Research and evidence shows that gang-involved girls and young women navigate a range of harmful environments which can expose them to high levels of sexual exploitation and increased criminal activity. 
Comic Relief recognise that this is a complex issue. Evidence shows the need to work much more systemically and calls for multi-partner, collaborative approaches to support young women and girls effectively in reducing their likelihood of joining gangs, reducing the harm they face within gangs and supporting them to leave gangs.
Comic Relief anticipates making seven grants: three in the UK and four internationally.
Through this initiative, Comic Relief will be funding collaborative, multi-partner projects in a number of countries. Comic Relief are looking to fund a range of models and interventions to understand what approaches work in these different contexts.
Comic Relief also want to promote learning between projects or areas of crossover and divergence in their interventions. Due to their proven effectiveness, Comic Relief would expect all projects to be incorporating at least one or two of the following types of intervention:
• Taking advantage of specific ‘windows of opportunity’ to access girls and young women at risk of becoming, or already, gang-involved
• Family-focused interventions
• Providing effective mentoring
• Ensuring an effective police response
• Making sure gang-affected schools are open to support
• The broad outcomes we seek to achieve through the work are:
• Fewer girls and young women entering harmful and risky gang situations
• Girls and young women, already in gangs, experiencing less harm from violence, abuse and exploitation
• More girls and young women leaving violent, abusive and exploitative gang situations
Proposals are welcome for up to £150,000 for 18 months of activity, with the potential for a further £150,000 for a subsequent 18 months period. Funding for this second phase will be agreed after the initial 16 months following first-year reporting and learning from the evaluation.
Comic Relief are inviting proposals from anywhere in the UK and from within these four cities: Kingston (Jamaica), Bogota (Columbia), Cape Town (South Africa) and Lagos (Nigeria).
Comic Relief recognise that the work may not operate at a city-wide level but within specific communities/areas within the city.
Comic Relief are particularly interested in supporting:
• A coalition of organisations, with a lead agency, working in partnership across different sectors to deliver more holistic approaches. Bidding coalitions should be able to show some evidence of having delivered work that is providing a positive and safe future for girls and young women associated with gangs.
• Initiatives that draw on best practice in the following sectors, women and girls, criminal and juvenile justice, sexual exploitation, social / youth work, government, business and community sectors.
• Work that views the problem and solution as systemic.
• Organisations prepared to test more ‘disruptive’ solutions and learn if they fail.
For further information and to apply, visit: www.comicrelief.com/grants/initiatives/girls-in-gangs
Deadline: Wednesday 13 July 2016, midday