Action Together CIO

Action Together CIO, established in 2016 through the merger of Voluntary Action Oldham and Community and Voluntary Action Tameside, serves as the infrastructure body for the voluntary, community, faith, and social enterprise (VCFSE) sector across Oldham, Rochdale, and Tameside. Its mission is to strengthen VCFSE organisations, connect communities, transform ideas into action, and influence civic, statutory, and funding partners to promote social justice, combat poverty and inequality, and amplify marginalised voices. Core values of collaboration, shared insight, diversity, activism, resilience, and sustainability underpin its work, with a distinctive enabler role—securing and distributing investments for capacity building rather than traditional grant-making. Thematic priorities include volunteering, organisational development, network building, advocacy, sector leadership, and grassroots funding, supporting projects tackling health inequalities, social inclusion, environmental responsibility (aiming for Net Zero by 2038), and system change via initiatives like social prescribing, Healthwatch services, and the Oldham Poverty Truth Commission.

It funds local VCFSE groups delivering for vulnerable people, advancing equality, fostering collaboration, and addressing local needs through project funding, capacity building, revenue support, seed grants, unrestricted core costs, and occasional consortium or capital grants.

Eligible applicants are UK-registered charities, CICs, community groups, and social enterprises (including unconstituted ones) based exclusively in Oldham, Rochdale, or Tameside, with preference for small to medium-sized organisations (annual income £10k–£500k). Unsolicited applications are not accepted—only for published programmes via online forms, often with Expressions of Interest. Typical grants range £500–£25,000 (average £1,000–£10,000); quarterly meetings, varying deadlines (e.g., 1–31 Oct 2025 for Community Grants), decisions in 4–10 weeks. Distinctive for its member-centric hub providing strategic voice, practical resources, and community-led system change, excluding non-local or off-programme requests.