GM Walking and Wheeling Fund

The GM Walking and Wheeling Fund (GMWWF) Grants programme offers grants of up to £7,000 to voluntary, community, and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations to deliver projects to get more people walking and wheeling .

The GM Walking and Wheeling Fund is made possible thanks to investment from the Greater Manchester Integrated Care Partnership. We also recognise and thank the many partners who have supported us since 2019 to deliver grants to community groups including 10GM, Salford CVS, and GMCVO.

The GM Walking and Wheeling Fund 2026/27 is now open.

Application deadline: 12.00pm on Friday 4 September 2026

About the GM Walking and Wheeling Fund

The fund, supported by the Greater Manchester Integrated Care Partnership, aims to improve the health and wellbeing of communities in Greater Manchester by helping people who are less active or inactive to walk or wheel (e.g. using a wheelchair/mobility aid or pushing a pram) regularly.

It also increases awareness of and engagement with us, GM Walking, and our hub of information and resources that recognises the important role walking and wheeling can play in increasing physical activity levels.

Key notes for 2026/27:

• We have retained the extended the delivery period (November to May).
• The medium grants will remain at £7,000 (up from £5,000 in 2024/25).
• We are maintaining our small grants of £2,000 to kickstart pilot projects.

Advice for applicants from our last funding round.

• Consider how you will engage communities who are difficult to engage in walking, this includes removing barriers or having an alternative ‘hook’ to their walk.
• Explain how they will develop and nurture the social element of their walking and wheeling projects.
• Consider how your project can connect into local health priorities and healthcare organisations, for example this may mean introductions with your nearest social prescribing programme.

Frequently Asked Questions:

I applied for a grant, when will I hear the outcome of my application?

Decisions are expected within 4-6 weeks of applying.

Successful organisations will have until the end of May 2027 to spend their grant.

Do you accept applications submitted after the deadline?

No, sorry, due to a high number of applications received, we cannot accept late applications.

Who are the GM Walking and Wheeling Fund grants for?

Guided by the Active Lives data, the grants are given to organisations working with communities that may be less active or inactive, including women, those over the age of 65, people with disabilities or long-term health conditions, people from diverse ethnic backgrounds, and people from lower socio-economic groups.

The GM Walking and Wheeling Fund is also particularly interested in applications from organisations and projects that link in with the health and care system.

What activities does the GM Walking and Wheeling Fund support?

All projects must encourage people who are usually less active or inactive to increase the amount they walk or wheel regularly.

For example, you may support people to take part in walking and wheeling groups; work with schools, faith centres or workplaces to encourage active travel; or recruit and train Walking and Wheeling Champions.

Our fund is particularly focused on organisations and projects that link into the wider health and care system in their area such as a local GP practices or family centres.

Last year, a Mums walking group linked in with their local Sure Start Centre, midwifery team and health visitors to promote their walks, which resulted in staff referring new parents to the group.

How can the fund support more people to be active in our public spaces?

We understand that some people may feel worried about walking or wheeling in public spaces.

If this applies to the people you work with, we welcome your creative ideas to support people to walk or wheel regularly; for example, by offering ‘non-traditional’ walking activities such as walking within the grounds of a community venue or utilising treadmills in a gym.

In a previous round of the fund, one group even delivered walking sessions in a swimming pool.

Or, perhaps there are other opportunities to help people feel safe, for example, partnering with another organisation to increase the size of a walking or wheeling group or to provide access to a wider pool of volunteers to support walks.

How does the fund support more people to be active throughout winter?

We know that lots of people struggle to stay active during the winter when daylight hours are shorter and the weather challenging. This is something that’s often linked with lower mood, energy, and increased depressive symptoms.

Delivery between November 2026 and Spring 2027 is a great way to beat those winter blues.

Support your wellbeing, and your community, by using our fund to support more people to get off the sofa, enjoying one another’s company, and boosting their physical and mental wellbeing.