Round two of UKSPF/REPF community grants to launch next month
Thursday, 16 May 2024
From Monday, 10 June 2024, voluntary, community and social enterprise groups, as well as town and parish councils, will be able to apply for a share of £298,000 to fund local capital projects.
Applications for the second round of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) and Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF) Community Grants Fund will close on Friday 19 July 2024. Each applicant can request between £3,000 and £40,000 to invest in community projects that help improve Central Bedfordshire. Projects will need to evidence the spending of the funds by the end of December 2024, with a matched funding requirement of 20%.
Projects must meet one or more of the following objectives:
- invest in capital assets that support local arts, cultural and creative activities, such as venues, equipment, or materials
- capital funding to Improve buildings, facilities or green spaces, and increase resilience to natural hazards such as flooding
- develop green spaces and woodlands for recreational and environmental benefit and community wellbeing
- support to develop capacity and infrastructure, such as sports and other equipment, tools for better engagement, or improved facilities
Organisations thinking of collaborating on a joint project are especially welcomed for this round of funding, with a lead organisation nominated as the designated representative of the project. Individual applications are still welcome if they meet community needs which are not already being met.
Councillor Mary Walsh, Chairman of the Local Partnership Group, said,
The response to our first round of grants was inspiring and I have been delighted to have visited many of the completed projects and see for myself the impact the previous funding has made to local communities. We are looking forward to working in partnership with many more community groups and I urge anyone interested to take a look at all of the support available and get applying!
Read more about the funding – application forms will go live from 10am on Monday 10 June.
Two Meet the Funder workshops were hosted at the end of May with our partner Community Voluntary Service to help community groups understand the grants process and provide support with the completion of the application forms.
You can listen to one of the recorded sessions via this video. This capital grant scheme is part of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) and Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF) programme, which provides a total of £4.6 million of government funding for local investment in Central Bedfordshire.