£25k available to community groups to help “Make L8 Great”

Community groups, charities and organisations are being invited to apply for a share of £25,000 funding, made available using money seized from criminals.

From today (Friday 26 January), community groups operating in the Liverpool 8 postcode, or intending to use the funding within this area, can apply for a grant of up to £5,000 to deliver a youth engagement and intervention project.

The funding has been made available using funds seized from criminals under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

Bidders will be required to showcase their ideas to the local community at the Make L8 Great participatory budget event at Unity Youth & Community Centre on Wednesday 13 March 2024.

The launch of 'Make L8 Great' coincides with Neighbourhood Policing Week, taking place from 22-28 January, and aims to highlight some of the initiatives and partnership work carried out by Local Policing teams throughout the year and how they are making a difference to the places that people live, work and visit in Merseyside.

Inspector Jemma Shaw, from the local policing team said: “This £25,000 funding will hopefully enable local groups and organisations to deliver a youth-led project or event in the Liverpool 8 area which makes a real difference and demonstrates that the community is stronger together.

“This is a great opportunity for any voluntary or grassroots organisation to benefit from a funding boost. The money can be used to develop existing projects or start something new.

“Whether you are a community centre, sports club, mentoring service, or outreach programme, we want to hear from you. This initiative takes cash out of the pockets of criminals and puts it back into local communities, which is where it belongs.” 

Police and Crime Commissioner Emily Spurrell said: “Liverpool 8 is known for being an area of Merseyside which is rich in diversity and creativity with local groups, charities, and organisations at the beating heart of those communities.

“We want to do all we can to help support and strengthen these initiatives, increasing opportunities for the young people that live there and, in doing so, create safer, stronger places to live, work and play.

“By taking the money out of the pockets of criminals and putting it back where it belongs, we are preventing those who seek to inflict misery on our communities from benefitting financially from their illegal activities, while allowing us to channel funding towards the areas that need it most, creating positivity and enhancing the vital work these brilliant third sector organisations are doing.

“I would encourage all local groups to apply for a share of this funding, so we can continue to work together to make our communities better places for all in the months and years to come.”

Those applying for the fund can be from a Liverpool 8 based voluntary or community group or intend to use the funding to benefit residents in this specific area.

All applications for funding must demonstrate how they will contribute to the key theme of youth engagement and intervention.

Applications are now open (Friday 26 January), and groups can apply for a maximum of £5,000. To obtain the application criteria, request an application form, or receive further information, email [email protected]

The closing date for entries is 4pm on Friday 23 February 2024. Successful applicants will be announced at the Make L8 Great event at Unity Youth & Community Centre on Wednesday 13 March 2024.

Eligibility Criteria

• The maximum bid allowed is £5,000.
• Multiple bids from a single organisation/group/applicant will not be accepted.
• If electronic media is to be used to support the 2-minute pitch these will be included in the 2-minute allocated time slot. PDF versions must be shared with the group organisers 48 hours prior to the event.
• Those bidding must be from a community group operating or intending to use funding within L8 area (see map provided).
• Applications must focus on ‘youth engagement and intervention’ only.
• The event will be attended by local children at the community centre.
• Children will vote on bids presented on the day of the event.
• Each child will receive one vote.
• Minimum voting age is 8 years old.
• Constituted and Non-constituted groups can apply.
• A representative from the community group must provide a 2-minute pitch on the day of the Participatory Budget event outlining their proposed bid.
• Bidders will not be allowed to vote.
• Basic Vetting will be completed by Merseyside Police prior to the event.
• If you would like to complete an application form, please email [email protected] requesting a copy of the form.

Get involved

Members of the community, business owners and community groups are being invited to the next Liverpool Local Policing Area (LPA) Community Advisory Group (CAG) meeting online on Thursday 14^th March, at 6pm until 7pm, to work with their Neighbourhood Inspectors on tackling Organised Crime groups (OCGs), if you would like to attend the meeting please email:- [email protected]

The Liverpool LPA CAG is part of a wider initiative to get the local community involved in an ongoing two-way dialogue between the force and the community to give them a voice to support the force in delivering a service which meets the needs of the community.