We are inviting applications to the Community Safety Fund. The purpose of the fund is to address one or more of the Safer Buckinghamshire Board 2023-26 priorities listed below across our county.
Eligibility Criteria
Outcomes from the project should tackle one (or more) of the following ‘Safer Buckinghamshire Plan’ priorities:
1. Tackling neighbourhood crime and anti-social behaviour
- Projects which tackle high crime or increased anti-social behaviour in specific locations Applicants will need to identify the location, explain the problem which exists and how the project will address the issue
- Projects which address fraud/scams and cybercrime
- Initiatives that address drug and alcohol issues which are impacting on local crime
- Actions which provide support for repeat or vulnerable victims
2. Preventing and Reducing Serious Violence* within our communities
*Serious violence is defined as homicide, knife crime, gun crime and areas of criminality where serious violence or its threat is inherent, such as in gangs and county lines drug dealing.
- Raising awareness of the harm caused by knife or gun crime, County line drug gang issues and serious physical violence towards others
- Delivering intervention/diversionary and mentoring activities to young people
- Working collaboratively with Statutory partners and other Community Voluntary Sector organisations to deliver activities to prevent and reduce serious violence within ‘hot spot’ locations. The application should identify the geographical location and how the project will tackle the issue
3. Preventing and Reducing Exploitation of Vulnerable People
- Working with the community to raise awareness of modern slavery and exploitation
- Delivery of early intervention and prevention projects for those at risk of exploitation including modern slavery, sexual and financial/Scams exploitation
Applications will also need to describe:
- The need/issue that your project will address (including how you know this is an issue for the intended project location)
- The project’s target audience
- The activities or interventions delivered by the project
- The impact and outcomes the project will deliver
- How this will be evidenced
Who can apply?
Registered charities, community groups, social enterprises, community Interest companies (limited by guarantee) or other not for profit organisations which are based in or operate for the benefit of residents in the area administered by Buckinghamshire Council. This includes parish & town councils and school-affiliated groups (e.g. school student councils, Parents or Friends Associations). The groups must be formally constituted and operate for public benefit and will need to satisfy all the usual due diligence checks described here.
What we can fund
- Capital expenditure – such as equipment, building modifications
- Project costs associated with new, or the enhancement of existing, initiatives. Funding ongoing services with no enhancement will not be eligible
- Core costs and overheads associated with the delivery of the funded projects’ outcomes
What we can’t fund
- Overseas travel
- Activities promoting a particular religious or political belief
- Projects which are already completed
- Individuals
- Statutory bodies (excluding parish/town councils)
- Profit-making organisations
- Organisations whose principal concern is animal welfare
- Activity which is a statutory responsibility of a public body.
We are also unable to fund:
- Any projects that are linked to public realm CCTV installation, monitoring, or maintenance. Buckinghamshire Council is currently reviewing the local policies and procedures for public realm CCTV and projects covering this type of work will be excluded from assessing this fund.
- Any organisations in receipt of funding from Buckinghamshire Council’s Community Safety Service for the 2024/2025 financial year, even if it’s for a different project
Funding Advice Surgery
Are you interested in attending a funding advice surgery which has been developed specifically for this fund? It will include more information about the aims and objectives of the fund as well as advice on completing an application. If so, please email grants@heartofbucks.org for further details before the 18th of March.
Timeframe
Application deadline: Wednesday 8th May
Applications will be considered in June and funding decisions will be notified at the end of June 2024. The project/funding start date you select should be no earlier than the 1st July 2024.
