The GEM Road Safety Charity has launched a new website and is inviting applications for grants of up to £10,000 for road safety projects.

The current funding window will remain open until Wednesday 31 January 2024. Details can be found on the new website.

Since it was established in 1985, the GEM charity has funded many projects which have aimed to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured on the UK’s roads.

The charity trustees are keen to encourage applications from community groups, registered charities, professional bodies, road safety organisations, partnerships, schools and colleges whose projects demonstrate a ‘clear road safety benefit to the wider community at a regional or national level’. 

This can include anything from educational initiatives through to research.

 Previous examples of projects funded include:

• A grant to Project EDWARD (Every Day Without A Road Death). The initiative won a Prince Michael International Road Safety award in December 2018, and GEM continues to be a principal supporter of the Project EDWARD week of action each year.
• A grant to the Sussex Safer Roads Partnership for its In-Car VR Project, an innovative 360-degree video aimed at young drivers and their passengers. Using behavioural change techniques the film aims to highlight those risks and how they can be avoided to keep people safe on the roads.
• Funding towards the production of Blue Light Aware, a video resource offering simple tips on how to stay safe and legal when assisting an emergency vehicle. The latest version was launched in Autumn 2020.
• A contribution towards a research project examining the contribution of roads policing to casualty reduction in the UK.

Laura Ward, chair of the charity, says paying attention to how a project will be evaluated is key to a successful application. “The trustees need to know that an applicant has a clear understanding of the issue to be addressed, including a workable plan, a realistic budget, a simple evaluation and an opportunity to sustain the messages over many years,” she said. “So if you are going to apply, please make sure you include clear evidence of your project’s road safety benefit, and of the proposed wider impact, as well as a robust evaluation mechanism.

 “If your proposal can satisfy these (and other) requirements, and you can show how you will keep people safe on our roads, then you will find the trustees enthusiastic to discuss how they may be able to assist you.”

(Picture and story courtesy of Road Safety GB)