Local groups can receive thousands of pounds to improve safety in their communities.
Our Community Safety Initiatives Fund (CSIF) offers £500 to £2,000 for new or existing community safety projects.
Projects could inspire public confidence, raise awareness and support community events.
The CSIF aims to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour through community cohesion.
The fund follows our 2023 Community Safety Survey. This showed 58% of residents saw anti-social behaviour in a 12-month period. 56% saw drug usage or evidence of drug taking.
Lucy Whittaker is Founding Director & Lead Trainer of Alpha Vesta. Her organisation seeks to break the cycle of domestic abuse.
Lucy applied for the CSIF in 2023. She received funding towards the J9 Safe Space Initiative.
The initiative provides training to customer-facing businesses and organisations.
She said: “The training and resources equip people with skills to recognise the signs of domestic abuse, as well as respond and refer anyone they are concerned about to specialist support services.
“After initial funding for the project, we were inundated with requests for the training and sessions were reaching full capacity. This additional funding from the CSIF allowed us to increase capacity and run more online sessions but also go out into the community and offer the sessions face-to-face.
“The process of applying for the fund was easy and I would say to anyone applying, be clear on your aims and objectives and how your project supports the local community.”
Applications for the CSIF 2024 are open from 8 October to 24 November. Find out more and apply online.