Charities and community groups are being urged to apply for a share of £400k to boost efforts to prevent crime and improve public safety over the next 12 months.
Police and Crime Commissioner Rupert Matthews has announced details of his Commissioner's Safety Fund 2024-25 which will see a total of £400k shared between charities, community groups and non-profit organisations to reduce the risk of crime across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland. In doing so, he wants to ensure that people feel safer in their communities and homes.
The first round, worth £200k, opens today (Thursday 8 August) and invites organisations to apply for individual grants up to the value of £10k.
All applications must link to the Commissioner's current Police and Crime Plan and support his work to prevent crime and anti-social behaviour (ASB) and help boost safety.
Mr Matthews said: "Since launching my Safety Fund, I have invested more than £1.3m into community-based crime prevention to ensure Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland remain safe places to work and visit.
"From the outset, this fund has sought to tackle the problems that matter most to our communities. Public feedback tells me that this ranges from speeding and youth violence through to Violence Against Women and Girls, domestic violence and ASB. These issues are at the heart of my Police and Crime Plan, so I want to build on our previous success in tackling these problems, by investing a further £400k into our communities over the coming year.
"Our police officers work tirelessly to root out criminality, but community safety is very much a team effort. By playing our part to help build resilience and ensure people receive the help they need early doors, we will prevent crime from gaining a foothold in our towns and city. I have exciting plans to help our communities grow and thrive so I urge organisations which share my vision to apply for funding at the earliest opportunity."
The PCC will host two funding rounds in 2024/25 and is keen to hear from organisations that can make a meaningful difference to the lives of those who live in the city and two counties.
The first-round closes on Thursday, September 5th at 5pm, providing organisations with four weeks to submit their applications.
Funding can be used for new initiatives, to expand existing provision or as replacement funding.
For more information and how to apply please visit: https://bit.ly/CSF24Round1.
