There is just one week to go to apply for Safer Communities funding

4th November 2022

A West Yorkshire organisation that benefited from the Mayor’s Safer Communities Fund is urging other community groups to come forward and apply for a grant of up to £8,000.

The fund uses money recovered from criminals to support projects to make communities across the region safer.

West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin and Team Kickstart, a voluntary group that works with young people in Kirklees, are urging others to come forward for funding.

The group was awarded nearly £6,000 for their project to tackle antisocial behaviour. It teaches young people practical motorbike maintenance skills while engaging with them on a range of topics including knife crime and drug awareness. 

Joy Edwards, from Team Kickstart, said:

“Here at Team Kickstart, we’re a new organisation, completely made up of volunteers.

“Never did I think we would be able to approach someone as big as the Mayor of West Yorkshire for funding. But it doesn’t matter how small you are, the Mayor’s Safer Communities Fund can support you.

“My biggest piece of advice is to just apply! This money is making such a difference to our community, see how it will make a change to yours.”

Since its inception in 2014, the fund has supported over 810 projects with £4.3 million. The Mayor is encouraging applications from projects including those that tackle hate crime, neighbourhood crime and anti-social behaviour, and dangerous driving. With £350,000 available, this is the biggest funding pot to date.

Speaking about the fund, Mayor Brabin said:

“I am thrilled that we are using the money taken from criminal activities to make West Yorkshire safer.

“My Safer Communities Fund provides vital support to projects that have a huge impact on the safety of their local communities.

“If you have a project that will make your area safer, please apply and help show criminals that crime really doesn’t pay.”

Previously funded projects include a series of school workshops tackling the issue of peer-on-peer sexual harassment in Kirklees, a drugs intervention programme for young men in Bradford, and a free self-defence class for women in Leeds.

Applications close on 11 November 2022 at 12pm (noon). Organisations can apply for grants of up to £8000 and can find out more with the fund’s how-to video: https://youtu.be/vbPbY7ixj_w

To apply, please visit: https://www.westyorks-ca.gov.uk/policing-and-crime/mayor-s-safer-communities-fund