Commissioner’s Community Fund – Guidance

Introduction

The Commissioner’s Community Fund is designed to empower local organisations, community groups, and police forces by providing them with the opportunity to access essential grants aimed at addressing the key issues identified in the Police and Crime Plan.

There is no limit on the number of applications that can be submitted, allowing for broad participation and diverse project proposals. Both Local Policing Areas have been allocated a share of £40,000 for CCF applications. This structure ensures that resources are available to support a wide range of projects that align with community goals.

The PCC is keen to ensure that divisional commanders have the necessary resources to implement initiatives that contribute to the overall objectives of the Safer West Mercia Plan. This comprehensive approach seeks to strengthen local policing efforts and enhance the safety and wellbeing of communities across West Mercia.

The funding will be accessible starting from 1st April 2026 until 31st March 2027, with grants continually being reviewed and accepted fortnightly by our commissioning panel.

Available funding and timescales

There is no upper or lower limit to an application.

Local Superintendents can approve applications under £5,000 without OPCC sign off, however all approved applications will still need to be forwarded to the OPCC grants mailbox for tracking funding expenditure. External applicants can send completed applications to the OPCC grants mailbox for forwarding to the relevant Superintendent to gain approval.

Applications over £5,000 also need Superintendent support but will need to be submitted to the OPCC grants mailbox for review and approval by the OPCC Commissioning Panel, which is held fortnightly. This end-to-end process may take up to 4 weeks, so please consider that timeframe when applying.  

The OPCC will require financial monthly updates on individual initiative and annual budget spend.

There is no commitment from the PCC to renew, increase or continue funding beyond the approved terms.

Scope: What can the CCF support?

The PCC’s Commissioner’s Community Fund exists to support initiatives contributing towards the delivery of the West Mercia Safer Communities Plan, which has four main priorities:

·       Cutting crime

·       Policing with the community

·       Supporting victims and witnesses

·       Maximising resources and value for money

The CCF can provide funding to support projects which involve the purchase of and / or the installation of equipment and/or assets which will support the reduction in crime and improvement in community safety.

The OPCC reserves the right to refuse any application. The commissioning panel will consider and assess your application, and you will be notified of the outcome following the assessment process. If your application is successful, you will be required to accept and sign the OPCC’s full terms and conditions, prior to funds being released.

 

What should I consider before applying?

Before applying it is important that you have thought through some of the fundamentals that make an applicant successful. These include the following:

·       How does your project support the West Mercia Police and Crime Plan, a copy of which can be found on the PCC’s website? It is important that you are clear in how your project will have a tangible impact which can be measured.

·       What is the money for and how have you estimated the costs? – Make your budget as specific as possible, get quotes for everything you will need to pay for so that it is accurate.

·       What difference will it make to your local community and how will you know it has worked?

·       How do you know that this is what your community needs and who supports your idea?

·       How long will it take to implement and is everything and everyone ready to start?

·       Who will be responsible for managing the money and how will they account for it?

·       Is there anything that might stop the project from being successful that you think is important for us to know?

 

Eligibility criteria

To be awarded funding, projects and the organisations proposing them must meet the Fund’s eligibility criteria. Applications that do not meet these criteria will be rejected.

Please read the criteria carefully before applying and contact us if you are unsure whether your project would be eligible.

·       Your application must be focused on the priorities set out in the West Mercia Safer Communities Plan – please consider how this funding will prevent criminal or anti-social behaviour and consider the future sustainability of your ask too.

·       Your project must be based and operate solely in West Mercia.

·       Your application must be for a specific project, not a running cost.

·       You must promote equality of opportunity and good relations within the community and make reasonable adjustments to any barriers that may prevent protected groups from using and/or accessing your services.

·       You must work with the OPCC Communications team and visibly promote the PCC’s Community Fund. All publicity materials produced in connection with this project must acknowledge the contributions made by the Commissioner and where possible use the approved PCC logo.

·       You must acknowledge the grant if appropriate when speaking about the project.

·       You must provide a comprehensive breakdown of spend included in the application (links to where items will be purchased included).

The following types of projects and expenditure are not eligible for support:

·       General appeals and sponsorships (we need to see a clearly defined project).

·       Projects that will not be completed by the end of March 2026.

·       Projects taking place outside the West Mercia area.

·       Academic or general research.

·       Projects that have already started or been completed.

·       Projects with a funding gap remaining after this grant.

·       Projects that unnecessarily duplicate activity funded by the PCC, local authorities, or other funders – applications must demonstrate value for money.

·       Recurring expenditure so cannot be used to increase the number of posts within WMP or for annual events.

·       Commercially run activities or organisations that run for profit.

·       Projects run for the sole benefit of one individual.

·       Politically based activities.

·       Requests that are made on behalf of commercial and profit-making organisations or political parties.

·       Projects for general youth provision and/or social activities with no clear link to the Police and Crime Plan priorities.

We require support from Superintendents for proposals before being seen by the Commissioning Panel. If your project intends to use money from more than one LPA, you must get any relevant Superintendent support.

Purpose of the project

The project must contribute to reducing crime/antisocial behaviour and/or improving community safety and contribute to the outcomes of the Police and Crime Plan.

Conflict of interest

Please ensure you complete the final declarations and conflict-of-interest section on the form and pay attention to what constitutes a conflict. If a conflict exists, this does not necessarily preclude the application from going ahead, it just makes us aware to allow us to assess this. If you do not declare a conflict and one exists, your application may be affected.

 

Grant conditions

To accept an offer of a grant, you will need to agree to our grant conditions. These include:

·       The OPCC must be informed immediately if there is any prospect of significant delay or reasons why the project may not proceed as planned.

·       Follow the publicity guidance provided by the OPCC.

·       Have appropriate insurance cover in place for the project (e.g. public liability cover).

·       For projects working with children or vulnerable people, a safeguarding policy must be in place.

·       Consent to having Creditsafe checks on named applicants and organisations, for applications over £5,000.

·       Provide monitoring/progress information to the OPCC.

·       Claim and use the grant funds for their proposed purpose within a specific timeframe and returning any unspent funds to the OPCC.

Full details will be provided if you are offered a grant.

 

How to apply

Applications for the PCC’s Community Fund can be made via the application form on our website which should then be, together with any supporting documentation, be emailed to the relevant Superintendent or our grants mailbox for onward distribution. This mailbox may also be used to manage successful grants.

 

How to contact us

To contact us with any questions about the PCC's Community Fund and for final applications, please email/submit to: grants@westmercia.police.uk (opens email application)