The Community Crime Prevention is seeking applications for its Building Safer Communities Program to support innovative approaches to address the causes of offending, crime and community safety.

Grant Streams

Under the Building Safer Communities Program Victorian councils, not-for-profit organisations and other stakeholders will have the opportunity to apply for grant funding under two competitive grant streams:

• Stream 1 - Creating Safer Places: competitive grants of between $25,000 and $300,000 for councils to undertake urban design projects that apply an inclusive environmental design approach to deter crime, increase safety and activate public places.
• Stream 2 - Crime Prevention Innovation Fund: competitive grants of between $25,000 and $300,000 for councils, not for profit community organisations and other specialist organisations for partnership projects that deliver and evaluate innovative community safety and crime prevention initiatives.

What can be funded?

• Stream 1 - Creating Safer Places
  • inclusive urban design principles to enhance the safety and amenity of public spaces for a diversity of community members, including graffiti prevention measures      
  • place-making initiatives that increase community ownership and use of a location            
  • consultation with a diverse range of community members in the design and implementation of the project, noting reasonable consultation costs can be covered by the grant
  • education or awareness initiatives that address reasons for poor perceptions of safety in an area, such as graffiti.
• Stream 2 – Crime Prevention Innovation Fund
  • demonstration projects to test and evaluate new approaches to preventing crime that consider how benefits may be sustained beyond the funding period
  • the development of practical tools and resources to improve the understanding and/or management of crime and community safety related issues
  • initiatives that work with and engage diverse communities or groups (such as cultural or religious groups, women, young people or members of the LGBTQI community) to identify, test and document practical strategies that build resilience and improve safety and perceptions of safety
  • initiatives that establish or strengthen partnerships across community, business, sport, government services and other sectors to address the causes of offending and crime and build community cohesion and safety.

Eligibility Criteria

• Stream 1 - Creating Safer Places
  • Victorian councils.
• Stream 2 – Crime Prevention Innovation Fund
  • Victorian councils and not-for-profit organisations that are a legal entity are eligible to apply. Research bodies and commercial entities (such as consultancies, universities or social enterprises) can also apply but must partner with a council or community organisation on their application.

For more information, visit The Program.