Management Today Transformation Awards 2025

Transforming Health Outcomes in Bradford District and Craven Through VCSE Support

A collaborative initiative led by Participate Projects, Community Action Bradford & District, CNET, and The VCS Alliance is making significant strides in improving health outcomes for communities across Bradford District and Craven. By reimagining how support is delivered to voluntary, community, and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations, the partnership is helping to build a more resilient and effective local health ecosystem.

In its first year, the programme has successfully protected over £2 million in contracted services by stabilising VCSE organisations facing financial or operational crises. This achievement underscores the critical role of early intervention and strategic support in maintaining essential services for vulnerable populations.

MyCake was a key contributor to this success, whose innovative resilience rating system has been instrumental in assessing the financial health of 1,700 non-profit organisations across the region. These ratings serve as a diagnostic tool, enabling the partnership to identify organisations at risk and prioritise support where it is most needed. By using data-driven insights, the team can act swiftly to prevent service disruption and strengthen the sector’s long-term sustainability.

The case study explores the methods and impact of the initiative, highlighting how collaborative working, financial intelligence, and targeted support are driving real benefits for the people of Bradford and Craven.

The work has been submitted to the Management Today Transformation Awards for 2025, and has been shortlisted as Best Public or Third Sector Transformation for improving health outcomes in Bradford & Craven.

Winners will be announced on 25 November 2025.