on for over 12 months, using their experience working in further education for adult students. However, lacked confidence to push it over the line.
They had their project prepared and had started to work with some young females. However, the barrier was the business planning itself and the financial forecasting to make sure the CIC remained sustainable and could continue to offer our services. They had many ideas but uncertainty where to start, what order and in some cases how. They knew that the cause would make a huge difference within the community but the responsibility of doing it correctly loomed over them, as they wanted to get it right for the community they serve.
Following the E11-funded Social Accelerator Programme, five participating social entrepreneurs made it clear that they would benefit from tailored, one-to-one consultancy support to apply their learning more directly to their individual business contexts and refine their plans for growth and sustainability.
Action Together Oldham partnered with Mantle t provide this support.
MARC The Printers is a Greater Manchester-based social enterprise committed to environmentally responsible printing. The organisation uses sustainable processes to produce high-quality print materials while engaging students in community-based research and creative projects.
They needed investment in upgraded equipment to improve their capacity. Specifically, they identified the need for a two-drum environmentally friendly Risograph printing machine, the most sustainable printing process, which would allow them to significantly increase output.
Through the support of Manchester Social Entrepreneurs’ Social Incubator Programme, a well-established Community Interest Company (CIC) based in Manchester sought to strengthen its strategic direction to remain impactful and sustainable.
While the CIC had a strong foundation, the leadership team recognised the need to clarify their target audience and align their services more effectively with community needs. Their ambition was to create a focused, responsive business plan that could support future growth and improve service delivery.
Northern Light Coaching and Development is a social enterprise based in Chorlton and operates in South and Central Manchester. It was founded with a vision to provide coaching, tailored workshops and community-based sessions designed to support local individuals and businesses.
The founder’s ambition was to build a sustainable business model that blends social impact with income generation. With a focus on empowering local communities and SMEs, the service model combines personalised coaching, group coaching, training, lectures and workshop delivery to bridge the gap between research and pragmatic application of evidence-based approaches in the community.
SEE (Oldham) CIC is a small, purposefully designed small independent special school for secondary aged pupils with SEMH needs. The organisation’s mission is to provide a broad and relevant curriculum that equips learners with the resilience, life skills, and knowledge needed to make informed choices about their post-16 education and future employment.
Skills 2 Thrive is a social enterprise working to support individuals through transitional life stages by helping people gain skills and pathways into employment or education.
Although operating as a limited company by shares, the leadership team was unsure whether this structure aligned with their social mission. They wanted to explore the possibility of becoming a Community Interest Company (CIC) to unlock funding and social investment opportunities that better aligned with their community-focused goals.
In response to growing needs around digital planning and promotion, Bolton CVS commissioned local digital agency Scruffy Monkey to deliver a practical Digital Strategy and Tools workshop. The session aimed to equip social enterprise leaders with the tools, knowledge and confidence to integrate digital strategy into their wider business development plans.
Tales to Inspire is a Social Enterprise based in Bolton and active across GM. For over five years, they have delivered workshops, storytelling platforms and lived-experience-driven consultancy that empowers individuals and organisations to create meaningful change.
Their work focuses on platforming lived experience through storytelling, ranging from terrorist attack and domestic violence survivors to other underrepresented voices, inspiring culture change in schools, workplaces and communities. They wanted support to transition from unintentional project work to a clearer, scalable consultancy offer.
Action Together Tameside launched their Social Economy Network in October 2024. This network is co-facilitated with the following partners; Build a Business in GM Libraries, Tameside Means Business and GM Business Growth.
The purpose was to create a space where social enterprises and community businesses could connect with one another and key support providers. The network aims to improve access to business development resources, foster peer learning, and address common barriers to sustainability and growth.
Bloom Music Community CIC champions inclusive access to music, offering opportunities to play instruments, sing in a choir and enjoy live music. The aim is to improve health and wellbeing through the joy and connection of music.
Although Laura had significant experience running music programmes, she faced challenges around structuring her new venture as a CIC and accessing relevant funding streams. She needed guidance around legal setup, social purpose and financial planning to move her idea into delivery.
Floors Fur Thee is a Social Enterprise who operate a commercial flooring business while offering free or subsidised flooring support to individuals and families in need. Based in Wigan, they are committed to ensuring that safe, warm flooring is accessible to everyone, regardless of income.
Talk About Money is a community interest company based in Stockport. The goal of the company is to provide affordable, accessible and inclusive financial education, guidance and support to people in the Greater Manchester area and beyond. They believe that financial resilience leads to empowered communities.
Tori is a midwife and founder of MotherZen CIC, a midwife-led social enterprise based in Ramsbottom which launched in June 2024.
Her ambition was to support new parents by creating a nurturing, welcoming environment where they feel supported and connected to the local community. Tori’s initial idea was to test demand through pop-up sessions and ultimately create a permanent ‘play cafe’ space offering support groups, classes and a community hub for parents and their children.
Sector 3 provides infrastructure support to social enterprises and VCSE organisations across Stockport. Through the E26 programme, they have responded to multiple urgent cases where social economy organisations were at immediate risk of collapse, threatening jobs and service continuity.
Several social economy organisations approached Sector 3 at a crisis point. Challenges included:
- A community benefit society lost its workspace due to lease confusion, risking closure and the loss of two full-time jobs.
- A CIC delivering NHS Housing Trust related services became ineligible for contract renewal due to changing procurement rules, leaving only six weeks of operations.
- A governance breakdown led to two directors being locked out of company accounts and offices.
- A charity shop was on the verge of job loss due to unresolved HR and compliance issues.
Each of these organisations lacked the legal, financial or advocacy resources to resolve the issues independently.
Empowering the social economy:
Our Business Directory
Alongside our Social Economy programme, our friends at Cooperatives UK have developed the Our Business GM.
The Our Business GM Directory is the place for purposeful enterprise: a space to discover, connect, and showcase businesses that put people and communities first.
How can I get involved?
To find out more about what’s happening in your area, contact your local infrastructure organisation or get in touch with 10GM. We will keep updating this page with the latest developments.
Project Lead
Content last reviewed on 25 September 2026
