Helping Communities Fund

The Helping Communities Fund (HCF) has been relaunched with a further £189,000 on offer to help make communities in Birmingham and the Black Country safer.

It is made up from money which has been seized from criminals under the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) and is used to allow communities to invest in their neighbourhoods to improve safety

This money, which changes each year dependent on seizures, cannot be spent on police officers.

Its purpose is to support locally based projects which aim to make a positive difference and which make the West Midlands a safer place to live, learn or work. All funded projects will contribute to crime prevention & reduction, and community safety in the local area. 

Through this funding, the Police & Crime Commissioner is encouraging active public citizenship and a closer working relationship between local communities and West Midlands Police.

Since October 2021 the Commissioner has provided each Neighbourhood Policing Unit (NPU) with a share of the £400,000 budget to help fund community projects. Coventry NPU has allocated all its share in the first round of this fund in 2022 and therefore no further applications for Coventry projects can be considered this financial year.

The remaining Helping Communities Funds are now open to applications from Friday November 4^th.

Bids must be submitted by noon on Monday 21^st November; late applications will not be accepted.

Decisions will be made by community panels from W/C 1^st December 2022.

The Commissioner has provided each Neighbourhood Policing Unit (NPU) with a share of the budget to help fund community projects that reflect his aims and the priorities of West Midlands Police. Whilst priority will be given to projects within Impact Areas (see list below) this will not exclude other areas.

Impact Areas:

The PCC is looking for innovative and exciting projects, so once you are confident your project meets the criteria, don’t hesitate to contact your NPU, and make a start on an application. 

You can read about similar projects we have supported through this funding on our news page. These include:

Wolverhampton Wrestling Club, who were funded to run community sessions and open their doors to all members of the community who may need support, focusing on wellbeing, confidence and employment.

Birmingham Urban Rhythm Network, supported young people throughout lockdown with different sessions including Music, Dance, Gaming and Fitness.

And Fridays Coventry, who recently were awarded a National Crime Beat Award for their crime prevention work which includes activities to keep vulnerable individuals off the streets and engaged in positive activities.

[If you have an exciting project idea, but it doesn’t quite fit within the remit of this fund, please contact us at wmpcc@westmidlands.police.uk where we will be happy to provide advice and guidance on any alternative available funding streams]

Important Dates:

This round of funding officially opens on Friday November 4th 2022

Your bid must be submitted to your NPU contact by noon on Monday 21st November 2022

Decisions will be made by community panels  from W/C 1st December 2022

Data Protection

Bids will be considered by decision-making panels which will include members from local communities.  Please be aware that by submitting an application you are consenting to the information within the application being shared.

Pre application – NPU Contact Details

• Birmingham: cp_bhambids@west-midlands.pnn.police.uk

• Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, Walsall & Wolverhampton: cp_eco_enquiry@westmidlands.police.uk

General Enquiries

For general enquiries you can contact the Police & Crime Commissioners Office at wmpcc@westmidlands.police.uk