Pembrokeshire County Council has launched its applications to invite interested organisations to apply for funding from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF).
The UKSPF is available during the 2022/23, 2023/24 and 2024/25 financial years only – and for projects across the county.
Projects must deliver activity that is line with the UK Shared Prosperity Fund Prospectus and align with one of these investment priorities:
- Communities and Place
- Supporting Local Business
- People and Skills.
The UKSPF is one of the UK Government funds replacing European funding streams that are no longer available after Brexit. It’s also part of the UK Government’s levelling-up agenda.
With £7.65m available, Pembrokeshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Finance, Councillor Alec Cormack, said: “We know that this funding has been anxiously awaited by organisations across Pembrokeshire.
“We expect that the information already published by the UK Government will have allowed project development to continue while we’ve been preparing to invite applications.
“We’re looking forward to receiving good quality applications that will be able to deliver a wide range of projects to benefit Pembrokeshire’s people, communities and businesses.”
It’s anticipated that the funds will support a range of projects, and while we expect bids to seek around £300,000 to £500,000 on average, smaller bids will be accepted where they are outside the scope of the grant schemes.
Pembrokeshire County Council will deliver some ‘Anchor’ projects which are focused on areas that local authorities are best placed to deliver, however some of the Anchors include grant schemes to which third parties can bid for funding. Applicants must carefully check whether they should apply for SPF under this Invitation to Bid, or a separate grant scheme.
Submitting an Application for Funding:
Applications must be submitted using the Pembrokeshire version of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund Application Form. Bids submitted in any other format will not be accepted.
Applications must be submitted to Pembrokeshire County Council using this email address: [email protected].
Applications must be submitted by 11:59pm on Wednesday, 22 March 2023. Applications received after this will not be accepted.
If you’re not sure how best to secure the UKSPF funding you need to deliver your project, we have produced a Flowchart that will help you navigate the various routes through the programme. This and all other information, including how applications will be assessed, is available on the Council’s website. There are also links to the UK Government’s webpages with further information about the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
A webinar for potential applicants will be held between 9am and 11am on Thursday, 2nd March. Please email [email protected] if you would like to attend. Another webinar for the south west Wales region is also being arranged, with details to be announced.
