Police and Crime Commissioner launches small grants scheme

Community groups in Devon and Cornwall are being given the chance to share in a £100,000 cashpot.

Police and Crime Commissioner Tony Hogg has earmarked the cash to help small community groups whose work focuses on reducing crime and making people feel safer.

The PCC’s small grants scheme (SGS) supports the pledge to put charitable and community organisations at the heart of policing which Mr Hogg set out in his Police and Crime Plan.

Mr Hogg promised to find new ways to help organisations to help themselves and the SGS aims to encourage this by providing grass-roots funding.

Groups are invited to bid for grants of up to £5,000 for projects which will have a positive impact on crime prevention, safeguarding the vulnerable or community safety.

The scheme has £200,000 to award in total with half that figure expected to be given in the first 12 months.

Successful applications will be those which evidence, in the first instance, how the bid aligns with the Police and Crime Plan and, following the award, each will be expected to show how the desired outcomes have been achieved.

“The police do not, and cannot work alone,” said Mr Hogg.

“In an area the size of Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly we must ensure that a wide network of people and agencies work closely to improve community safety to ensure the best service and value to the public and victims.

“Keeping people safe, reducing crime and catching criminals is an intensive, round the clock activity and the police rely on a co-ordinated response of a wide range of organisations, both public and voluntary to support them.

“I know there are many genuine people out there with great ideas about how to help their communities but who don’t have the funds to make it happen and, very often, a relatively small amount of money can have a disproportionately large impact on people’s lives.

“This scheme should help those innovative, community-spirited, people achieve what they set out to do.”

There will be two rafts of grants awarded in the first year which will be announced in December 2013 and July 2014.

The closing dates for applications will be October 31 2013 and May 31 2014.

Applications must be made by application form which can be downloaded from the PCC website or those of Devon Reform or the Cornwall Volunteer Sector Forum who are helping to administer the scheme.

Alternatively, application forms can be requested by ringing Ruth at Devon Reform on 01392 430228.