More than £100,000 has been given to community groups across Northamptonshire in the first year of a grant scheme helping to keep residents safe across the county.
Northamptonshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Danielle Stone relaunched her community grant scheme in May 2025 to support projects that meet the strategic objectives of her five-year public safety plan.
Successful applicants can bid for between £1,000 and £10,000 if they demonstrate how they reduce harm or offending, improve community engagement or support vulnerable people across the county. The fund also prioritises projects that protect and help children, women and young people.
In the first financial year (2025/26) of the new fund, £106,458 was awarded to 13 organisations that met the criteria and helped Danielle to deliver her Safe and Sound plan.
Projects that were successful included:
- Diversionary activities for young people involving both sport and music activities, with the intention of diverting them from criminality and anti-social behaviour
- Support for victims and perpetrators of crime through trauma informed therapy
- Funding for an organisation which supports women who have been victims of domestic abuse
- Funding to upskill volunteers to support individuals affected by exploitation, trauma, poverty and addiction
Northamptonshire Rape Crisis was one of the 13 organisations that was successful in applying for funding. It secured £8,252 towards delivering support via its Kettering office and covering the costs of delivering an eight-week psychoeducational art therapy course, which helps survivors of sexual violence process their trauma.
Dawn Thomas, Chief Executive of Northamptonshire Rape Crisis, (pictured above) said: “Northamptonshire Rape Crisis (NRC) would like to extend our sincere thanks to the Office of the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner (OPFCC) for funding the delivery of our eight-week Psychoeducation Art Group. This support has enabled NRC to provide a safe, creative, and trauma-informed space for women to explore difficult emotions, build connection with each other, and develop a greater understanding of themselves and their experiences.
The feedback from clients demonstrates the powerful impact of this group. Women described the course as useful, informative, healing, and a safe space to process emotions that had been difficult to understand after years of abuse. Through activities such as self-portraits and creating images of safe space, clients were supported to express themselves creatively, feel connected to other women within the group, and recognise their own strength, worth, and identity. The funding from OPFCC has therefore made a meaningful difference by helping NRC offer support that promotes confidence, emotional understanding, and recovery”
Reflecting on the first year of her Safe and Sound Community Fund, Danielle Stone said: “When I relaunched my community fund scheme last year, I wanted it to focus on projects that would help me to deliver my Safe and Sound public safety plan – with a particular focus on preventing violence against women and girls, creating safer places and better serving victims of crime.
“I am delighted to have awarded more than £100,000 to groups and projects in the first year of the fund. I have seen first-hand the far-reaching impact this work is having in towns and villages across the county.
“Making communities safer cannot be achieved by any one group. We need a sustainable approach to long-term problem solving with our partners, and our community groups play a vital role in achieving this. I would encourage them all to consider how our Safe and Sound Community Fund can help them to deliver the fantastic work they are doing.”
To apply for a grant, please click the following link: Safe and Sound Communities Fund – Northamptonshire Police & Fire Commissioner
