The Mayor, Sadiq Khan, has today invited community groups, charities, youth centres and schools to bid for funding from his new Young Londoners Fund, to help young people at risk of being caught up in crime.
The new Young Londoners Fund totals £45m over three years. Groups from across the capital are today encouraged to apply for a share of this year’s funding – £15m – for projects that offer skills, training, mentoring and help young people aspire to reach their potential and avoid getting caught up in crime.
The Mayor wants this new funding to reach young Londoners as soon as possible and so bids must be in before Monday 9 July, with money expected to be distributed once applications have been assessed. A further £500,000 is available specifically for community organisations to increase social integration and community cohesion through sport as part of the Sport Unites fund.
The Young Londoners Fund is one element of the Mayor’s comprehensive programme of measures to protect Londoners from knife crime, which includes publishing a dedicated Knife Crime Strategy for London last summer, announcing an unprecedented cash boost of £110m for the police this year including £15m specifically for the police to tackle knife crime, and launching his £8.8m Sport Unites programme to bring together people from different backgrounds and strengthening local communities.
