The ICMEC Australia Child Protection Fund provides grants and investments to data and technology-driven approaches that reduce and prevent sexual exploitation of children
We know that child sexual assault crimes often leave a digital footprint, and there are pieces of evidence and siloed information across several platforms. Between the significant gaps in this data and the ever-evolving offender tactics, detecting criminal activity is challenging.
The Child Protection Fund (CPF) role is to support innovations that overcome these gaps and deliver better analytics and predictive models to reduce and prevent harm to children.
Solutions to this complex problem require a diverse range of skills, innovation and collaboration. The CPF has been set up to sponsor initiatives based on two criteria:
1. Programs must seek to deliver ICMEC Australia’s targeted outcomes of supporting more effective detection, reporting and prosecution of child sexual abuse.
2. Programs must be data-driven or improve the quality and/or usefulness of data and technology approaches
We are not a traditional grants fund. The types of investments we make can be broad. We might support initiatives like academic research aligned to the goals above, or we equally could provide an impact investment into a technology venture.
Our grants are combined with non-monetary assistance, for instance through technical advice, mentoring, networking, and a forum for support across our grantees.
Our only condition is that we cannot support anything which is commercially viable or could be funded by the mainstream market. We applaud and support these solutions; they just don’t need our assistance as a priority.
Our first funding round has closed. Please contact us to stay advised of future funding rounds.
In the meantime, you can download the criteria for proposals.