Greater Manchester Mayor's Charity Cio

Charity Number: 1198852

Annual Expenditure: £0.5M

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Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: £450,000 (charitable activities expenditure 2023-24)
  • Total Income: £583,000 (2023-24)
  • Total Assets: £191,000
  • Decision Time: 1 month (emergency funding); 3-4 weeks after deadline (programmatic grants)
  • Grant Range: Up to £10,000 (Small Awards Programme)
  • Geographic Focus: Greater Manchester (all 10 boroughs)

Contact Details

Website: https://gmmayorscharity.org.uk/

Email: enquiries@gmmayorscharity.org.uk

Phone: 7342797677

For emergency funding enquiries, contact the team before submitting an application to discuss eligibility.

Overview

The Greater Manchester Mayor's Charity CIO (registered charity 1198852) was established in 2022, following the success of the original Mayor's Charity launched in 2019. Since inception, the charity has raised more than £4.7 million and supported over 170 organisations, translating into more than 87,000 nights of accommodation and wraparound support. The charity's mission is clear: homelessness has no place in Greater Manchester. Led by Patron Andy Burnham (Mayor of Greater Manchester) and CEO Fran Darlington-Pollock, the charity takes a relationship-based, collaborative approach to funding reactive, proactive, sustainable and long-term strategic measures to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping across the city-region. As a Living Wage Funder, the charity champions fair employment practices in its own workplace and among grant partners. In 2024, the charity appointed its first ever Chief Executive Officer, marking a significant step in its evolution and capacity to deliver impact.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Small Awards Programme (Seasonal - typically Autumn and Spring/Summer rounds)

  • Amount: Up to £10,000 per grant
  • Total pot: £50,000 per round
  • Recipients: Six organisations funded in Autumn 2024 round
  • Application method: Online application when programmes are open; fixed deadlines

Emergency Response Funding

  • Amount: Not specified, assessed case-by-case
  • Application method: Contact the charity in advance to discuss eligibility
  • Target: Organisations delivering frontline emergency response facing significant financial difficulty
  • Decision time: Within 1 month of application

Note: Due to their pre-existing commitment to support “A Bed Every Night” (receiving over £2.6 million since launch), they particularly welcome applications for Places & Spaces and Targeted Prevention priorities.

Priority Areas

The charity funds across three strategic priority areas:

  1. Emergency Response: Helping the frontline address homelessness and supporting people currently experiencing homelessness
  2. Places & Spaces: Supporting the construction of new spaces and the temporary accommodation sector (priority area for new applications)
  3. Targeted Prevention: Pioneering new ideas that seek to stop homelessness before it becomes a reality (priority area for new applications)

What They Don't Fund

  • Proposals that have been successfully submitted elsewhere (duplicate funding not permitted)
  • Work outside of Greater Manchester
  • Projects that don't align with their three priority areas focused on homelessness and rough sleeping

The charity welcomes matched funding opportunities but will not consider double-funding of the same costs.

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Governance and Leadership

Chief Executive

Fran Darlington-Pollock joined as the charity's first ever CEO after serving as Head of Strategic Development. An academic specialising in inequality, Fran previously held positions at the University of Liverpool, Queen Mary University of London, and Save the Children UK. She currently chairs The Equality Trust. Fran describes homelessness as “a really acute manifestation of inequality” and emphasizes: "You can't build your way out of homelessness, but you certainly can't solve it without homes."

On the role of business in addressing homelessness, she states: “The people and places around us matter to us, so why not use the expertise developed within a business – across all its specialisms – to do that bit more and lift up the people and places we live amongst and in?”

Patron

Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, founded the charity on his first morning as Mayor in 2017, starting a fund he continues to donate to personally. He states: "I'm so proud of what Greater Manchester Mayor's Charity has grown into. Because of it, we've now got a permanent infrastructure to support people.“ His commitment: ”In 2017, I made a firm commitment to do everything I could to end the need for rough sleeping by 2020 and it remains my top priority."

Board of Trustees

Chair: Tim Heatley (property developer and co-founder of Capital & Centric)

Trustees: Aydin Djemal, Rachel Lydia Chesters, Lori-Ann Mary Hoinkes, John Herring, Jane Catherine Forbes, Chris Monkman, Gillian Duckworth, Bradley Russell, Rev Ian Rutherford, and Philip Kemp (11 trustees total)

All trustees serve without remuneration, with final grant decisions made by the Board following recommendations from the Funding & Investment Board sub-committee.

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

Applications are accepted through specific grant programmes when open. The charity operates a seasonal Small Grants Programme and maintains an Emergency Response stream for urgent needs.

Process:

  1. Monitor the website or sign up to the mailing list for notification of open grant calls
  2. Complete the online application form when programmes are open
  3. Demonstrate alignment with the charity's values: Pioneering, Accountable, Collaborative, and Effective
  4. Explain the impact you hope their support will make happen
  5. The charity may request a meeting to learn more about your work

Review Process:

  • Applications reviewed internally by the Operational Team
  • Assessment by the Funding and Investment Board sub-committee
  • Final decisions made by the Board of Trustees

Eligibility

  • Charities, public bodies, CIOs, community groups, social enterprises, campaigning organisations, and commercial companies
  • Organisation must be based in Greater Manchester OR work funded must only be delivered in Greater Manchester
  • Work must align with one or more of the three priority areas
  • Alignment with the charity's four core values is essential

Decision Timeline

  • Emergency Response: Within 1 month of application
  • Small Grants Programme: Approximately 3-4 weeks after the application deadline
  • Example: Autumn 2024 deadline was 14 November, with decisions anticipated by 6 December

Success Rates

Specific success rate data is not publicly available. In the Autumn 2024 Small Awards Programme, six organisations received funding from a total pot of £50,000.

Reapplication Policy

Information about reapplication policies for unsuccessful applicants is not specified on public materials. Contact the charity directly for guidance on reapplying.

Application Success Factors

What They Look For

Values Alignment: The charity prioritises applications demonstrating their four core values:

  • Pioneering: Innovative approaches to tackling homelessness
  • Accountable: Clear outcome measurement and transparent reporting
  • Collaborative: Working in partnership with others
  • Effective: Evidence of impact and sustainable solutions

Living Wage Commitment: As a Living Wage Funder, the charity works with grantees to become Real Living Wage employers, demonstrating their commitment to fair employment practices.

Impact Focus: Applications must clearly articulate the impact their support will make and how outcomes will be measured. The charity takes a “relationship-based approach” and actively supports grant recipients throughout the agreed grant period and beyond.

Recently Funded Projects

Autumn 2024 Small Awards recipients included:

  • Beauty for Ashes Refuge (and five other organisations)

Other funded projects:

  • Caritas Salford: Caritas House Accommodation project offering 24/7 supported accommodation for 19 single homeless men, helping them build skills and take steps toward independent living
  • The Booth Centre: During the pandemic, redesigned their service from food-led to support-led model, supporting over 500 people experiencing homelessness
  • The Bond Board: Offering early housing advice and support for those at risk of homelessness, plus income maximisation support and practical help for those in crisis

Key Terminology

The charity emphasizes that “Homelessness is not a lifestyle choice” but rather “the consequence of structural failings in society...of structural inequality, of a failing housing market, of a broken benefits system, of poverty.” Applications should reflect understanding of the structural causes of homelessness and demonstrate approaches that address root causes, not just symptoms.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Prioritise Places & Spaces and Targeted Prevention: With their commitment to A Bed Every Night, these priority areas are particularly welcomed for new funding
  • Demonstrate values alignment: Show how your work embodies Pioneering, Accountable, Collaborative, and Effective approaches
  • Think prevention and innovation: The charity is interested in “pioneering new ideas” that stop homelessness before it becomes reality
  • Emphasise sustainability: The charity seeks long-term strategic measures, not just short-term fixes
  • Build relationships: The charity takes a relationship-based approach and may request meetings - be prepared to engage beyond the written application
  • Consider Real Living Wage accreditation: As a Living Wage Funder, demonstrating commitment to fair employment practices strengthens your application
  • Focus on impact: Clearly articulate measurable outcomes and be prepared for proportionate reporting requirements
  • Stay informed: Sign up to their mailing list as grant programmes operate on a seasonal basis with limited windows for application

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