The Managing Body for the HSCVF is a partnership led by Ecorys and draws on expertise from leading national VCSEs - Attend, Community Service Volunteers (CSV) and Eastside Primetimers.

Ecorys has been working in the UK since the 1980s but were formerly known as Ecotec Research and Consulting. We are an independent, employee-owned specialist programme management company with a network of offices across England. Ecorys is skilled in bringing effective and efficient systems into the grant management sphere. We work with key partners from the social enterprise and voluntary sector to ensure all our work is tailored to the needs of the organisations we support.

We have broad experience of grant management for complex programmes and extensive track record of working with and supporting civil society organisations. For example, we managed the Youth Sector Development Fund between August 2008 and March 2011, which promoted and supported growth within youth voluntary and community sector organisations which were delivering services and activities for disadvantaged young people in England.

We also have a network of small international offices which carry out civil society development projects in a variety of other countries. For example, we have been supporting women’s empowerment organisations in Turkey.

In addition, we have broad ranging research and evaluation experience across a range of policy areas. For example, we’ve carried out several studies for BIG including an evaluation of Reaching Communities which involved supporting projects in self-evaluation.

More details can be found here.

Eastside Primetimers (a merger of the highly successful Primetimers and Eastside Consulting) is a new social enterprise providing a full range of consulting and recruitment services. We draw on our knowledge and experience from having carried out nearly 1,000 assignments across the UK over eight years of working in the civil society sector.  We have particular expertise in sectors such as health, social care, young people, social housing and education.  We provide diagnostic services to ensure targeted tailored support as well as encouraging long term sustainability.

Attend has 60 years’ experience as a membership organisation supporting independent voluntary groups working in health and social care, currently with 700 members. Since 2005, Attend has developed tailored volunteer management programmes accredited by the Institute of Leadership and Management and the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, and was a chosen provider for delivering the 2010 Capacitybuilders Volunteer Management Programme. Attend has led on the development of a range of innovative models for service delivery involving volunteers, and is a current delivery partner for the European Year of Volunteering 2011, researching and developing ways of engaging working with people who are traditionally less likely to volunteer.

CSV (Community Service Volunteers) is a UK charity which has a track record over nearly 50 years of pioneering and delivering innovative volunteering services with and for people with a range of social and health care needs. Its vision is of a society in which everyone can participate to build strong and inclusive communities. It works with central and local government, the NHS, and a range of other partners across the country to help create and support practical volunteering and learning opportunities for all.