Mayor announces £875,000 boost to his record fund tackling hate crime and extremism in London

• New funding will empower community groups across London to continue tackling antisemitism, Islamophobia and hate crime in all its forms.
• Additional £875,000 fund will strengthen communities against extremism and stop the spread of hateful ideologies with 50,000 Londoners set to participate over the next year.
• Funding forms part of the Mayor’s record £15.9m investment - more than any Mayor - to combat hatred, intolerance and extremism in all its forms and support grassroots community groups to stand up to hate.
• Action follows increased concern about online radicalisation and the spread of misinformation following the Southport disorder and stats showing that although hate crime incidents are falling across London, they still remain too high.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has today announced new £875,000 investment to support community projects tackling extremism, hate, intolerance and radicalisation across London.

It is part of the Mayor’s record £15.9m investment - more than any Mayor - to combat hatred, intolerance and extremism in all its forms and support grassroots community groups to stand up to hate.

The latest funding is through the Mayor’s grassroots Shared Endeavour Fund which works to empower Londoners to challenge hateful views in their communities, better protect those vulnerable to radicalisation and stop the spread of growing hateful ideologies including the far-right. Since the fund was launched in 2020, £3.9million has been invested in 115 projects with more than 170,000 Londoners benefiting from workshops, educational activities and interfaith community programmes.

It comes amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East with the heart-breaking loss of innocent lives, humanitarian and hostage crisis being used by some bad actors to promote antisemitism and Islamophobia.

The most recent statistics show that although reported hate crime incidents are falling across the capital, they still remain high. There were more than 21,200 hate crime incidents recorded in London in the past 12 months, a reduction on the previous year*.

The new funding will support approximately 20 projects across London to run educational activities to empower around 50,000 Londoners to stand up to hate and become better protected from radicalisation. Applications for the new £875,000 fund are now open and projects have until 11:00am on 6th June 2025 to apply for funding of up to £100,000. 

The fund will also tackle online conspiracy theories and misinformation, as seen with the Southport disorder last year and subsequent report from the Home Affairs Committee highlighting how an information vacuum online “allowed disinformation to flourish”**. Figures published at the end of 2024 showed that arrests of children for terrorist offences in Britain have reached their highest level since 2017***.

The latest independent evaluation of the Shared Endeavour Fund found that the Mayor’s investment is working to build Londoners’ resilience to radicalisation and extremist recruitment as well as reducing racism, intolerance, hate and extremism in the capital****. It found that participants reported substantial improvements in their ability to recognise, critically engage with and resist hateful and extremist ideologies. Those who were identified as being vulnerable to radicalisation and extremist recruitment reported being more likely to challenge intolerant, hateful and extremist attitudes and behaviours.

The latest action is part of a package of measures by the Mayor to tackle high levels of hate crime, radicalisation and misinformation and is being delivered alongside continued work with the Met Police to ensure all of London’s communities feel safe and are safe.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “The Southport disorder and chilling hate crime attacks that followed shocked our nation and showed how false information on social media spread like wildfire with devastating consequences. Here in London we stand united against all forms of hate. Our diversity is our greatest strength and those who intend to divide us will never win. This new funding is part of my record £15.9m investment – more than any other Mayor – to tackle hate crime in all its forms and will strengthen Londoners’ resilience to extremism, help stop the spread of hateful narratives, and safeguard vulnerable young Londoners from radicalisation and misinformation online.

“Although incidents of hate crime have fallen in the past year, they remain far too high - particularly antisemitism, Islamophobia and racism which have profoundly impacted our Jewish and Muslim communities in London. I’m determined to continue to work in partnership with Londoners, stakeholders and the police to ensure everyone in the capital feels safe and is safe. At a time of rising tension and online hate, this fund will continue to build bridges across communities, embrace what we have in common and help ensure Londoners of all backgrounds and faiths feel welcome and safe, building a better London for everyone.”

Sarah Nuzum, Acting Co-CEO at Anne Frank Trust UK, said: “Thanks to support from the Mayor of London’s Shared Endeavour Fund, we reached 2,690 young people across London with vital workshops challenging antisemitism and Islamophobia and all forms of hate. In a time of rising prejudice and division, these workshops create safe spaces for honest conversations, helping young people to recognise extreme views, think critically, and feel empowered to stand up to hate. We’re proud to be part of a city-wide effort to build more resilient, cohesive communities, and we welcome the Mayor’s continued commitment to tackling Islamophobia, antisemitism and prejudice in all its forms.”

Natalie Smith, Education Director at Arc Theatre, said: “Thanks to the Mayor's Shared Endeavour Fund, Arc Theatre has been able to work directly with almost 13,000 children aged 9-11-years in primary schools across several boroughs of London using live, interactive theatre to explore and tackle hate and extremism.

“Our Unlimited programme for children and their teachers has encouraged honest and open discussions about the damaging influences encountered on a daily basis both online and in the outside world, and we have been delighted to witness evidence of real learning and change in attitudes as a result. We are at a time when the Shared Endeavour Fund is needed more than ever and we are hugely grateful and proud to play our part in it.”

Matteo Bergamini MBE, CEO & Founder, Shout Out UK: ''We are thrilled that the Shared Endeavour Fund will be continuing its vital work. In the wake of growing division fuelled by disinformation and the heightened national conversation around online harms, this announcement couldn't be more timely. In 2024/25, we were able to deliver comprehensive training to young people aged 12-17 and 18-25 in counter-extremism.

“All participants aged 18–25 reported confidently knowing how to protect themselves and others from extreme online influences. At Shout Out UK, our mission is to build resilient democracies by equipping the next generation with the Political and Media Literacy needed to resist disinformation.”

Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, said: “In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of young people being drawn towards a pathway to radicalisation through extremist content they are seeing and being exposed to online. We are always keen to examine new and innovative ideas that will help stem the flow of extremist ideologies.

“Thankfully, hate crime incidents have decreased in the past year. However, we are not complacent and we continue to work with our key partners such as local authorities, MOPAC, education establishments and the charity sector to ensure there will be no tolerance for hate crime or extremist ideologies in London.”