Delivering Social Value with Groundwork Greater Manchester
As a charity, Groundwork Greater Manchester exists to create lasting social and environmental impact across the city region.
One way we do this is by working with organisations to turn social value commitments into meaningful, measurable outcomes for local people, communities and the environment.
Whether you’re developing a tender response, fulfilling contract commitments or looking to strengthen your ESG strategy, we provide opportunities that align with the TOMs framework and create genuine impact across Greater Manchester.
Working with Groundwork enables organisations to:
- Create employment pathways for people facing barriers to work
- Invest in healthier, stronger local communities
- Improve access to nature and enhance local greenspaces
- Deliver measurable social value outcomes aligned to procurement requirements
- Generate evidence and impact stories that demonstrate real change
WORK – Creating Pathways Into Sustainable Employment
Our programmes support people from underrepresented and disadvantaged backgrounds to access training, employment and progression opportunities, helping individuals move towards positive and sustainable futures.
Our approach is always person-centred, focusing on individual strengths, aspirations, and needs, ensuring tailored support that helps people overcome barriers and achieve their goals.
Our employment teams specialise working with:
- Young people who are NEET
- People who are care experienced
- People with lived experience of the criminal justice system
- People with physical or mental health challenges
- Veterans
The Impact We Deliver
2025/26 statistics
Young people who are NEET
- 457 supported
- 199 into employment
- 102 into education or training
People with lived experience of the criminal justice system
- 83 supported
- 32 into employment
- 19 into education or training
People who are care experienced
- 106 supported
- 16 into employment
- 43 into education or training
By working with Groundwork, partners can directly contribute to:
- Increased local employment
- Improved workforce diversity
- Skills development with priority groups
- Economic inclusion
- Long-term career opportunities within growth sectors
How you can work with us
- CONTRIBUTE – Provide work placements, careers advice, host site visits or offer interviews for the people on our programmes so they can secure meaningful work.
- INVEST – Help prepare people who are often furthest from the job market for the world of work by funding a bespoke pre-recruitment course so you can can rest assured that your new hires will hit the ground running.
- PARTNER – Work with our employment specialists to design a bespoke training programme that attracts the right candidates to opportunities within your business, equipping them with the skills, confidence and ongoing in-work support needed to succeed long term.
WORK – Creating Pathways Into Sustainable Employment
Our work is focused on strengthening community cohesion by delivering a range of community-led events and social action projects with young people and adults, typically delivered from local greenspaces and Green Community Hubs. These activities help people engage with their neighbourhoods and develop pride, connection, and positive participation within their community.
We also provide 1-to-1 support to people in order to increase confidence, resilience, life skills, and positive aspirations. As with all of our work, we prioritise supporting people from disadvantaged backgrounds and communities facing the greatest challenges, ensuring that our programmes are inclusive, preventative, and deliver lasting social value across Greater Manchester.
Our communities teams deliver long-term programmes in:
- Brinnington, Stockport
- Hattersley, Tameside
- West Gorton & Crumpsall, Manchester
The Impact We Deliver
2025/26 statistics
Brinnington, Stockport
- 204 residents engaged
West Gorton & Crumpsall, Manchester
- 185 residents engaged
Hattersley, Tameside
- 403 residents engaged
How you can work with us
- CONTRIBUTE – Donate materials, plants or resources that help community projects take shape. Whether it’s tools, timber, plants, paint, office furniture or other useful materials, your contribution helps transform community spaces while reducing waste and giving unused resources a new purpose.
- INVEST – Fund community projects and provide the resources needed to create lasting change. By investing financially, or through the provision of specialist equipment and services, you’ll help bring ambitious community projects to life, creating healthier, greener and more connected neighbourhoods.
- PARTNER – Co-create transformative community projects with lasting impact. Work alongside our community engagement specialists to design and deliver projects that meet local needs while supporting your social value and ESG objectives. Your organisation can contribute funding, employee volunteering, skills-based support and in-kind resources, while we bridge the gap between corporate ambitions and grassroots action. Together, we’ll create projects that not only deliver immediate benefits but are maintained, valued and sustained by the community for years to come.
PLANET – Creating Greener, Healthier & More Climate-Resilient Communities
Our environmental programmes focus on creating thriving nature rich and climate resilient urban environments, delivered and cared for in partnership with the community. By involving communities in hands-on environmental action, we build awareness, skills, and long-term stewardship, ensuring that improvements to biodiversity and ecosystems are sustained well beyond the life of individual projects.
In summary, our environmental programmes focus on:
- Improve access to nature in disadvantaged communities
- Increase biodiversity and support habitat creation
- Create healthier places for people to live and work
- Develop green skills and environmental awareness
- Engage residents in community action
- Increase climate resilience in urban areas
- Support physical and mental wellbeing through access to quality green spaces
The Impact We Deliver
2025/26 statistics
Stockport Centre Greening
2023 -2026
- 434 residents engaged
- 890m2 of public realm space rejuvenated
Medlock Valley Habitat Restoration
2024 -2026
- 3,937 residents engaged
- 329 volunteers trained
- 33.3Ha improved habitats
Pitt Street Park, Oldham
2021 -2023
- 85 residents engaged
- 462m2 wildflowers or pollinators planted
How you can work with us
- CONTRIBUTE – Donate materials, plants or resources that help community projects take shape. Whether it’s tools, timber, plants, paint, office furniture or other useful materials, your contribution helps transform community spaces while reducing waste and giving unused resources a new purpose.
- INVEST – Fund community projects and provide the resources needed to create lasting change. By investing financially, or through the provision of specialist equipment and services, you’ll help bring ambitious community projects to life, creating healthier, greener and more connected neighbourhoods.
- PARTNER – Co-create transformative community projects with lasting impact. Work alongside our community engagement specialists to design and deliver projects that meet local needs while supporting your social value and ESG objectives. Your organisation can contribute funding, employee volunteering, skills-based support and in-kind resources, while we bridge the gap between corporate ambitions and grassroots action. Together, we’ll create projects that not only deliver immediate benefits but are maintained, valued and sustained by the community for years to come.