Highland Council reminds organisations that the deadline for bids to the UK Community Renewal Fund is 5pm on Friday – a key focus for this fund is to support innovation and new ideas as well as investing in pilots that draw on local insights and which will help places to prepare for the introduction of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund in 2022
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Highland Council is reminding interested organisations that the deadline for the submission of bids to the UK Community Renewal Fund is 5pm on Friday.
The fund is a pilot programme in advance of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, which is intended to replace EU funding, and applications can be made here.
The fund's prospectus, which can be found here, provides detailed information on the objectives of the fund, the types of projects it intends to support and how it operates, including the process and selection criteria that will be used to assess bids.
A key focus for this fund is to support innovation and new ideas in these areas, investing in pilots that draw on local insights and which will help places to prepare for the introduction of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund in 2022.
Highland Council is seeking bids from organisations wishing to deliver activity as part of this – eligible applicants can come from public sector organisations, higher and further education institutions, private sector companies and registered charities. It is predominantly a revenue-based fund and bids will be for 2021/22 only with activity ending by March 31, 2022.
Project delivery must align with at least one of the investment priorities contained within the UK Community Renewal Fund Prospectus namely:
• Investment in skills;
• Investment for local business;
• Investment in communities and place;
• Supporting people into employment.
Council leader, Councillor Margaret Davidson, said: “The UK Community Renewal Fund is a pilot scheme for the 2021/22 financial year which will help inform the design of the UK Shared Prosperity. One of its core aims is to support people and communities most in need across the UK, creating opportunities to trial new approaches and innovative ideas at the local level and I would encourage organisations to take a look at the prospectus to determine eligibility and submit a bid ahead of the May 14 deadline.”
Further information can be found here and bids must be submitted to the council by 5pm on May 14.
