A community-led partnership for young people in Sheffield and Manchester.
CiviAct, funded by the National Lottery Community Fund, brings together five grassroots organisations specialising in youth work, anti-racist education, wellbeing, political literacy and VCSE administration — supporting young people into employment, leadership and civic participation, and changing the systems around them.
What CiviAct does
The partnership resources the work of its member organisations and forges connections between them — enabling co-learning, collaboration and capacity development across two cities.
Youth work
Open-access sessions, mentoring and youth leadership across Sheffield and Manchester.
Employment & leadership
Paid roles, work experience and career support for young people who face the biggest barriers.
Anti-racist education
Co-designed programmes and mentoring built with and for young people of colour.
Wellbeing
Sport, community spaces and youth-led research into what supports young people's mental health.
Political literacy & justice
Campaigning, legal literacy and creative storytelling that change how systems treat young people.
Stronger organisations
Back-office support, funding and governance development so grassroots organisations can thrive.
The CiviAct journey
2020–21
CiviAct Development
Establishing the partnership.
2021–23
CiviAct Partnerships
Embedding partnership principles and supporting community-based youth leadership.
2024–27
CiviAct Pathways
Enhancing the capacity and sustainability of CiviAct organisations.
Alongside delivery, the partnership has been the subject of a collaborative research study with the University of Sheffield into what makes partnership working in the VCSE sector genuinely good. The resulting Good Partnerships report is currently available on request. Request a copy.
“It’s a supportive partnership… there’s no competitiveness in it. We’re all working to the same goal but we’re all doing very different methods.”
— CiviAct partner
The CiviAct Partnership
Five grassroots community organisations across Sheffield and Manchester, funded by the National Lottery Community Fund.
Research partners
