Clinks has awarded a further £163,500 to 32 voluntary sector organisations working with individuals in contact with the criminal justice system, on behalf of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ)/Her Majesty's Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) and Paul Hamlyn Foundation.* We have now distributed a total of £463,500 since the programme began, supporting 77 organisations with 90 grants.

32 grants have been awarded in this round, with half of them going to organisations led by black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME**) individuals and 11 supporting work specifically targeted at BAME communities or groups with protected characteristics.

As highlighted in our recent report on the impact of Covid-19 on voluntary sector organisations working in the criminal justice system, black and Asian people have been disproportionately impacted by Covid-19 in positive cases and deaths. The structural racism embedded across society against BAME people means they also stand to be disproportionately impacted by the exacerbating effects of Covid-19 on poverty and disadvantage. Specialist BAME services - rooted in local communities and tailored to meet their needs - are therefore more vital than ever at this time. We are very pleased to have worked with HMPPS to help support these organisations during this critical period.

Many of the organisations offering these tailored services are small, local charities. Our research found that organisations, particularly small and specialist organisations, are concerned about the sustainability of funding and being excluded from future commissioning opportunities. These organisations deliver services which are distinct from those run by larger organisations with a national footprint and are vital to the communities they serve. We are therefore very happy to have been able to target this funding at small organisations with an annual income under £250,000.

Never more needed campaign

We recognise, however, that voluntary organisations of all shapes and sizes are struggling at this difficult time, and this programme's strict eligibility criteria means that not everyone was able to benefit. Since the beginning of the pandemic Clinks has been working with colleagues across the voluntary sector as part of the #NeverMoreNeeded campaign. This has united many organisations in the voluntary sector to press for more support from the government as voluntary organisations seek to meet rising demand for their services while facing a financial crisis of their own. The initial support to the voluntary sector from the government during the first lockdown wasn’t enough and didn’t reach our sector significantly. Many organisations in our own part of the sector and wider are now in a critical position or having to cut the support they provide just when it is most needed. The situation is critical, which is why as part of the campaign we have put together an open letter addressed to the Prime Minister urging the government to create an Emergency Support Fund as soon as they can.

Our continued support

We continue to advocate on behalf of the sector in the context of the pandemic and to support members wherever we can. This month we are making progress in administering further MoJ/HMPPS funding to provide free consultancy support to BAME-led and BAME-specialist organisations. The Reducing Reoffending Third Sector Advisory Group special interest group on Covid-19 continues to meet, bringing senior leaders together to advise MoJ and HMPPS in their response to the crisis. The group have recently met to discuss enhancing in-cell services under stage four regimes and how the voluntary sector can support the vaccination programme. Our events programme provides members with opportunities to network, problem-solve, and share best practice. Book on the next event here

What the grantees will deliver

Throughout this programme we've been astounded to see the innovation and resilience shown by the voluntary sector. Across the board, organisations have adapted how they work and deliver services in the face of increasing need and unprecedented challenges. Here are the 32 successful organisations we're announcing today. For details of grant recipients previously announced, see here, here and here.

MoJ/HMPPS grants

Alpha Park

Awarded £6,374 to provide intensive housing and personal support to adults under licence or serving a community sentence in supported accommodation.

Blast Foundation

Awarded £2,500 for a caseworker providing resettlement support for men at HMP Springhill.

bthechange CIC

Awarded £4,800 to provide holistic interventions to women released from HMP Eastwood Park.

CASSplus

Awarded £5,000 to provide courts-based support services to low-level offenders under licence or serving a community sentence in Plymouth and Newton Abbot.

Clean Slate Solutions

Awarded £4,600 to provide holistic support with an employment focus to men and women under licence or serving a community sentence in North Yorkshire.

Entrepreneurs Unlocked CIC

Awarded £3,555 to provide an INSIGHTS distance-learning self-employment course to men in HMP Hindley.

Food Matters

Awarded £5,625 to continue production of Her Wellbeing health and wellbeing magazine for women in prison in England and Wales.

Global Diversity Positive Action

Awarded £4,100 to provide support for vulnerable women under licence or serving a community sentence in West Yorkshire.

Mothers Against Violence

Awarded £10,000 to provide person-centred support to men and women leaving prison, under licence, or serving a community sentence in Tameside.

Muslim Chaplains Association

Awarded £9,970 to provide mental health and wellbeing resources, maternity packs, and distraction packs to men and women - Muslim men and women in particular - in prison in England and Wales.

No Place Productions

Awarded £3,640 to provide audio learning resources focused on mental health to men in prison in England and Wales.

On the Out

Awarded £5,038 for volunteer expenses and to provide 150 mobile phones to men and women leaving prison in Greater Manchester.

One to One Maths

Awarded £2,345 to provide textbooks for in-cell maths education to prisoners in HMP Usk, HMP Littlehey, HMP Rye Hill, and HMP Bullingdon.

P.H.O.E.B.E

Awarded £10,000 to provide a support worker dedicated to supporting women on licence or serving a community sentence in Ipswich.

Pain2Purpose CIC

Awarded £3,450 to provide mentoring and support and an educational podcast for young offenders at HMPYOI Wetherby.

Pegasus Men's Wellbeing Centre

Awarded £5,000 to provide specialist counselling for men on licence or serving a community sentence in Cornwall.

The Recruitment Junction

Awarded £4,500 for volunteer coordination and admin support for the team supporting ex-offenders into employment in Northumberland and Tyne & Wear.

Restart Enterprise

Awarded £4,246 to provide through-the-gate support for men released from HMP Oakwood.

RIFT Social Enterprise

Awarded £504 for a tax refund scheme for prisoners in England and Wales.

Run For Your Life CIC

Awarded £10,000 to provide support in physical wellbeing, mental health, emotional resilience, grief and loss, and coaching skills to prisoners and staff at HMP Brinsford.

Safe Welcome After Prison

Awarded £4,220 to provide 24/7 staffing and support for service users at SWAP Support Unit.

Shared Enterprise CIC

Awarded £2,300 to provide self-employment information and the Shared Enterprise Business Startup Workbook to prisons in England and Wales.

StandOut

Awarded £8,169 for a community-based coach to offer support to men leaving HMP Wandsworth and HMP Pentonville through a helpline.

Support When It Matters Enterprise

Awarded £4,956 to provide in-reach, mentoring, and psychosocial interventions for black men under licence or serving a community sentence in London.

Tailored Futures CIC

Awarded £5,771 to provide remote support for men and women in three Approved Premises or being released from HMP Thameside.

Unshackle CIC

Awarded £4,500 to provide mentoring and mental health support to men and women from BAME communities being released from prison and returning to Northampton.

Wish

Awarded £3,500 to provide trauma-informed services to women with complex needs in HMP Bronzefield, under licence, or serving a community sentence.

Zahid Mubarek Trust

Awarded £4,836 to provide culturally-informed therapeutic and counselling sessions to men and women from BAME communities leaving prison in England and Wales.

Paul Hamlyn Foundation grants

Flowhesion Foundation

Awarded £5,000 to provide the Covid Buddy Service to residents at Howarth House Approved Premises, offering advocacy and support as needed.

Sussex Pathways

Awarded £5,000 to provide through-the-gate support for men leaving prison and returning to Sussex.

Mary Magdalene

Awarded £5,000 to provide doorstep support services to men and women from BAME communities in Bradford following release from prison.

Unlock Drama

Awarded £5,000 to provide drama-based workshops aimed at increasing confidence/self-esteem and interpersonal skills to men at HMP Swinfen Hall.

Don't forget, our funding portal is always available to members and has the latest funding opportunities for the voluntary sector.

*MoJ/HMPPS has provided £150,000 and the Paul Hamlyn Foundation £20,000. Of this, Clinks required £6,500 for the administration of this programme.

**We acknowledge that the term BAME can be problematic as it refers to a group of people who are far from homogenous. The intersection of race, ethnicity, faith, and culture makes social identities multi-faceted and shifting – the experiences of individuals within these groups will vary. Wherever possible, we seek to be specific when describing groups of people but at times use the term BAME – albeit reluctantly – to describe inequality and discrimination across groups when necessary.