Manchester City Council

People and Communities Apply for funding for International Women's Day 2027

What is the International Women’s Day Grant Fund?

International Women’s Day (8 March) is a global day celebrating the achievements of women and marks a call to action for accelerating women’s equality.

Manchester City Council’s International Women’s Day Grant Fund will provide 20 grants of up to £750 to support community activities taking place on or around International Women’s Day 2027.

The fund aims to celebrate women and girls, amplify their voices, and support activities that contribute to improving women’s health, wellbeing and equality in Manchester.

Eligibility criteria

Activities must:

  • Take place in Manchester between Monday 8 February and Wednesday 31 March 2027
  • Primarily benefit women and girls living, working or studying in Manchester
  • Directly benefit a minimum of 15 people
  • Be free to attend
  • Demonstrate alignment with at least one of the fund’s priority themes

Applicants must:

  • Be a voluntary, community, faith or social enterprise organisation based in the Manchester City Council region
  • Have a bank account to receive any approved funding or permission from another group to receive the funding for you. Payments cannot be made to a personal bank account
  • Provide a copy of their safeguarding policy if successful

Please note, any event or activity must not be religious or political in nature or promote religious or political affiliation. Faith groups can apply. However, the activities must not be related to worship or the promotion of a particular faith.

Any applications which do not meet the eligibility criteria will not be considered.

Priority themes

International Women’s Day is both a celebration and a call to action. We welcome activities that recognise and celebrate the achievements of women and girls, while also promoting greater understanding of the issues that affect their lives, health, wellbeing and opportunities.

Our priority themes for 2027 are:

1. Improving access to health information, support and services

Activities that help women and girls access trusted information, increase confidence in navigating services, connect with support, and improve understanding of issues affecting women’s health and wellbeing.

We welcome activities that celebrate women’s knowledge, resilience and experiences, creating positive and supportive spaces where women can learn, connect and access information that helps them thrive.

Examples may include:

  • Health and wellbeing workshops
  • Menopause, menstrual health or maternal health awareness sessions
  • Health information events
  • Activities that help women understand and access services and support
  • Events that create opportunities for women to share their experiences and celebrate their strength, resilience and achievements

2. Promoting women’s social justice and equality

Activities that increase understanding of the barriers faced by women and girls and promote equality, inclusion and fairness. We welcome activities that celebrate women’s achievements, leadership, creativity and contributions to their communities, while also creating opportunities for reflection, discussion and positive change.

We are particularly interested in activities that explore how factors such as poverty, discrimination, caring responsibilities, race, disability, housing, employment, safety or access to services affect women’s lives and health outcomes.

Examples may include:

  • Community conversations about women’s experiences of inequality
  • Events exploring barriers faced by particular groups of women
  • Arts, culture and creative activities that centre women’s lived experiences
  • Educational events focused on women’s rights, equality and social justice
  • Activities that amplify women’s voice and identify priorities for change

How will funding decisions be made?

We expect to receive more applications than we can support, so not all applications will be successful.

The panel will give priority to projects that:

  • Support the fund’s priority themes (30%)
  • Reach women and girls who may face challenges, inequalities or barriers to opportunities (20%)
  • Capture feedback about communities’ needs, experiences and priorities (20%)
  • Are welcoming, accessible and inclusive (20%)
  • Are well planned, achievable, and offer good value for money (10%)