The government launched the Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF) prospectus as part of the Levelling Up agenda, to support rural areas across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
This funding is in addition to, and complimentary to, the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF).
REPF sits within the UKSPF investment priorities for Supporting Local Businesses and Community and Place.
SCDC has allocated the funds over 5 projects which include:
- Improving Green Spaces Project
- A project to support new and growing businesses
- Funding to develop a café and gym in Northstowe
- A Cambourne footpath accessibility project
- An SCDC REPF grant scheme which contains £876,101.00 for local business and communities to apply through for capital projects only
Types of Projects the Fund Supports
The fund will support Business Interventions such as:
- funding for small scale micro and small enterprises for diversification
- start up or scale up
- growing the local social economy and supporting innovation.
The fund will support Community Interventions such as:
- digital infrastructure
- capacity buildings and infrastructure
- local rural green spaces
- cultural, historic and heritage institutions
- active travel enhancements
- rural circular economy projects
- volunteering and social action projects
The above lists are not exhaustive but demonstrate examples of some of the activities that the fund will support. These interventions are for capital projects only.
Please see this list of interventions the fund will support for further information. These are important, please ensure that your project aligns to one or more of the inventions set out in the table.
If you are unsure, please contact: Sharedprosperityfund@scambs.gov.uk
Are you Eligible?
Any organisation with legal status can apply for funding. The list below provides examples but is not exhaustive:
- Micro, small and medium sized registered businesses
- Social enterprises
- Sole traders
- Registered charities
- Farmers, landowners, tenants with landlord permission
- Rural community groups
- Local Authorities
- Higher and Further Education institutions, arms-length bodies of government
You will need to check that your project area is eligible using DEFRA’s Magic Map.
How to use the Magic Map
- Open the link Magic Map
- Click on ‘Get Started’
- Click on ‘Administrative Geographies’ in the table of contents (on the left-hand side of the screen).
And then ‘other administrative boundaries’ and then select ‘Rural England Prosperity Fund’ as a layer.
- Type in area within the search function or navigate the map to your area, and then select the ‘identify’ button, this is in the banner at the top of the map.
- Click on your area and a screen will come up which tells you if the area is eligible for REPF or not.
- You can also search by postcode. Input your post code into the search function on the left hand side of the screen. Please note that you will need to leave a space in the postcode, for example CB23 6EA.
It should be noted that some areas, in whole or part within South Cambridgeshire, are ineligible. These include South Girton, Milton, Orchard Park and Kings Hedges, Fulbourn, Stapleford and Great Shelford.
If you need any help in checking your postcode feel free to reach out to jennifer-mcn@outlook.com who will check your postcode for you.
The deadline is the 5th of May 2024.
