Final call for Everton & Vauxhall community groups to apply for share of £50,000 Crime Prevention Fund

Community groups in Everton and Vauxhall have just days left to apply for a share of a £50,000 funding pot aimed at tackling serious and organised crime in the area.

The ‘Everton and Vauxhall – Together We Stand Tall’ participatory budget scheme is part of the newly launched EVOLVE Everton-Vauxhall project, which is working to strengthen community resilience by funding local initiatives.

Those applying for up to £5,000 from the fund, which has been provided by Merseyside’s Police and Crime Commissioner, must return their applications by next Friday (4 April 2025).

Applicants can be from a voluntary or community group based elsewhere but the project must benefit or be accessible to residents in Everton and Vauxhall.

They must also ensure their bid has a connection to at least one of the following:

• Reducing or addressing crime and anti-social behaviour
• Protecting vulnerable people from becoming victims of crime and anti-social behaviour
• Supporting victims of crime or anti-social behaviour
• Tackling County Lines

Successful applicants will be invited to attend the ‘Everton and Vauxhall – Together We Stand Tall’ participatory budget event at Notre Dame Catholic College on Tuesday, 29 April 2025 where they will pitch their bid in a two-minute presentation to pupils, who will allocate funds for the projects they believe will have the biggest impact in their community.

The funding event is being organised by Merseyside Police and Liverpool City Council.

It is one of many initiatives that will be taking place in Everton and parts of Vauxhall following the launch of the EVOLVE project to disrupt and deter gangs from operating and to make the areas places people love to live, work and visit.

One of these has been the ‘Dear Merseyside’ initiative which sees 21-year-old local spoken word artist Joseph Roberts carrying out workshops in secondary schools in EVOLVE areas to help change young people’s attitudes to gang culture and reflecting on the ‘love where you live’ ethos behind EVOLVE.

‘Dear Merseyside’ is being offered to all secondary schools in EVOLVE areas and was first rolled out to Year 8 pupils in North Liverpool Academy and Notre Dame Catholic College on Monday (24 March 2025).

Inspector Chris Taylor from the EVOLVE Everton-Vauxhall policing team said: 

“The participatory budget fund aims to support local groups to provide activities and resources which will ultimately assist in reducing and preventing crime and anti-social behaviour, tackling County Lines and protecting vulnerable people within our communities.

“Community groups can receive funding to further develop existing projects or start new ones and bid for a sum of money delivered in a fun Dragon’s Den style where young people in the community vote on who they want the funds to go to best help improve where they live.

“We recognise that young people need to be part of the solution to tackling crime and including them in the decision-making process in this event is one of the ways in which we will be supporting them to help make a positive difference for generations to come.”

Liverpool City Council’s Cabinet Member for Community Safety, Cllr Laura Robertson-Collins, added:

“There is an absolute determination from all of the partners involved in EVOLVE Everton-Vauxhall to tackle the root causes of serious violence, so that residents can go about their lives without fear of crime.

“The launch of the new grants scheme is part of the commitment to continue to make a real difference to the local area and dissuade young people from getting involved in criminality.”

Interested community groups should email  Evolve.EvertonVauxhall@merseyside.police.uk to get more information and submit applications by 5pm on Friday 4 April 2025.

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