The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has announced an additional £9 million investment to support victims and survivors of violence against women and girls across the capital. The funding aims to strengthen specialist support services and help survivors rebuild their lives with greater safety, dignity, and independence.
The funding package includes £6 million for a third round of the Mayor’s Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Grassroots Fund, as well as £3 million to design and deliver a new specialist service focused on helping survivors gain skills, access employment opportunities, and achieve financial independence. This initiative seeks to address the financial barriers that often prevent survivors from leaving abusive situations.
The VAWG Grassroots Fund supports small, local, and specialist organisations that work directly with women and girls, particularly those from Black, Asian, minority-ethnic, and other underrepresented communities. So far, the fund has supported 57 organisations and reached more than 56,800 women, girls, and families, prioritising communities that are disproportionately affected by abuse.
The additional £6 million allocation will enable thousands more survivors to access essential services such as legal advice, counselling, and trauma-informed support. These services often provide the first safe pathway out of abuse and play a critical role in helping survivors recover and rebuild their lives.
Recognising the impact of economic abuse, £3 million will also be used to develop a specialist employment and skills service that helps survivors gain new skills, access training and employment opportunities, overcome financial barriers, and rebuild confidence and independence. By supporting economic stability, the initiative aims to reduce the risk of survivors returning to abusive partners due to financial pressures, particularly during the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.
This latest investment builds on the record £277 million already committed by the Mayor to support specialist services, reduce waiting lists, keep frontline organisations operational, and strengthen safeguarding partnerships across London. A refreshed strategy to tackle violence against women and girls is expected to be launched in the spring, outlining the next phase of efforts to prevent abuse, protect survivors, and challenge the cultural attitudes that allow violence and misogyny to persist.
