The 250,000 Connected Fund, which was unveiled last week, will provide not-for-profit groups with grants of up to 10,000 to run schemes that help steer young people away from gun crime.
No match funding is necessary to obtain a grant and statutory organisations are not eligible for support.
The launch of the fund coincided with the publication of a report by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary on gun crime. The report warned that "gun crime may be establishing itself as a major form of youth crime" and highlighted the lack of youth projects dealing specifically with the problem.
"While (we) found a range of provision and diversionary strategies to curb offending behaviour in young people, few were linked specifically to gun crime," stated the report."Initiatives addressing school exclusions and low self-esteem were seen as helpful in reducing the numbers of young people who might become involved in lower-level crime, thereby being vulnerable to becoming drawn into gun crime."
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