Community Regeneration Funding

Who can apply

This fund is currently closed for applications. We will re-open in the coming months.

The current round of Community Regeneration Funding (CRF) is for the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) programme only. It is for revenue and capital projects that can start from 1 April 2024 and be concluded and claimed by 1 March 2025.

Applications are welcomed from:

• Constituted community groups
• Development trusts
• Voluntary and social enterprises
• Charities
• Local authorities or other public sector bodies
• Co-operatives and community ownership initiative
• Not for profit or community interest companies
• Places of worship

Intervention Rates

75% intervention rate is available therefore all applicants are required to source 25% match funding of total project costs.

• If you are applying under the ‘Place based investments, regeneration and town centre improvements’ or ‘Community assets and infrastructure improvements’ intervention, a minimum grant of £25k and up to a maximum of £100k is available.
• If you are applying under the ‘Digital infrastructure for local community facilities’ intervention, a minimum grant of £5k and up to a maximum of £25k is available.

The total allocation and expenditure type (capital/revenue) available under the following interventions include:

Intervention	Total available of capital expenditure (indicative allocation)	Total available of revenue expenditure (indicative allocation)
Place based investments, regeneration and town centre improvements	£432,000	£144,000
Community assets and infrastructure improvements	£342,154	No revenue funding, capital only
Digital infrastructure for local community facilities	£48,000	No revenue funding, capital only

10% project management/staff time fees are eligible to claim against under all areas of intervention.

Projects must have all the necessary permissions and match funding confirmation by 12 February 2024, otherwise applications cannot not be progressed.

Timescales

All projects must be concluded and claimed by 1 March 2025. We are anticipating making final approvals during March 2024 and projects must be able to submit a claim within 3 months of approval.

What type of projects can be funded?

All projects must:

• support local priorities and demonstrate how they deliver Area Place Plans or other local plans
• source at least 25% match funding and have this confirmed by 12 February 2024.
• have statutory regulatory consents, such as planning, building warrants, ownership of assets in place by 12 February 2024.
• be committed to be compliant with the ‘Fair Work First’ policy
• be sustainable and viable
• demonstrate value for money
• demonstrate additionality
• demonstrate local support and local benefit
• demonstrate how projects have considered environmental sustainability, such as transition to a low carbon economy or how to mitigate, adapt or build resilience to climate change and net zero ambitions
• demonstrate how projects have considered equality issues and impact
• have valid and/or most recent quotations to determine the project budget

Strategic objectives

The ‘Communities and Place’ strand of the UKSPF is focused on; reducing inequality and building resilient, healthy and safe neighbourhoods, through investment in quality places that people want to live, work, play and learn in, through targeted improvements to the built and natural environment.

Applications must demonstrate how they meet at least one of the following areas of intervention. During assessment, projects will be ranked in order of how well they meet these:

• Place based investments, regeneration and town centre improvements
• Community assets and infrastructure improvements
• Digital infrastructure for local community facilities

These interventions also underpin the strategic objectives of the wider Community Regeneration Funding monitoring and evaluation framework. The types of projects that may be funded therefore include:

• Initiatives that will improve digital connectivity for community facilities such as websites, online booking/payment systems, broadband installations.
• Historical, cultural or community asset improvements
• Feasibility studies or development phases - (only for projects meeting the place based investments, regeneration and town centre improvements intervention)
• Community transport schemes
• Tourism infrastructure
• Recreational areas including public green spaces, sports facilities and/or local amenities improvements
• Targeted improvements to the built environment, including initiatives to rehabilitate buildings
• Innovative initiatives aimed at targeting crime prevention
• Initiatives to improve access to local services (including wheelchair access)