VISITOR & WIDER ECONOMY GRANT SCHEMES
Organisations can now bid into the Community Renewal Fund.
The £220 million UK Community Renewal Fund aims to support people and communities most in need across the UK, creating opportunities to trial new approaches and innovative ideas at the local level.
All places in Great Britain can submit bids to the Fund. However, the Government has identified 100 places as ‘priority areas’, four of which are in Norfolk:
These places are expected to be the focus for delivery of projects for this round of funding.
In addition, as these four districts represent more than 50% of the area of Norfolk, bids which are countywide (such as employment and skills projects) will also be considered as relating to a priority area. Bids from outside the priority areas will need to be exceptional to be considered for funding.
Up to a maximum of £3 million is available per district, with a split of 90% revenue and 10% capital (mostly revenue bids are expected).
Government wants to support a range of projects by theme and size, but is encouraging applicants to maximise impact and deliverability through larger projects.
For Norfolk, bids should seek a minimum of £250,000 Community Renewal Funding – and preferably at least £500,000.
All funding, including evaluation, must be spent by 31 March 2022.
A range of local bodies are invited to bid for funding including:
This highly competitive bidding round is a key opportunity for Norfolk, as it paves the way for the Shared Prosperity Fund (SPF), the successor to EU funding in the UK, next year. SPF will also be geographically targeted, and its prospectus will take account of the learnings from the Community Renewal Fund pilots.
Bids to the Community Renewal Fund will be managed by Norfolk County Council, as the lead authority for bids from Norfolk. The County Council will appraise and prioritise a shortlist of projects, up to a maximum of £3 million per district, supported by local decision-making boards, to ensure the best fit in each priority place.
The bidding round for the Community Renewal Fund opens on Friday 26 March.
Further details about the Fund can be found at www.norfolk.gov.uk/communityrenewalfund and in the UK Community Renewal Fund: prospectus.
In the first instance, please complete an Expression of Interest form .
Priority project themes cover:
Investment in skills
Work-based training
Retraining, upskilling or reskilling members of the workforce
Promoting the advancement of digital skills and inclusion
Investment for local businesses
Supporting entrepreneurs and helping businesses with potential to create more job opportunities for current employees or take on new employees
Encouraging businesses to develop their innovation potential
Supporting decarbonisation measures
Investment in communities and place
Feasibility studies for delivering net-zero and local energy projects
Exploring opportunity for promoting culture-led regeneration and community development
Improving green spaces and preserving important local assets
Promoting rural connectivity
Supporting people into employment
Supporting people to engage with local services which support them on their journey towards employment
Identifying and addressing any potential barriers these individuals may face in gaining employment or moving closer to the labour market
Raising aspirations, supporting individuals to access Plan for Jobs employment support, jobs and find sustainable employment
Supporting people to gain the basic skills they need to develop their potential for sustainable work
Testing what works in helping people move towards work
The £220 million UK Community Renewal Fund aims to support people and communities most in need across the UK, creating opportunities to trial new approaches and innovative ideas at the local level.
We'll send you a monthly update including all our latest news, forthcoming events and business advice.
