Comic Relief launches £2m domestic abuse & violence tech fund
Melanie May | 23 June 2021 | News
Comic Relief and the Ministry of Justice have launched a new £2 million digital capability fund for organisations in England and Wales that support survivors and victims of domestic abuse and sexual violence.
The fund is for projects led by and who work with communities facing racial inequality, disabled people, or LGBTQ+ people. It will offer up to 25 grants, alongside digital coaching, to smaller, specialist organisations and aims to help improve their services and capacity through funding digital costs, and enhance their future sustainability.
The fund is now open for applications and will close at midday on 19 July.
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The programme is part of a £40 million funding boost announced by the Ministry of Justice earlier this year, for specialist support services to help survivors of rape and domestic abuse during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.
Research by Comic Relief in 2019 also revealed the key challenges identified by practitioners working in the domestic abuse sector for developing their digital services, which included accessing flexible funding; knowing what it should cost; collaborating with other organisations in the sector; and embedding tech skills in the organisation.
Aleema Shivji, Comic Relief’s Executive Director of Impact and Investment, said:
“It’s fantastic that, together with the Ministry of Justice, we are going to be able to support the digital development of organisations that are providing hugely important services to survivors of domestic abuse and sexual violence.
“Not only that, by offering practical support and advice at every stage of the process, they will also be able to work out exactly where digital can really make a difference for both service users and staff.”
About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.