Girls and Young Women Local Groups Fund

The Girls and Young Women Local Groups Fund is a new initiative by The Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) in London, overseen by Social Finance in partnership with specialist organisations Agenda Alliance and Abianda.

About the fund

Girls and young women in London and elsewhere continue to face harm from gangs, violence and exploitation in ways that are frequently misunderstood or missed, and current responses often fail to meet their needs.

As part of a wider programme led by the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC), this new fund will support local organisations in London to deliver group work and create safe, supportive spaces for girls and young women.

What the fund aims to do through its support of London-based organsiations

The Girls and Young Women Local Groups Fund in London aims to strengthen both direct support and the evidence base on what works, by offering grants to London-based community groups already working with women and girls impacted by gangs, violence and exploitation.

The grants process will be overseen by Social Finance, in partnership with specialist organisations  Abianda, a charity working with girls and young women affected by criminal exploitation and Agenda Alliance, a national alliance advocating for women and girls experiencing multiple unmet needs.

Alongside funding to deliver group work and enable girls and young women to coproduce recommendations for improving the sector, this unique grant opportunity also offers structured development activities to support grantees and build a network of providers.

The Fund focuses on achieving outcomes across two key priorities:

The Fund focuses on achieving outcomes across two key priorities:

1. Deliver gender-responsive support for girls and young women
2. Build a network of practice among grantees

Through delivery of group work, development support for grantees and co-production activities, the fund will generate the following learning and evidence to inform practice, policy and commissioning:

• Insights on what works in supporting girls and young women
• Language and definitions that are inclusive, accurate, and informed by the voices of girls and young women
• Contemporary understanding of girls and young women’s needs beyond the gang member narrative.

What the local London-based groups will do

Local groups funded through this programme will have four main roles:

1. To create safe spaces for girls and young women to take part in group sessions, where they can connect with others and offer each other support
2. To involve girls and young women in co-design and co-production activities – helping shape services and build a better understanding of what support should look like
3. To engage with development support and capacity-building, including learning sessions and networking with other grant-funded groups
4. To engage with the Fund’s monitoring and learning activities to help us learn from the group work

About the grants process

This fund is for organisations and groups working in London that already support girls and young women affected by gangs, violence or exploitation. It aims to build on existing strengths while offering space to test and develop new, sustainable approaches to support this group.

The fund will open for applications in January.

For more information about the fund, who can apply, and next steps, visit the Social Finance website here.