We are delighted to announce the grantees for the £3 million+ Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Grassroots Fund 2023 – 2025. This programme builds on the success of the initial £3m MOPAC VAWG Grassroots Fund that supported 41 organisations and over 30,000 women, girls and families, between 2021 and 2023.
36 organisations have been awarded funding of up to £120,000 each over two years to support women and girls affected by violence and exploitation in London.
The aim of the fund is to support specialist community organisations focused on addressing violence against women and girls for minoritised and marginalised communities across London – with a particular focus on led by and for Black Minority Ethnic specialist organisations. Vital funding will be provided for underrepresented groups including, women involved in prostitution, women with No Recourse to Public Funds and women with disabilities.
The £3million funding for my Violence Against Women and Girls Grassroots Fund will help to keep doors open for key and specialised services for underrepresented communities who too often have nowhere to turn. As we continue to work together to build a safer London for everyone, I’m determined to do everything I can to help these organisations which are experiencing a surge in demand to support more women and girls.Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan
Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, announced the funding in an article in The Evening Standard on Friday: “I am determined to ensure that ending violence against women and girls is treated with the utmost urgency by our police and society as a whole. Local grassroots services know their communities and are best placed to help, but we know the ongoing cost-of-living crisis is having an unprecedented impact on women and children experiencing violence and abuse and the life-saving services they need. That’s why I have today announced £3million more in funding for my Violence Against Women and Girls Grassroots Fund to help keep doors open for key and specialised services for underrepresented communities who too often have nowhere to turn. As we continue to work together to build a safer London for everyone, I’m determined to do everything I can to help these organisations which are experiencing a surge in demand to support more women and girls.”
Critically, the two-year programme also includes funding to support the development and capacity building of the 36 funded organisations, as well as networking opportunities. This support will draw on learning from the initial programme and feedback from the 36 funded organisations.
We are very proud to work with MOPAC on this crucial work to tackle violence against women and girls. This type of targeted funding and support for specialist organisations is vital. The importance of offering services which are tailored to the different needs of those affected by violence against women and girls in London cannot be overstated.Paul Buchanan, Interim CEO, The London Community Foundation
The demand for support was extremely high and we received far more applications than we had funds available. Final decisions were taken by a panel including MOPAC and representatives with VAWG experience.
For further updates on this fund as well as other funding opportunities from The London Community Foundation, please sign up to our monthly e-bulletin.
