Frontline services and communities across the country are set to receive £14 million in targeted funding to transform how women and girls are protected from violence and abuse. This funding aims to back grassroots initiatives, stop violence and abuse online, make public spaces safer, and prevent harmful behaviours from developing.
A £10 million Prevention Accelerator fund, led by UK Research and Innovation, will support promising local projects to scale up and grow nationally. This initiative will build UK-wide capability by funding grassroots initiatives and partnering with government, philanthropists, and social impact investors.
An additional £4 million has been awarded through the Evaluation Accelerator Fund. This fund will build evidence on what prevents violence and abuse, allowing communities nationwide to benefit from proven support systems more quickly. Research and evaluation will cover areas such as schools intervening in teenage relationship harms and police forces strengthening responses to technology-enabled harms.
First Secretary of State Louise Haigh stated that the government is committed to halving violence against women and girls within a decade. She added that backing local projects ensures new ideas are properly funded and tested to tackle abuse at its root, aiming to put safety back in the hands of local communities.