The government has appointed charitable foundation Impetus to manage a £200m fund designed to help tackle youth violence.
Its Youth Endowment Fund will be delivered over 10 years and support both proven interventions as well as innovative new approaches. The fund will be run by Impetus in partnership with the Early Intervention Foundation and the Social Investment Business.
In addition to the £200m injection, Impetus will work with other funders to seek to grow the fund to a potential £300m through donations and investments.
The fund will be used to evaluate the impact of interventions so that the most effective ones can be scaled up and delivered more widely.
It will support programmes and community partnerships working with children at risk of being drawn into crime and violence.
Impetus plans to launch the first funding round, a general open call, soon with the aim of awarding the first grants in the autumn.
'Prevention at the heart'
Andy Ratcliffe, chief executive of Impetus, said: “This is a significant and sustained investment that puts prevention at the heart of efforts to tackle youth crime and violence.
“We need to be ambitious if we’re to tackle this issue - that means early intervention to stop children and young people getting themselves into serious trouble.
“The Youth Endowment Fund will be working with front line organisations to provide the support they need to put young people on the right track.”
Impetus rebranded this month from Impetus-PEF. The organisation was formed in 2013 from the merger of Impetus Trust and the Private Equity Foundation.
‘Cross-society approach’
The government said the fund comes as part of its long-term plan to tackle serious violence.
Prime minister Theresa May said: “Tackling serious violence requires a cross-society approach, and early intervention is vital to protect young people from being groomed by gangs and drawn into crime.
“We all need to work together to stop further tragedies. This fund will support important work in the community to prevent vulnerable children and young people from falling into a life of drugs, gang culture and violence.”
Sajid Javid, the home secretary, said: “Intervening early in the lives of vulnerable children and young people is a central part of our approach to tackling serious violence.
“It’s vital we do everything we can to equip these youngsters with the skills and resilience they need to lead positive lives and prevent them from offending in the first place.
“Our £200m Youth Endowment Fund is a key part of this approach and will help us tackle the root cause of this scourge.
“It will work with local communities to ensure that support reaches those at most risk, diverting them away from crime and violence to lead fulfilling lives.”
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