On 19 May 2016, Comic Relief launched its new funding strategy. Its vision of "a just world free from poverty" remains, while its priority areas have changed. Going forwards, Comic Relief's grants will focus on the following four areas, which will help it best achieve its vision:
· Investing in children and young people to be ready for the future.
· Empowering women and girls to be free to lead the lives they choose.
· Improving the health and wellbeing of vulnerable and disadvantaged people.
· Building stronger communities in areas of disadvantage, deprivation and poverty.
Research and evidence shows that gang-involved girls and young women navigate a range of harmful environments which can expose them to high levels of sexual exploitation and increased criminal activity. The 'girls in gangs' initiative has been established to achieve the following outcomes:
· Fewer girls and young women entering harmful and risky gang situations.
· Girls and young women, already in gangs, experiencing less harm from violence, abuse and exploitation.
· More girls and young women leaving violent, abusive and exploitative gang situations.
Proposals are invited from anywhere in the UK, and from within the cities of Kingston (Jamaica), Bogota (Columbia), Cape Town (South Africa) and Lagos (Nigeria). Registered organisations, including charitable incorporated organisations, community interest companies limited by guarantee, community benefit societies and housing associations, are eligible to apply for a grant of up to £150,000 for 18 months activity. A further £150,000 for a subsequent 18 month period may be available, and funding for this second phase will be agreed upon after the initial 16 months following first-year reporting and learning from the evaluation.
All projects should incorporate at least one or two of the following types of intervention:
· Taking advantage of specific 'windows of opportunity' to access girls and young women at risk of becoming, or already, gang-involved.
· Family-focused interventions.
· Providing effective mentoring.
· Ensuring an effective police response.
· Making sure gang-affected schools are open to support.
In addition, Comic Relief is particularly interested in supporting:
· A coalition of organisations, with a lead agency, working in partnership across different sectors to deliver more holistic approaches. Bidding coalitions should be able to show some evidence of having delivered work that is providing a positive and safe future for girls and young women associated with gangs.
· Initiatives that draw on best practice in the following sectors:
o women and girls;
o criminal and juvenile justice;
o sexual exploitation;
o social/youth work;
o government;
o business; and
o community sectors.
· Work that views the problem and solution as systemic.
· Organisations prepared to test more 'disruptive' solutions and learn if they fail.
Comic Relief envisions awarding seven grants in total – three in the UK, and four overseas.
The deadline for initial proposals is 13 July 2016 (midday).
