Rural England Prosperity Fund Grants
The first round of funding has closed for the below grants, and future rounds will be available after April 2024.
Ashford Borough Council has been successful in securing its’ allocation of the UK Government's UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) and Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF). The Council's allocation for the following Rural England Prosperity Fund grants is £443,381. The Council is running these three grant schemes using this funding:
- Ashford Rural Green Business Grants, including Ashford Rural Energy Efficiency Grants and Ashford Rural Energy Transition Grants
- Ashford Rural Place & Provenance Grants, including Ashford Rural Boost Grants and Ashford Rural Investment Grants
- Ashford Rural Electric Vehicle Charging Points Grants
The Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF) is applicable to the rural areas of the Borough as defined by the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) for the purposes of this fund. View a map of eligible areas, sourced from Defra [pdf] 569KB.
Therefore, only businesses and projects located within these areas are eligible to receive funding through these proposed schemes.
This is a capital fund as defined by Defra and therefore no revenue costs or associated work can be eligible through these schemes.
Additionally the guidance from Defra states that projects that have already received funding from other Defra schemes or where these projects could be eligible for other Defra funding are not eligible. View Ashford REPF Programmes and other Defra Funding [pdf] 593KB.
There is additional funding available from the council's UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) and Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF) for community organisations seeking to make improvements to community infrastructure such as village halls or play areas. Find out more about the Community Amenities Grants here.
Ashford Rural Green Business Grants
Ashford Rural Energy Efficiency Grants
The Energy Efficiency Grant of up to £5,000 aims to facilitate energy efficiency projects in commercial premises in rural areas of the Ashford Borough.
Read more and apply for Ashford Rural Energy Efficiency Grants
Ashford Rural Energy Transition Grants
The Energy Transition Grant of up to £15,000 aims to facilitate energy transition projects in commercial premises in rural areas of the Ashford Borough.
Read more and apply for Ashford Rural Energy Transition Grants
Ashford Rural Place & Provenance Grants
Ashford Rural Boost Grants
The Rural Boost Grant of £500 to £3,000 aims to facilitate projects in commercial premises in rural areas of the Ashford Borough for food and drink production businesses and those in the hospitality and tourism sectors. This grant will support that business to improve productivity, operational processes and support its viability and growth.
Read more and apply for Ashford Rural Boost Grants
Ashford Rural Investment Grants
The Rural Investment Grant of between £3,000 to £10,000 aims to facilitate projects at commercial sites in rural areas of the Ashford Borough. This grant aims to support the creation and uptake of start-up space for food and drink producers, hospitality or tourism businesses or businesses in sectors supporting these industries. Additionally, the grant also aims to support projects that will help tackle the last-mile challenge and increase the number of visitors to rural hospitality or tourism destinations.
Read more and apply for Ashford Rural Investment Grants
Ashford Rural Electric Vehicle Charging Points Grants
The Ashford EVCP Grant Scheme will provide grants up to £12,000 to support the installation of Electric Vehicle Charging Points at publicly accessible parking sites in rural areas of the borough. This grant is primarily aimed at parish and town councils.
Read more and apply for Ashford Rural EVCP Grants
