A new fund to provide a service to monitor anti-Muslim hate and support victims has been announced by the government.

Last year, police-recorded hate crime statistics found almost two in five of all religious hate crimes targeted Muslims, an increase of 13% in comparison to the year before.

With cases on the rise, up-to-date and detailed information on incidents and drivers of this form of hatred will play a fundamental part in supporting the government to combat anti-Muslim hate and Islamophobia and ensure Muslim communities feel safe and supported, the government says.

As well as monitoring and reporting incidents, the grant recipient will work to increase awareness of what hate crime is, encourage victims to come forward to report incidents, and facilitate support for victims of hate. They will work alongside a network of local and national partners and stakeholders including the government, and faith and belief groups to deliver on this vital work.

The fund is open to applications from a single organisation, or a group of organisations to work together to deliver an accurate record of hate incidents across England.

The competition window will be open for six weeks from the 7 April, closing on 18 May.

The full prospectus, including a link for registration to apply, can be found here.

This follows action taken earlier this year to establish a working group to provide the government with a definition of Anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia.

Minister for faith Lord Khan said: “Putting an end to the shocking rise of targeted attacks against Muslims requires a thorough understanding of the nature and scale of the hatred our Muslim communities face.

“That’s why we’re taking a crucial step forward this week to open this fund, seek new ideas and solutions and tackle this hatred head on.

“Combatting this unacceptable rise of religiously motivated hatred will create a more tolerant and understanding society for everyone, making our streets safer and delivering on our Plan for Change.”