Safer Bedfordshire Community Fund

The Safer Bedfordshire Community Fund is funded by SaferStreets 5, a collaboration between the Home Office and Bedfordshire OPCC aimed at protecting public spaces by addressing violence against women and girls (VAWG), anti-social behaviour (ASB) and neighbourhood crime. Bedfordshire & Luton Community Foundation (BLCF) partners with Bedfordshire OPCC to deliver this pilot fund which seeks to empower organisations and communities to use arts and cultural activities to create a programme of interventions aimed at raising awareness of wider issues in society. The fund focuses on new ways of engaging those most impacted by the strategic priorities using creativity as a mechanism to understand why behaviours are formed, change attitudes and aspirations of victims of crime and/or perpetrators, and support people and communities to come together and work for positive outcomes. The fund supports organisations working with or led by an artist or creative organisation to address three key priorities: violence and exploitation of women and girls (changing perceptions, attitudes, and behaviours towards women and girls in public spaces), reducing antisocial behaviour (ASB), and reducing neighborhood crime.