Blog: Funding for your business or community project in Cornwall

Public funding is often elusive, sometimes we don’t really know where it comes from or how to obtain it. In this case, if you have a project that can support the public realm, now is the time to take action for your business or community organisation. Having insight into the world of funding over the past six years through my work with the Chamber of Commerce and local government, I can tell you where and how to apply is still often as clear as mud. But, I can also assure you, if you are an independent business or an organisation that may not have a lot of experience in bid writing, it is possible to apply yourself to grow and support your project and benefit the community.

For businesses, in order to get your project off the ground, a new round of funding will be made available in the coming weeks courtesy of CIOS Growth Hub, watch this space for an update over the next few days.

With the latest streams of Government funding including Town Deals and the Shared Prosperity Fund (SPF) ticking along until March 2025, the South West is set for a large cash injection to revitalise high streets, enhance community and spaces, and strengthen businesses and skills.

Over £330m has been made available to the West Country over 3 years including the first instalment of the Town Deals having already taken place. Four Towns in Cornwall (Truro, St Ives, Penzance and Camborne) and five in Devon, Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire (Torquay, Glastonbury, Bridgwater, Bournemouth and Swindon) will receive just under £200m.

The Shared Prosperity Fund, drawn from the Levelling Up Agenda, is the ‘big one’ available right now and is currently open for applications by Town Teams, Councils, social enterprises, and businesses. Cornwall Council were awarded £132m for their bid for ‘Good Growth’ and, providing you are based in Cornwall and have a project that fits into one or more of the following three strands, you may be in with a chance of securing up to £200,000 from it:

1. Community & Place
2. Support for Local Business
3. People & Skills 

Funds should be applied for via the Good Growth website where applications will be assessed at appraisal stage on:

You don’t have to hit all of them on the head but it will certainly help to get as many as possible considering the process is so competitive. Speaking of which, as the SPF has been awarding projects for the past eighteen months, it does mean many of the programmes are closed. The remaining categories remain open within the three strands: Community Capacity and Facilitation, Community Levelling Up Programme, CIoS Growth Hub, Bespoke Business Support Services, Green Upskilling, Youth Engagement and Digital Upskilling so if you are thinking about it, time is of the essence. Projects will only be eligible if they have a completion date before March 2025.

Currently the Community Capacity Fund (CCF) is open to ‘Not for profits’ to apply for up to £25,000 for feasibility studies, concept plans, and technical support to progress a project but only £450,000 of the £1.25m, 36%, of the fund has been awarded. The types of projects that have been successful here are Community Buildings, Sports Clubs, Housing Projects, Heritage & Cultural, Community Growing and Open Spaces.

The Community Levelling Up Programme is also open to applications for up to £200k but the stinger is the timescale and cashflow. Projects must be wrapped up and paid for by March 2025 and the expenditure will be reimbursed by the programme so you will have to make sure cashflow for such a large amount can be covered. Priority will be given to projects that fit with local strategies, impact communities and can present match funding; a minimum of 10% is usually favoured from experience. At this point in the game, all public realm projects will need to have planning permission in place.

Whether you are an independent business, community group or council, if you have an idea for a project that will help future proof our high streets, build skills, contribute to a green economy or enhance the public realm, then now is the time to act. At PLACE we are always looking to innovate and would be keen to hear how we can perhaps work together. We want to invest our skills in the future – the built environment is responsible for over 40% of global GHG emissions (UNEP, 2022) and zero carbon can only be achieved through working collaboratively. As a business, we also have a responsibility to leave the world in a better place than how we found it.

PLACE architects forms a key part of the project team for Launceston’s Safer Greener Streets project, awarded £100,000 from the Town Vitality Fund in 2022, with socio-economic prosperity at its heart. We also run regular CPDs on areas in environment and planning, and are very proud of our Sustainability Symposiums attended by engineers, developers, architects and planners across the South West.

If you have a project idea, have any questions, or would like any contact details for the funds above, please do get in touch.

References

UN Environment Programme (2022) 2022 Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction: Towards a Zero-emission, Efficient and Resilient Buildings and Construction Sector. Nairobi. Available at: https://globalabc.org/news/globalabc- releases-2022-global-status-report-buildings-and-construction.

Whole Life Carbon Assessments PS Consultation Draft March (2023) 2023. RICS. Available at: https://www.rics.org/profession-standards/rics-standards-and-guidance/sector-standards/building-surveying-standards/whole-life-carbon-assessment-for-the-built-environment (Accessed: 15 Sept 2023)

Thomas, J (2023) CIoS Good Growth Programme: UK Shared Prosperity Programme [PowerPoint presentation]. (Accessed: 12 Sept 2023)