V & V Community Grant 2024-2025
We are very excited to announce the launch of the V & V Community Grants funding for 2024-2025.
********Applications open from 17th July 2023 – 29 September 2023*******
The strategic goal of the V&V Partnership is to reduce serious violence, the harm it causes, and to safeguard those at risk (including to gangs and knife crime). We recognise that local organisations and groups are at the forefront of some amazing work that provides protective factors that seeks to address these issues, the V&V Partnership are keen to support this work as much as it can.
The 2024-2025 V&V Community Grant round is for local ‘not-for-profit’ voluntary or community clubs or organisations based in, and therefore delivering in, Essex, Southend and Thurrock only.
Looking to fund projects that meet the stated aims and can run during April 2024 to 31st December 2025, commencing no later than 1st September 2024.
Groups can apply for up to *£25,000 to deliver support and interventions for children, young people, young adults (aged 0-24 inclusive) and families (families, must include children, young people or young adults aged 0-24). Projects must demonstrate how they have a positive impact through protective factors on issues relating to serious violence.
*The grants funding this year has a potential total pot of £350,000 that the V & V Parternship will look to distribute as evenly as possible across the twelve ECC borough/city/districts areas and Southend and Thurrock. Please bear this in mind when completing your applications.
Projects MUST evidence they are meeting specific needs as highlighted on an area by area basis by young people in our Listening Project 2022-23. It is essential that you read and reference the report as we are keen that the interventions are based on what local young people are telling us they need. https://ecvys.files.wordpress.com/2023/07/vvu-youth-voices-report-2022-2023-final-pdf.pdf
Such as:
- Having more trusted adults available for young people to talk to.
- Creating safer spaces and youth provision where young people choose to hang out i.e parks, youth clubs, schools (This could be around staff time, new projects, open for longer, activities, lighting outside a community building, etc.)
- Support for victims of youth violence and projects that have interventions around knife crime, and building resilience
- Building links between voluntary youth provision and schools, eg providing more trusted adults, education specifically around consequences of violence and filming videos of violence for social media, how to stay safe and preventing conflict escalating
- More ‘turn up and try’ sports or activities at youth clubs, parks and schools (out of normal school hours)- including self-defence and various other activities
- PLEASE NOTE THAT; This is not an exhaustive list. Funding will also be considered for early intervention work that has used the listening report to identify what is needed locally for example some areas mention drugs as an issue that needs addressing but for others work around peer pressure would be more suitable.
We would especially like to see some applications for creative work around risk taking behaviours.
Please do read the listening report and try to evidence the need for your intervention within your application, referencing the report or local needs.
All applications must demonstrate how their project enables children and young people to:-
- Make positive choices to keep them safe
- Raise self-esteem and confidence
- Build resilience
- Improve emotional and physical health and mental wellbeing
- Build connections with trusted adults
Applicants must also:-
- Have a recognised constitution and be one of the following: not-for-profit voluntary or community club or organisation, a registered charity, a not-for-profit company or community interest company or other social enterprise, a company limited by guarantee, charitable incorporated organisation or registered society.
- Be based in Essex, Southend or Thurrock with at least one year’s full published accounts.
- Have support from the local CSP (Community Safety Partnership) for the work you are applying for funding for. (If you do not know who your local CSP is we can provide this information)
If you have any questions about this grant process or to discuss your application please contact Beks Korniej beks@ecvys.org.uk or Jim Pearson james.pearson@essex.gov.uk
Timeline of grant process:
Applications open: 17th July 2023
Applications close: 12 noon on 29th September 2023
Completed applications to be submitted online and due diligence and supporting documents to be emailed to: beks@ecvys.org.uk AND james.pearson@essex.gov.uk by 12.00 on 29th September 2023
Short-listing, due diligence checks and final panel decisions: between October 2023 to February 2024
Applicants made aware of grant decisions: End of February 2024
Funds delivered: 90% of amount awarded at project start date on or after 1st April 2024. The remaining 10% to be paid during the last 3 months of your funded delivery.
How to Apply:
Check whether your project qualifies and apply online using this link:
https://forms.gle/odydgCNkX6x8oVMg7
Please note that any due diligence and supporting documents will need to be emailed separately to Beks and Jim at the emails above
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NEW Fund!
Violence & Vulnerability ‘Secondary prevention workstream Fund’ 2023-2024
The VVU are pleased to announce the launch of their ‘secondary prevention workstream fund’.
This is an exciting new fund from the VVU, with a potential pot of £380,000 dedicated to supporting and providing interventions for children, young people & families who are at risk of being involved in criminality and exploitation through factors that make them *more vulnerable than their peers.
This fund has two rounds; Round one will fund work taking place from January 2023, and round 2.) will fund work taking place from April 2023-March 2024
Violence & Vulnerability Secondary prevention workstream fund; Important information
1.) This funding round is ONLY open to for local **’not for profit’ voluntary or community groups and statutory organisations based in, and delivering in Essex, Southend and Thurrock. (Excluding schools, colleges or educational establishments – unless in conjunction with a voluntary community sector provider as above).
2.) We are looking to fund projects that meet our stated aims and can run from January OR April 2023-
31st March 2024.
3.) Projects starting in January will be funded in ‘Round One’, and projects with an April start date will be
funded in ‘Round Two’. Projects funded from January onwards in round one must be an established
project with face-face work taking place in January.
3.) Groups can apply for more than one project if they would like to, but the total cost of all applications
must be no more than £50,000
** NOTE THAT: Your local organisation MUST have a recognised constitution and be a- not for profit voluntary or community club or organisation, a registered Charity, a not for profit company or community interest company or other social enterprise company limited by guarantee, charitable incorporated organisation, registered society or Statutory Organisation. (excluding Schools & other statutory educational establishments).
(About the Secondary workstream (the ‘cohort’)
The Secondary work stream focuses on those Children, Families & Young People (families must include children and young people, and ‘young adult’ is defined as up to the age of 25), who are at risk of being involved in criminality and exploitation through factors that make them more vulnerable than their peers.
*These factors might include but are not limited to- Adverse Childhood Experience, early trauma, peer/ sibling/ parental involvement in criminality, difficulty in engaging with education, risk of ‘falling out’ of education, poverty, disenfranchisement. The secondary prevention ‘cohort’ includes children and young people suspected of being involved in county lines, gangs and knife crime.
About the VVU partnership;
As a partnership, our strategic goal is to reduce serious violence, the harm it causes, and to safeguard those at risk (relating to county lines, gangs and knife crime). We recognise that local organisations and groups are at the forefront of some amazing work that takes place to address these issues and we would like to support this work further as much as we can.
For more information about our work and the evidence base please refer to VVU Annual report 2021
All applications should focus on the following areas – ‘our stated aims’:
Working with the Secondary Prevention ‘cohort’ (see above)
- Projects must demonstrate how they have a positive impact on reducing serious violence, criminality and exploitation in areas within Southend, Essex and Thurrock
- Interventions need to target one or more of the vulnerable groups – especially those at risk of ‘falling out’ of education, and those who are frequently missing from education; those accessing A&E departments due to violence or threat of violence.
- Outcomes should include increased awareness and resilience towards serious violence, criminality and exploitation
- Individuals taking part should be given the opportunity to divert away from crime and exploitation toward more positive futures.
- Applications must demonstrate how they reflect in their approach and delivery the learning from the Youth Endowment Fund Toolkit.
All applications must demonstrate how their project enables children & young people to do one or more of the following-
- Improve engagement with education
- Reduce the risk of exploitation and increase protective factors
- Make positive choices that keep them safe
- Raise self-esteem and confidence
- Build resilience
- Improve emotional and physical health and mental well-being
Timeline of secondary prevention workstream fund process:
Round One; Projects taking place in January 2023
Applications Open; 24th November 2022
Applications close; 8th December 2022 at 10am
Due diligence checks and panel decisions; from the 9th December 2022.
Applicants made aware of decisions; before Christmas 2022 so that projects can start in January 2023
Projects applying for funding in round one need to make sure that they can start face- face delivery in January.
Round Two; Projects that start in April 2023
Applications Open; 24th November 2022
Applications Close; 5th January 2023 at 10am
Due diligence checks and panel decisions; from the 6th January 20223.
Applicants made aware of grant decisions: Beginning of March 2023 for work to start in April 2023
You can download our fund information sheet here; Secondary prevention fund information
We have also produced a Q&A sheet for extra guidance. You can download the Q&A sheet HERE
Once you have read the fund information sheet, and have your project costings and details to hand, then you are ready to go! You can Apply HERE
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VVU Community grants 2022-2024
We are very excited to announce the launch of the VVU Community Grants funding for 2023-2024.
As a partnership, our strategic goal is to reduce serious violence, the harm it causes, and to safeguard those at risk (relating to county lines, gangs and knife crime). We recognise that local organisations and groups are at the forefront of some amazing work that takes place to address these issues and we would like to support this work further as much as we can.
Our 2022-2024 VVCS grant round is for local *’not for profit’ voluntary or community clubs or organisations based in (and therefore delivering in) Essex, Southend and Thurrock only, and we are looking to fund projects that meet our stated aims and can run from April 2023- 31st March 2024.
Groups can apply for up to **£20,000 to deliver support and interventions for children, young people, young adults and families (families must include children and young people, and ‘young person’ is defined as up to the age of 25). Projects must demonstrate how they have a positive impact on issues relating to crime and anti-social behaviour and violence and vulnerability. This may include early intervention work, gang & ‘county lines’, and child criminal exploitation projects.
**Our grants funding this year has a total pot of just under £156,000 that we will look to distribute as evenly as possible across the 12 ECC districts/ Quadrants plus Southend & Thurrock. Please bear this is mind when completing your applications.
We would be particularly interested in projects that can evidence they are meeting needs as highlighted by young people and local residents in our Listening Project 2021-2022.
You can read the full report here https://ecvys.files.wordpress.com/2022/03/vvu-listening-2021-2022-youth-report-final.pdf The report only focuses on 7 Districts in Essex, but the fund is open to all (including Southend & Thurrock). Some examples of need highlighted in the report are-
• Indoor/ outdoor safe spaces with affordable & inclusive activities for young people to socialise (this can include a one off cost for lighting the outside of voluntary group spaces to create a safer space for young people, additional staff or youth activities).
• Opportunities for young people to learn life skills, participate in community based or volunteering projects and undertake work experience
• Work with young people and their families to raise awareness of youth violence
• Projects that promote greater communication and positive engagement between the police, youth groups and schools
• Targeted youth work aimed at those young people most at risk of exploitation
• Support for victims of youth violence
• Drugs education in informal settings or led by voluntary groups in schools with evidenced links to how drug use relates to young people becoming involved in serious violence
The fund is open to work of all ages from 0-25 but we would especially like to see some applications for creative work around risk taking behaviours with primary school age children and their families.
Please do read the listening report and try to evidence the need for your intervention within your application, referencing the listening report or local needs if your district is not one of the 7 listed.
All applications must demonstrate how their project enables children & young people to-
• Make positive choices that keep them safe
• Raise self-esteem and confidence
• Build resilience
• Improve emotional and physical health and mental wellbeing
• Have a letter of support from the local CSP
*PLEASE NOTE THAT: Your organisation MUST have a recognised constitution and be a- not for profit voluntary or community club or organisation, a registered Charity, A not for profit company or community interest company or other social enterprise. company limited by guarantee, charitable incorporated organisation or Registered society.
If you have any questions about this grant process, then please contact Rachel Brett rachel@ecvys.org.uk or Jim Pearson james.pearson@essex.gov.uk
| Timeline of grant process: |
| Applications open: 15th August 2022 Applications close: 31st October 2022 Completed applications to be sent to rachel@ecvys.org.uk and james.pearson@essex.gov.uk Short listing, due diligence checks and final panel decisions will happen from November 2022-February 2023 Applicants made aware of grant decisions: End of February 2023 Funds to be with groups For the project start date in April 2023 |
To download an application form with further guidance on applying please click the link below:
VVCS grant application form 2022-2024
You can also apply online using this link https://forms.gle/qLaoT2atPZMvrioD8 (please note though that any due diligence forms requested will need to be emailed separately to Rachel and Jim (emails above).
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Grassroots children’s/ youth clubs in Essex have been closed due to the pandemic, and many are hoping to re-open soon.
We have some support designed specifically to help re-mobilise these clubs-
1.) A grant of up to £500 to help with club reopening costs related to Covid-19 (applications originally opened on 13/01/2021-22/02/2021 but are now being reviewed monthly until funds for each district council have been allocated.
PLEASE NOTE that this is now only open to groups in Rochford, Colchester, Tendring and Harlow
2.) Telephone support, guidance/ risk assessment advice that you might need to help re-open
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1.) Grant for remobilising grassroots children’s & youth clubs in Essex
This grant is designed to support small, local not for profit voluntary children’s and youth groups/clubs only. The grant can cover Covid-19 associated costs with the reopening of these groups/ clubs.
What can these costs include?
- Covid-19 related hygiene costs (e.g. Hand sanitizer, soap, face masks, gloves, increased venue cleaning or equipment costs.)
- Covid-19 related Infrastructure costs (e.g. Plexiglass screens, wall mounted dispensers, signage, increased venue hire costs to comply with social distancing.)
- Covid-19 related volunteer training costs
- Subs money covered for one term (up to £40 per child/ young person) for families struggling to pay subscription fees to voluntary, not for profit children’s or youth clubs who are affiliated to a national or Essex based governing body.
Who can apply?
Small, local grassroots and not for profit children’s and youth clubs who do not have support of this kind available through local or national affiliated bodies. This might be- Community based and not-for-profit youth or children’s clubs, uniformed organisations, sports or physical activity groups, musical theatre groups and many more!
You can download the application form here Application form Remobilisation grant OR complete your application online here
contact Rachel Brett for more information Email: rachel@ecvys.org.uk Phone: 01371 404273
2.) Telephone support & guidance for all grassroots children’s & youth clubs in Essex to help them re-open-
- Covid safe guidance and reassurance for re-opening including- ppe, social distancing and becoming a Covid-safe venue
- Specific risk assessment guidance for Covid safe youth work in each individual setting
- General risk assessment and safe practice guidance going forward
- Specific advice on activities and adapting them to meet current regulations safely
- Help with other venue queries
- Advice regards to staffing and how to remain safe whilst still maintaining a service
- Help with sourcing and retaining volunteers
- Encouragement and guidance for any other questions that groups have around Remobilisation
Essex Council for Voluntary Youth Services 