The beginning of Greater Manchester Systems Changers (GM SC)

4 years ago, Lankelly Chase’s strategy included devolving decision-making and grant-making to a small group of people in Greater Manchester called Greater Manchester Systems Changers (GM SC).

GM SC was born out of the wisdom from people in different communities across the region. We wanted to move away from charity towards what is actually needed for us to thrive, i.e., justice, liberation, and alternative ways of being. 

Building a network through ‘Spaces’ Grant, training and mediation sessions

Through our ‘spaces’ grant, we connected and created a network of over 60 partners, all of whom were doing amazing work across the whole of Greater Manchester. We prioritised trust and were focused on non-competitive funding. We experimented with Participatory Grant-Making models and ran learning spaces to go alongside the spaces grants. These Learning Sessions were open to people who had been given grants, giving people a place to talk about their work and share learnings and reflections. 

We have since held training sessions (deep democracy, New Northern Weave, IDS, Narratives Lab) and facilitated mediation sessions for people within the network who require some additional support. 

Separation from Lankelly Chase and expansion of the Core Team

In 2023, Lankelly Chase decided to dismantle and close down. As a part of this process, we in GM SC separated from Lankelly Chase and expanded the original core team of 6 members to 18 ‘temporary stewards’. 

The core team was ‘recruited’ partly for their lived and learned experience of systems of oppression. They are also community leaders and organisers deeply entangled and connected with networks and groups of people who are themselves experiencing marginalisation and harm on a daily basis. 

Addressing under-representation in our networks

It was evident to the Core Team that there was an under-representation of working-class women and young people—predominantly of colour—in our Greater Manchester networks. We also know that working-class women and young people are disproportionately impacted by systems of oppression and yet continue to lead some of the most life-affirming grassroots change work—mostly without recognition or financial resources. This is why GM SC funded your organisations in the way we did. 

Transition to a self-organising network

The GM SC core team always wanted to be temporary and create the conditions for a self-organising network to emerge. This is why we decided to expand into a team of 18 ‘temporary stewards’. We invited people who were already holding specific areas of work and/or had the availability and capacity to be a temporary steward. 

The ‘temporary stewards’ are made up of people like yourselves who have been a part of the GM SC network. You will meet some of them at these Forums. As ‘temporary stewards,’ we have been figuring out the best way to listen to you and include you in this next phase of GM SC. Which leads us to these Forums. 

The future of GM SC without Lankelly Chase

Up until now, Lankelly Chase has been GM SC’s main funder. Just because Lankelly Chase is closing down as a funder, doesn’t mean GM SC has to end.

We, as ‘temporary stewards’ for GM SC, are holding Forums to explore with you (our partners) what, if anything, we might like to become without Lankelly Chase and its funding.