DOJ: Assets Recovery Community Scheme (ARCS)
Overview
Purpose of the Assets Recovery Community Scheme (ARCS)
The purpose of the ARCS fund is to support initiatives that will prevent crime or reduce the fear of crime and so contribute to safer communities where we respect the law, and each other. ARCS funding is not intended to serve as gap funding or to support salary costs in the long term however it could be used to provide start-up funding to projects that will be ongoing, or one-off funding to time-limited projects. It is not intended to fund capital projects or schemes already funded or delivered through other service providers.
Organisations applying for funding must clearly demonstrate how their project will directly benefit victims, communities and/or the environment.
Assets Recovery Community Scheme (ARCS) 2024/27
Voluntary and Community groups, registered charities and statutory organisations across Northern Ireland are being invited to apply for Assets Recovery Community Scheme (ARCS) funding to prevent crime or reduce the fear of crime.
Funding
The ARCS programme budget for this Scheme is estimated to be in the region of £400k - £500k in each of the years 2024/25, 2025/26 and 2026/27.
The maximum total funding available is £25k per year, per application. The maximum total funding, across all three years if applicable, is £75k per application.
Please be aware that it is unlikely that all applications will be successful. Applicants should not therefore make any commitment, financial or other, until the decision of the ARCS funding panel is determined and notified to applicants.
The funding is available for projects running between:
1 April 2024 – 31 March 2025
1 April 2025 – 31 March 2026
1 April 2026 – 31 March 2027 or periods in between.
Claims for expenditure are only eligible from the date in the letter of offer from the Department up to the 31st March 2027 or sooner depending on the project.
The decision of the ARCS funding panel is final and there is no appeals process.
Who can apply for funding?
- Community and Voluntary Groups and Organisations with a Management Board or appropriate governance structure
- Registered Charities
- Statutory organisations seeking to deliver projects in community settings
Applicants must be able to demonstrate:
- how the project meets the ARCS essential criteria and, where possible, the desirable criteria;
- that appropriate management, governance and financial policies and procedures are in place, including safeguarding policies where relevant, and that these policies etc. are regularly reviewed and complied with and provided to the Department on request;
- the assessed need for funding from ARCS;
- that there is no funding from another source covering the same proposal;
- the added value/benefits that the project will deliver;
- that the funding will be utilised and benefits/activities delivered within the delivery period of the Scheme in 2024/25, 2025/26 and/or 2026/27.
- Provide clear timelines for funding requirements for the period up to 31 March 2025, 31 March 2026 and if applying for longer term funding up to 31 March 2027.
Criteria
- Essential criteria for ARCS funding is: “to prevent crime or reduce the fear of crime”.
- ARCS funding should also benefit victims, or communities or the environment or any combination of these three priority categories.
- Desirable criteria for ARCS funding are:
- Alignment with the draft Programme for Government outcome: “Everyone feels safe – we all respect the law and each other”
- Alignment with the Northern Ireland Organised Crime Strategy 2021 – 2024
DRAFT Programme for Government 2021
- The 2021-2024 Strategy commits the use of ARCS funding to:
- support programmes that tackle crime or reduce the fear of crime;
- support the creation of safe and resilient communities;
- send a message that crime does not pay;
- seek to increase public confidence in the justice system;
- reduce reoffending;
- divert vulnerable individuals away from engagement in criminal behaviour
Northern Ireland Organised Crime Strategy
If you do not have existing links with a project supervisor and need help to identify a contact please get in touch with the ARCS Programme Team in the Department of Justice.