Guidelines: Creating Safer Places

Applications for the Creating Safer Places grants are now closed. 

Contents

Program overview

Why is the Victorian Government funding these grants?

Application and assessment process

Creating Safer Places objectives

What can be funded?

What will not be funded

Special note on applying for CCTV funding

Assessment criteria

General assessment considerations

How can I improve my chances of being approved for funding?

Grant management responsibilities

Program overview

Creating Safer Places is part of the government’s Building Safer Communities program and offers Victorian councils grants of between $25,000 and $300,000 over two years to undertake urban design projects that apply an inclusive environmental design approach to deter crime, increase safety and activate public places.

Applications closed at 4pm on Friday 11 February 2022.

Approximately $2 million is available through the Creating Safer Places stream.

Projects must be able to commence as soon as possible after funding is confirmed and be completed by 30 June 2024.

Application and assessment process

Applications open: Monday 15 November 2021

Applications close: 4pm Friday 11 February 2022

You must prepare and submit your application using an online platform called SmartyGrants.

You can only submit one Creating Safer Places application. Late applications cannot be submitted or considered.

We will assess your application for eligibility and against the assessment criteria outlined below.

We may give your application to representatives from other government agencies for comment.

The Minister for Crime Prevention will approve projects for funding.

We aim to let you know the outcome of your application within approximately three months of the program closing date, though this may depend on the number of applications we receive.

The Department of Justice and Community Safety (the department) will enter into funding agreements with successful applicants. A detailed overview of the responsibilities of successful applicants is outlined at the end of this page.

Creating Safer Places objectives

Given the strong level of demand for funding, the more of the below objectives your project will address, the more competitive your application will be.

Creating Safer Places funding will support projects that:

• help prevent crime and improve safety and community perceptions of safety
• encourage the legitimate use of public places by increasing amenity and encouraging a positive sense of ownership of the space
• assist a diverse range of community members to feel safer and become more engaged in their community
• encourage the development of local partnerships to understand and address local crime prevention issues.

What can be funded?

Applicants are encouraged to incorporate a combination of the following elements in their project to reflect the needs of the community:

• inclusive urban design principles to enhance the safety and amenity of public spaces for a diversity of community members, which could include graffiti prevention measures.
• place-making initiatives that increase community ownership and use of a location. 
• consultation with a diverse range of community members in the design and implementation of the project, noting reasonable consultation costs can be covered by the grant.
• education or awareness initiatives that address reasons for poor perceptions of safety in an area, such as graffiti.

View examples of projects funded under the previous round of Creating Safer Places.

Councils are encouraged to consider conducting a Perceptions of Safety Survey in their municipality as part of their project where this would support or complement other project activity. Grant funding can be used to cover reasonable costs relating to the delivery of the survey and these should be clearly identified in your project budget.

Read further information on the Perceptions of Safety Survey.

What will not be funded?

The following applications or costs will not be funded:

• applications that are above the maximum or below the minimum grant available
• activities that do not align with effective crime prevention practice
• activities that have already commenced for which retrospective funding is sought
• projects that do not address the Creating Safer Places objectives
• one off or short-term event related costs that are unlikely to result in a sustained increase in public use of the area
• costs that are not community crime prevention focused such as road/traffic safety, water safety, fire safety, child safety, Occupational Health and Safety or general maintenance or amenity costs that do not improve security or seek to increase use of a public place
• activities that duplicate existing programs run by government or other organisations in the local area
• costs to enhance infrastructure that does not currently exist or that requires other major works to be completed first
• the purchase of land or buildings or the renovation of buildings
• projects that can’t be completed by 30 June 2024 or create the need for, or expectation of, further government funding.
• design costs related to the manufacture or configuration of the infrastructure, project management, legal and administrative costs, planning permits or fees, camera licences, audit services, ongoing maintenance and management costs.*

*It is expected that these costs will form part of your contribution to the project if approved for funding.

Applications for which there is another source of funding available from the Victorian government may be referred across to other relevant departments for consideration. You are encouraged to check the government’s grants portal at www.vic.gov.au/grants (External link) to see if there are other more suitable sources of funding for the activity you propose.

You will not be eligible for funding if you have any late or outstanding reports required for any previous Community Crime Prevention Program grant such as the Community Safety Infrastructure Grants, Community Safety Fund, Public Safety Infrastructure Fund or Graffiti Prevention Grants.

Please email communitycrimeprevention@justice.vic.gov.au (External link) if you are unsure if your council is up to date.

Special note on applying for CCTV funding

Applications for CCTV will only be considered for public spaces. Councils must confirm they are responsible for owning, managing and maintaining the CCTV system and that access to CCTV storage systems and footage will be limited to council staff and/or Victoria Police.

A letter of support from a suitably authorised police member of rank Inspector or higher must be provided with your application and should confirm police support for CCTV as an appropriate response in a given location, and support for using the footage generated for investigation and evidence purposes.

Where CCTV is to be installed on non-council assets, a letter of support must be provided by the asset/landowner to show at least in-principle support for the installation on their property and that issues such as electrical supply have been considered and resolved.

All councils funded to deliver CCTV systems will be required to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with Victoria Police to inform the management and operation of the system and access to footage.

Further information on what to consider when applying for CCTV related costs.

Assessment criteria

Eligible applications will be assessed using the following criteria. Weightings are provided as a guide to the relative importance of each criterion in the assessment.

General assessment considerations

The department will also consider the following when recommending applications for funding:

• value for money (for example, if the project builds on other investment in the local area or includes co-contributions toward funding the project)
• the impact on the community of the identified crime prevention issue.
• broader crime and safety needs of the target community.
• promoting diversity in project types and locations across Victoria.
• whether you have previously received a Community Crime Prevention grant and how well it was managed. 

How can I improve my chances of being approved for funding?

The following section provides some suggestions on how you can develop a strong application that has a good chance of success.

Work in partnership

Partnerships are strongly encouraged. You might consider working with the following community partners:

• incorporated and non-incorporated not-for-profit community organisations
• local retailers, small businesses, and local trader associations
• local community groups and organisations which represent special interests and issues, e.g. schools, young people, environment, heritage, cultural, sporting and residents’ groups.
• local police.
• public transport and utility companies.

Where applicable you are strongly encouraged to ensure that the contribution of smaller multicultural and Aboriginal organisations is resourced through the grant or other funding sources.

Clearly explain the problem, the solution and why you think your project will be a success

Your application should clearly identify the crime prevention issues your project aims to address and provide supporting evidence or data to help us understand the problem, what is causing it, and what impact it is having in the community. You should clearly say how your project will address these issues, and how you will measure the impact and success of your project.

Larger value projects (over $100,000) should provide a Theory of Change with your application. This will set out the problem, the proposed solution, and objectives of the project and provide a strong basis for evaluating your project if your application is funded.

Provide a detailed budget supported by quotes or cost estimates

Providing a detailed budget with your application shows that you have costed the individual activities and expenses that make up your project. You will not be able to request further funding if you find your project is more expensive to deliver than you thought. Providing evidence to show how you have costed your project is very helpful.  

Read the resources on our website and show how they have influenced the design of your project

• Frequently Asked Questions
• Details of projects funded through Round 1
• Factsheets on a range of topics
• How to engage Victoria Police
• How to engage the Crime Statistics Agency

Provide evidence to support your application

You can provide evidence with your application to help explain:

• the need for your project
• what your project will do and deliver
• why you think the project will be a success
• who your partners are and what role they will play in supporting your project.

The lists below outline the type of evidence you can provide to support your application. You don’t need to provide all this information, only include what is relevant to your application. You might be able to think of other information that is also relevant to your project.

A shorter, well written application that clearly addresses each of the assessment criteria is often more effective than a long, overly detailed application, which can make the key information difficult to identify. 

Grant management responsibilities

Funding agreement

If your project is approved for funding, the department will prepare a funding agreement based on the Victorian Common Funding Agreement (VCFA) standard form funding agreement which is made up of two parts.

Part A outlines project-specific obligations for funding and reporting requirements and will be based on the information in your application, any additional information we asked for, and any amendments we agreed.

Part B is a set of standard terms and conditions that apply to all government grant funded projects. 

Further Information on the Victorian Common Funding Agreement (External link)

Grant recipient responsibilities

Grant recipients will be responsible for:

• entering into a funding agreement with the department within no more than four weeks of the date of the funding offer. You must comply with all requirements of the funding agreement
• ensuring appropriate arrangements are in place to sustain the project and its outcomes Ensuring compliance with all government regulations, including occupational health and safety and any other applicable laws
• ensuring they are compliant with the Child Safe Standards under the Child Wellbeing and Safety Act 2005 and providing evidence of this as required by the department (projects working with young people only)
• letting the department know if anything happens that might change your project or the way it is delivered before any changes are made.

Evaluation

Capturing and sharing lessons learnt from your project is a key objective of this grants program. 

All projects will be required to submit an evaluation plan and baseline data early in their project and to submit an evaluation within a reasonable timeframe of completion and acquittal of the project (timeframe to be agreed with the department, depending on the nature of the project).

Evaluation findings will be published on the department’s website, and the department also reserves the right to publish full evaluation reports of funded projects.

If you are unsure about whether your project will be eligible for funding, you should discuss the idea before you start your application

If you have any questions after reading these guidelines or the information resources on our website, you can email the department at communitycrimeprevention@justice.vic.gov.au (External link)