Executive Summary
A key priority in the Police and Crime Commissioner’s 2024-29 Police and Crime Plan is to ‘Ensure the right support for victims & vulnerable people.’
This includes ensuring that they feel supported and listened to and have access to high-quality services at the right time.
As a result, the PCC launched a Protect and Support Fund in July 2025. The fund aims to pilot new approaches and develop sustainable solutions to support this priority.
The PCC has made funding available from the Police Property Act Fund (PPAF.) This give local, registered charities access to a one-off grant.
The grant will support projects, which work towards one (or more) of the following aims:
- Enhance existing support and protection for vulnerable victims
- Reach and support under-represented groups
Applicants were able to apply for a maximum of £15,000 per project.
In total, 28 bids were submitted by the deadline of 10 September 2025. Of the total,12 were rejected because they failed to meet the essential selection criteria.
Successful Applicants
An application review meeting took place on 16 September 2025. It was attended by the PCC, Policy, Partnerships and Delivery Manager, the Policy, Partnerships and Delivery Officer and Business Support Officer.
The PCC made the decision to fund the following projects and organisations:
- Eva Women’s Aid – £7,500. To support delivery of a range of specialist groupwork programmes. They will be aimed at women, who are victims/survivors of domestic and/or sexual violence.
- Teesside Lupus Support Group – £5,000. To support training workshops and focus groups in relation to ‘Safety Matters’ to the men and women from the BAME community in Teesside who live with a terminal illness.
- Age UK Teesside – £15,000. To support a short-term befriending service for female victims of domestic abuse aged 50-plus living in the Middlesbrough area.
- Hart Gables – £12,384. To deliver targeted support for victims of LGBTQ+ hate, expanding existing work with underrepresented LGBTQ+ communities.
- Brake – £9,100. To support the provision of specialist support for road traffic victims.
- Open Door North East – £14,86. To support delivery of ‘Safe Steps: Preparing Clients for Safety and Life in the UK’ initiative. It will include targeted safety and support workshops for asylum seekers and refugees living in Home Office accommodation.
- Daisy Chain Project Teesside – £15,000. To support the Stronger Voices project, which will protect and support autistic and neurodivergent young people (aged 14–25.) This group is disproportionately at risk of becoming vulnerable victims of crime, exploitation, and serious harm.
- Creative Minds and Purple Rose – £15,000. To deliver 20 sessions to Black, Asian and Global Majority (BAGM) women. There will be a focus on safety and support including how to report to access services.
- Catalyst Stockton – £15,000. To support the establishment a dedicated Community Connector based at The Wellbeing Hub in Stockton-on-Tees, ensuring victims of crime, abuse, and trauma are compassionately signposted to appropriate services.
- Arch Teesside – £15,000. To support a new navigator role. The navigator will provide trauma-informed support to survivors of sexual violence who are waiting for access to counselling or ISVA services.
- TransformersHPL – £9,500. To deliver a series of community workshops and events. They will raise awareness and help communities to recognise certain domestic abuse incidents, which are unnoticed/unreported under the guise of culture.
- Refugee Future – £14,855 – Funding will be used to reach and support under-represented groups through working with people seeking asylum and refugees in Stockton building community knowledge and confidence in local support services.
- Deaf Empowering Network – £13,820. To support a one-day multi-agency awareness and engagement event in Cleveland. It will bring together emergency services, domestic abuse support agencies, safeguarding partners, and national Video Remote Service (VRS) providers. The event will demonstrate how services can support Deaf people.
- My Sisters Place – £13,740.To support a secure, multilingual online chat service. It will provide victims of domestic abuse in Cleveland with fast, safe and discreet access to support.
Decision 2025/26 – 017: Protect and Support Fund (application, 202kB)