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Youth Empowerment Scheme

Youth Empowerment Scheme Small Logo
Grant size TBC
Location Merseyside
Duration 1 year
Opening Date TBC

About the Fund

The scheme, delivered by the Community Foundation for Merseyside (CFM) in partnership with the Police and Crime Commissioner for Merseyside (PCC) and the Merseyside Violence Reduction Partnership (MVRP), is targeted at community projects that offer diversionary activities- particularly those that include arts, culture and sports to support young people aged under 25 years who may be more vulnerable to experiencing violence and at risk of anti-social behaviour. This could be due to a lack of self-esteem, experiencing challenges at home, they may live in a community where drugs and alcohol are prevalent, or the community may lack infrastructure and accessible services. All these factors are recognised as increasing vulnerability to experiencing violence and/or exploitation.

Please note, to ensure that delivery aligns with the PCC and MVRPs strategic priorities, there will be a mandatory requirement for all successful organisations to attend a trauma informed awareness session to provide staff with an overview of the following six trauma informed core principles in settings.

Fund Criteria

The grants panel are keen for organisations to include capacity building costs for your organisation and would encourage consortium/partnership applications that will allow groups to work together (although this is not a requirement). The primary focus of the scheme is community provision and out of school hours engagement. Interventions/programmes delivered must fall into one of the following types:

Prevention

Awareness-raising or psycho-social education programmes

Early Intervention

Developmental and diversionary youth outreach activities and programmes

Therapeutic

Tailored interventions and programmes

Desistence

Programmes which aim to cease offending or reoffending

Specific Fund Criteria

  • Applications can be considered from all areas within Merseyside (Halton is not eligible as this falls under Cheshire PCC) and we encourage applications from areas suffering of high crime and ASB.
  • Funding must be spent in full by 31st March 2025 and must include an element of youth engagement during the summer school holidays and October half-term/Halloween/bonfire night period.
  • Applications should include some evidence of young people being involved in the co-production, co-design, or co-evaluation of programmes/projects.

Fund Priority Areas

The Merseyside Violence Reduction Partnership receives government funding to identify and support those areas which have the greatest need and impact (in terms of demand upon blue light services). This is based on localised data, using several datasets held within the Trauma & Injury Intelligence Group (TIIG) Data Hub. Based on this data, we encourage proposals for programmes and projects based as follows:

St Helens
Town Centre, Parr

Sefton

Linacre, Duke’s, St Oswald, Litherland

Wirral
Bidston and St James, Birkenhead and Tranmere, Leasowe and Moreton East, Seacombe

Liverpool
Central, County, Riverside, Tuebrook and Stoneycroft, Norris Green, Prince’s Park

Knowsley
Northwood, Stockbridge, Page Moss

Amount Available

The minimum grant applied for is £5,000 and maximum grant is £25,000. The grants panel will award grants that are proportionate to the turnover of the organisation(s) applying.

Examples of projects that may be funded

A wide range of arts, culture and sports engagement and prevention activities that meet the below target outcomes can be considered:

  • Increased participation of young people in arts, cultural and sports activities
  • Increased engagement with young people which is sustainable beyond the funding period
  • Improved reported mental health and wellbeing of young people (including anger management)
  • Increased perception of personal safety amongst the young people involved
  • Improved social, emotional, and behavioural skills
  • Improved awareness of the impact of violent crime, particularly knife crime, and the signs and dangers of child criminal exploitation
  • Improved aspirations of young people
  • Voices of young people and communities being embedded within the organisation
  • Increased opportunities for young people

How to Apply?

An online application form can be completed via the “Apply Now” button below. You can attach supporting documents to your online application, or email them to us at applications@cflm.org.uk.

Documents which need to be included with your application:

  1. A copy of your governing document.
  2. A copy of your latest annual accounts or income/expenditure document.
  3. A copy of a recent bank statement for your group. If you do not have a bank account in place, you must be able to nominate another organisation to hold the funds (CVS, another local charity, church etc.).
  4. A list of your Trustees/Directors/Management Committee members. A minimum of three un-related must be in place.
  5. A copy of your current Safeguarding Policy. All applicants must ensure that they hold relevant policies and procedures in place to undertake activities, such as Criminal Records Bureau checks and/or a health and safety policy, depending on proposed activity. If unsure, we recommend taking advice from your local CVS.

If you have applied to us within the last 12 months and provided this information, we do not need you to send it again, although we may require a more recent bank statement.

What’s next?

Completed applications are considered by Community Foundation staff to check eligibility. You may be contacted for more information after applying and a decision-making panel will make recommendations based on the fund’s criteria and the budget available.