Trauma leaves a mark — not only on individuals, but on the communities and services that support them. Recognising this, a new funding opportunity is helping organisations across Greater Manchester move beyond simply being aware of trauma to actively building services and environments that respond to it. The Trauma Responsive Greater Manchester Fund is now open, offering meaningful financial support to voluntary, community, and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations ready to embed trauma-responsive practice into the heart of their work.
Here is a full guide to what the fund offers, what it supports, who can apply, and how to put your application together.
What Is the Trauma Responsive Greater Manchester Fund?
The Trauma Responsive Greater Manchester Fund supports VCSE organisations across Greater Manchester to embed trauma-responsive practices into their services, systems, and spaces.
The emphasis here is important. This is not a fund for one-off awareness sessions or surface-level activity. It is designed to support organisations in moving beyond basic awareness of trauma and taking meaningful action to embed trauma-responsive approaches across their work. The aim is lasting change in how services are designed and delivered.
At its foundation, trauma-responsive practice is about recognising the impact of trauma on individuals and communities, and creating environments that are safe, supportive, and empowering — for service users and staff alike.
Who Is Behind the Fund?
The fund carries significant institutional backing. It is supported by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) as part of the wider Trauma Responsive Greater Manchester (TRGM) programme. Day-to-day, it is being managed by Salford CVS on behalf of 10GM.
This structure matters for applicants: it signals that the fund sits within a coordinated, region-wide strategy to make Greater Manchester's services more trauma-responsive, rather than being a standalone, one-off grant.
How Much Funding Is Available?
The fund offers grants ranging from £5,000 to £10,000.
Crucially, this funding is intended to support practical, impactful changes rather than basic awareness activities. In other words, the money is there to help organisations do something tangible — to make real adjustments to spaces, training, policies, and systems that genuinely shift how they operate.
The Four Priorities of the Fund
Every proposal must align with at least one of the fund's four core priorities. The funders have been explicit that they are looking for projects that go beyond basic training and instead embed trauma-responsive practice into organisations and communities.
1. Improve Spaces
Make physical environments more welcoming, safe, and trauma-responsive — for example, through improved design, layout, or equipment.
2. Training and Education
Deliver trauma-responsive training for staff or volunteers that goes beyond basic awareness and demonstrates measurable impact.
3. Policies and Procedures
Review and improve organisational policies and processes so that they better reflect trauma-informed principles.
4. Learning, Reflection and Evaluation
Gather feedback, run reflective practice sessions, and develop systems to continuously improve trauma-responsive delivery.
The common thread across all four is depth. The fund rewards organisations willing to make structural, embedded changes rather than temporary interventions.
What Makes a Strong Application
Aligning with a priority is the starting point, not the finish line. Strong applications are expected to do three things well:
- Demonstrate a clear understanding of trauma-informed principles — showing you genuinely grasp what trauma-responsive practice means.
- Explain how these principles will be applied in practice — translating understanding into concrete, real-world activity.
- Set out robust outcome measures — showing how your project will lead to meaningful, measurable improvements in wellbeing and resilience.
This focus on measurable outcomes means a competitive application will not simply describe good intentions. It will show, concretely, how the proposed work will change experiences for service users and staff — and how that change will be evidenced.
Key Dates
Timing is tight, so it is worth marking these dates early:
- Fund opens: June 2026
- Application deadline: 12pm (midday) on 7 August 2026
- Decisions announced: Within 6 weeks of the closing date
- Project delivery period: September 2026 – September 2027
Note that the deadline is a firm midday cut-off, not end of day — a small detail that can catch applicants out if left to the last minute.
Meet the Funder Session
If you want to understand the fund more deeply before applying, there is a dedicated opportunity to do so.
Salford CVS and the Trauma Responsive Greater Manchester team are holding an online "Meet the Funder" session at 11:30 on 30 June 2026. This is a chance to learn more about the fund, ask questions, and get a clearer sense of what a successful application looks like. For first-time applicants in particular, sessions like these can be invaluable.
Who Can Apply?
Eligibility for the fund is focused on organisations rooted in and serving the Greater Manchester community.
Eligible applicants include VCSE groups operating within Greater Manchester for the benefit of local residents. Beyond location and purpose, applicants must also meet a set of governance standards, including proper financial management, a suitable organisational structure, and compliance with grant reporting standards where applicable.
These requirements ensure that funded organisations have the stability and accountability to deliver their projects responsibly and report on their progress.
How to Apply
The application process follows a clear, four-step path:
- Read the Terms and Conditions for the fund.
- Read the guidance for the grant you are applying for.
- Ask questions if you need to. If you have any further questions about the fund, email grants@salfordcvs.co.uk. Otherwise, complete an application form and follow the instructions on how to submit it.
- Request adaptations if helpful. The grants programme aims to be accessible to everyone. If you would benefit from submitting your application in another format — for example, as a video or voice recording — or require adaptations to the guidance or application form, you can contact the Salford CVS Grants Team at grants@salfordcvs.co.uk.
This last point is worth underlining. The funders have made a deliberate effort to remove barriers to applying, so organisations that might struggle with a standard written form should not be deterred from putting themselves forward.
Why This Fund Matters
For many VCSE organisations, the will to work in a trauma-responsive way already exists — what is often missing is the resource to make it real. Redesigning a physical space to feel safer, investing in advanced training for staff and volunteers, or building reflective systems into daily practice all take time, money, and commitment.
This fund directly addresses that gap. By prioritising practical, embedded change over awareness activities alone — and by sitting within the wider, GMCA-backed TRGM programme — it helps organisations turn understanding into action. The result is services that are safer and more supportive, staff who are better equipped, and communities that are more resilient.
Key Takeaways
Before you begin your application, keep these essentials in mind:
- Funding available: £5,000 to £10,000
- Fund opens: June 2026
- Deadline: 12pm (midday) on 7 August 2026 (firm midday cut-off)
- Decisions: Within 6 weeks of closing
- Delivery period: September 2026 – September 2027
- Backed by: GMCA, via the TRGM programme; managed by Salford CVS on behalf of 10GM
- Must align with at least one of four priorities: Improve Spaces, Training and Education, Policies and Procedures, or Learning, Reflection and Evaluation
- Must demonstrate: Clear understanding of trauma-informed principles, practical application, and robust outcome measures
- Open to: VCSE organisations operating within Greater Manchester for local residents
- Support available: "Meet the Funder" session on 30 June 2026, plus alternative application formats on request
If your organisation is ready to move from awareness to action — to embed trauma-responsive practice into the very fabric of how you work — this fund offers both the means and the encouragement to do it. Take advantage of the Meet the Funder session, plan your outcomes carefully, and make sure your application lands well before the midday deadline on 7 August 2026.
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