Community Infrastructure Grant - REPF - Grants

The Community Infrastructure Grant scheme opened for applications on 24 April 2024.

Please complete the Expression of interest in the How to Apply section with details of your project ASAP.

• If you are invited to submit a full application, the deadline for submission is 9am on 1 July 2024.

If you have been invited to submit a full application with supporting documents, please read What happens next below for more information about the process and timings for the full application.

The Community Infrastructure Grant is a capital grant scheme that has been funded by the Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF). Capital grants are available for Community and Third Sector organisations that deliver locally within Herefordshire and which engage local people in the design and development of services to meet their needs.

Funding is available for capital projects which:

• Strengthen our social fabric and foster a sense of local pride and belonging
• Build pride in place and increase life chances in our local communities
• Build resilient and safe neighbourhoods
• Create and improve local rural green spaces
• Provide improved facilities which reduce the need for people to travel to access recreational facilities

Successful projects must be able to demonstrate and evidence how they will be contributing to achieving some of the following outputs which are relevant to your project:

• Number of people reached
• Number of local events or activities supported
• Number of projects supported
• Number of organisations receiving financial support other than grants
• Number of organisations receiving grants
• Square metres (m2) of land made for wheelchair accessible or step free
• Number of facilities supported or created
• Amount of green or blue space created or improved
• Amount of land or premises supported
• Amount of public realm created or improved
• Number of EV charging points
• Number of visitors or locals using EV charging points

For outputs and outcomes definition, please see REPF Interventions, outcomes and objectives

All projects should be completed at the latest by 28 February 2025.

This Fund is open to Community and Third Sector organisations that deliver locally within the rural areas of Herefordshire (which excludes Hereford City and Colwall) and which engage local people in the design and development of resources and services to meet their needs. These can be new or established services.

• Voluntary and community organisations
• Constituted groups or clubs
• Registered charities
• Charitable incorporated organisations (CIOs)
• Not-for-profit organisations
• Community interest companies (CICs)
• State and independent schools (as long as your project benefits and involves the community and does not deliver activities that are part of the standard curriculum)
• Town and parish councils
• Community benefit societies
• Community Amateur Sports Clubs
• Religious organisations – as long as the project or activity benefits the wider community and does not include religious content.

All applications will need to be able to demonstrate their organisational status and have a bank account in the same name.

Eligible applicants that are located in eligible rural areas can apply. The map below indicates the urban areas (in red) which are not covered by the grant scheme. These are Hereford City and Colwall. Any other parts of Herefordshire, including the market towns, are eligible.

Community Infrastructure Grant Scheme map - exclusion areas

• Individuals
• Businesses
• Any business activity that is illegal or deemed unsuitable for public support by Herefordshire Council and Defra
• Property developers and landlords
• Projects without planning permission or which will not receive a planning decision by full application deadline on 1 July 2024.  Concerns relating to planning that may affect your grant submission, so please email ukspfcommunitygrants@herefordshire.gov.uk

This is a capital project, hence it must be spent on lasting assets such as a building or equipment.  Activities that can deliver the outputs and outcomes:

• Improvements to premises to enable local voluntary groups to make better or more use of facilities.
• Accessibility improvements.
• New specialist equipment to enable more or different activity, (e.g. staging or sound/ lighting equipment to support new arts activities).
• EV charging points
• Energy efficiency improvements, (e.g. insulation, replacement windows, doors etc. to improve energy efficiency of buildings, solar panels, heat pumps).
• Building fabric upgrades, (insulations, energy efficient lighting, draught-proofing).
• Establish or enhance green spaces within communities that will encourage exercise, recreation and wellbeing e.g. greening of streets and paths, incorporating natural features into wider public spaces.
• Welcome and work, for example café development or creating or improving meeting and workspace.
• Development of suitable space and equipment for community shops.
• Please note that this list is not exhaustive. We welcome applications for kinds of infrastructure projects that deliver tangible improvements to our local communities where people live, study and work.

All projects – must be able to demonstrate value for money and additionally consider the project’s impact on our natural environment.

• Capital items, for example, purchase of equipment which must be specific to the project.
• Building works, for example, alterations to existing commercial buildings (not including maintenance) or groundworks to create a trail.
  Note: we will require confirmation of the necessary approvals such as planning permission, landlord’s consent and building regulations (if applicable for your project).
• Individual items must cost a minimum of £500

Items and end use must be retained until March 2025 or 12 months post final grant payment (whichever is the longest period).

The following costs are not eligible:

• General costs: including marketing costs, housing, relocation costs, the cost of obtaining permissions or consents, contingency funds, costs incurred after the grant approval date, or items for which you have already received grant support
• Professional fees for example Architect or Quantity Surveyor
• Business operational costs: including salaries, in-kind contributions, recurring licence fees such as subscriptions or service charges (including software), mobile phones and marketing.
• Financial costs, or costs where there is a statutory duty to provide them: including bad debts, advance payments, insurance policies, working capital, lease costs, pensions, and reclaimable VAT
• Purchase of land or buildings
• Works to domestic or residential properties
• Speculative building projects
• Building works to properties not used and occupied by the business making the grant application
• No revenue costs or running costs, for example consumables, stationary, salaries
• Services, for example solicitor fees, legal insurance
• Training
• Renewable energy only installations projects
• Corporate responsibility items – health and safety, Disability Discrimination Act
• Like for like replacements of obsolete equipment with little or no added value
• Computers
• Vehicles, trailers
• Items purchased through hire purchase agreements
• Second-hand equipment, unless covered by at least a six month warranty and has not been previously bought with a grant
• Applications solely for renewables installation will not be eligible (if part of a project, this will be considered.
• Investment in normal agricultural operations/ equipment
• Purchase of livestock or plants
• Non-economic activities (a non-economic activity is an activity performed with the purpose of rendering services to others without any considerations of financial gains. Activities that are initiated for personal content or for meeting human sentiments are non-economic activities).
• Funding for any project work that has already started or has been completed.
• Any business activity that is illegal or deemed unsuitable for public support by Herefordshire Council and DEFRA
• Projects that duplicate existing publicly funded provision will not be supported.

We cannot support projects that have received funding from other Defra schemes. This includes The Platinum Jubilee Village Hall Improvement Grant Fund - grant funding over 3 years (to 2025) to support capital improvement projects for village halls, covering extending buildings and modernising facilities.

We cannot support projects or costs where there is a statutory duty to provide them.

All projects - must be able to demonstrate value for money and additionality and consider the project's impact on our natural environment.

Capital grants are available for organisations for up to 80% of the total eligible project costs.

• The maximum grant that can be applied for is £24,999
• The minimum award is £10,000

20% match funding from a private source, such as the businesses own resources, is required.

The Community Infrastructure Grant opened for applications on 26 April 2024.

Please complete the online Expression of interest (EOI) as soon as possible.

Complete the Expression of interest form

Your EOI will be reviewed and if it meets the initial eligibility criteria, we will invite you to submit a full application and supporting papers. This does not guarantee your project will be awarded any grant funding.

The EOI deadline is 9am on 3 June 2024.

If you are invited to proceed, the full application and supporting papers must be returned by 9am on 1 July 2024.

If your project is eligible to be considered for funding you will be invited to submit a full application.

At full application stage you will be required to submit (along with your full application form), supporting documents which will be detailed in the invitation email. This will depend on the type and scale of project seeking support. As an example, the supporting documents may include:

• Completed and signed application form.
• All quotes and formal tender documentation to verify costs.
• Evidence of match-funding, for example, a recent business bank statement, or offer of grant from elsewhere.
• Provide a minimum of one year financial accounts/management accounts (management accounts are also required if accounts are more than 6 months out of date). More information may be required when your application is appraised.
• Applications submitted after the above deadline will not be accepted or may be appraised later subject to budget availability.

Grant decisions will be communicated to businesses no earlier than the second week of July 2024.

If your application is successful

• You will need to accept the grant offer before placing an order for the items/works. You must not pay for any items with cash.
• All projects must be practically and financially completed at the latest 28 February 2025.
• Grants will only be paid on receipt of a grant claim form, invoices and evidence that the items have been paid in full and delivered to or at your business address in Herefordshire.
• Grants are not paid in advance. Items cannot be ordered or purchased before you receive a grant offer letter. If an order has been placed prior to acceptance of the grant offer the grant offer will be withdrawn.
• Stage payments may be considered for building works, subject to seeking prior approval.

If you would like to discuss your proposal before completing the form, please email ukspfcommunitygrants@herefordshire.gov.uk or Adrian Marshall on Adrian.Marshall2@herefordshire.gov.uk tel 01432 383150 or Vinia Abesamis vabesamis@herefordshire.gov.uk tel 01432 260625.

Further information about the Rural England Prosperity Fund: interventions, objectives, outputs and outcomes summary - GOV.UK

Read more about the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

UK Subsidy Control Regime

This grant scheme will be administered under Minimal Financial Assistance rules. Applicants must ensure that they are compliant with the UK subsidy control regime. You are asked to confirm this within the full application form.

For updates on other funding opportunities please visit the Marches Growth Hub website or contact the Herefordshire Growth Hub Team 01432 383343 or email: business@herefordshire.gov.uk