Safe Spaces England and Wales

Safe Spaces England and Wales is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (charity number 1198393).

Safe Spaces England and Wales was formed by the Archbishops' Council and the Catholic Church in England and Wales. It exists to promote and protect the physical and mental health of adults suffering as a result of any type of abuse in a Christian church-related context in England and Wales. Its Safe Spaces Small Grants Programme funds new or existing self-help initiatives that support survivors of church-related abuse and promote health and wellbeing, with grants of up to £5,000.

Priority Areas

The published Safe Spaces Small Grants Programme guidance describes grants for local groups and organisations developing peer-support initiatives for victims and survivors of church-related abuse. It welcomes existing groups and new applicants operating for exclusively charitable purposes, including secular organisations whose work challenges abuse and supports victims. Activities are framed around education, awareness and physical, psychological and spiritual wellbeing; examples include reducing loneliness, promoting connectedness, peer support, health and healthy relationships. Applicants can propose projects for a community of survivors. The assessment emphasizes defined benefits, evidenced need, outcomes, sustainability and realistic costs.

Themes

• Peer support
• Health and wellbeing
• Healthy relationships
• Reducing isolation
• Education and awareness

Geographic Focus

Priority: England; Wales.

No application process is published in the charity's annual report, its register entry or its website. The contact shown is for getting in touch.

Application windows:

• Safe Spaces Small Grants Programme: Applications close on 8 October.

Who can apply:

• Safe Spaces Small Grants Programme
  • We welcome applications from existing groups, as well as new applicants who can evidence that they are operating for exclusively charitable purposes, are properly established and validly existing under the laws of England and Wales.
  • Applications can be accepted from charities that have an annual turnover of less than £150,000 per annum. Larger or national charities will normally not be considered under this scheme, except where they can evidence a strong case for supporting victims of church-related abuse, which happened in relation to the Church of England, Catholic Church in England and Wales or Church in Wales.
  • Funding cannot be granted to individuals. Funding can be given to applicants with a constitution and a bank account (not personal), who want to create a project benefitting a community of victims and survivors.

What to send:

• Safe Spaces Small Grants Programme
  • A simple constitution which outlines the purpose of the applicant's activities.
  • If the group does not have a bank account in its name, another established organisation can accept the money on its behalf; include that organisation’s details in the application form.
  • Appropriate safeguarding policies for projects working with vulnerable adults.
  • Contact details for two referees who are willing to talk about the organisation or group.
  • A confidentiality statement detailing what information will be held about people engaging with the project.

What the charity says:

• The assessors look for project quality, clearly articulated benefits, defined beneficiaries, the importance and relevance of the issue and the strength of the idea.
• The assessors seek evidence of a clear and quantified need or demand, grounded in research or consultation.
• Time-limited projects with evidence of longer-term benefits and a clear exit strategy are considered favourably.
• The assessors consider whether project costs are reasonable and realistic.