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Grants and awards | January 25, 2021

Community safety grants now open

Community groups and councils are being encouraged to apply for grants of up to $300,000 for local community crime prevention projects.

The Nationals Member for Lowan, Emma Kealy said the grants, established by the former National-Liberal Government, help not-for-profit community groups and councils deliver projects that prevent crime, improve safety and strengthen community engagement.

There are three streams of funding available:

Stream 1 – Creating Safer Places: grants from $25,000 to $300,000 for councils to fund urban design projects that apply an inclusive environmental design approach o deter crime, increase safety and activate public places.

Stream 2 – Crime Prevention Innovation Fund: grants from $25,000 to $300,000 for councils and not-for-profit organisations to deliver and evaluate innovative community safety and crime prevention initiatives.

This can include projects that engage diverse communities or specific groups, or which establish or strengthen partnerships across community, business, sport and other sectors to address causes of crime.

Stream 3 – Empowering Communities – grants of up to $700,000 per project over two years to support community-designed and delivered projects with a focus on strengthening relationships between community stakeholders to work in partnership to deliver crime prevention activity, and leverage community capacity to deliver sustainable outcomes beyond the funding period.

Ms Kealy said applications for Stream 1 and Stream 2 grants were open to community groups and councils until 4pm on Monday, 15 March 2021.

Applications for Stream 3 projects must be submitted online via the Crime Prevention website, with the first round of negotiated Stream 3 grant initiatives announced early in 2021.

“I encourage all local councils and not-for-profit community groups to consider applying for a grant to help improve the safety of our local residents,” Ms Kealy said.

“I would be pleased to provide a letter of support for any groups or councils submitting an application.”

Further information, including guidelines for those looking to apply for the grants, is available at www.crimeprevention.vic.gov.au/buildingsafercommunities