New funding support for rural businesses and communities in Doncaster

The Rural England Prosperity Fund is a capital grant programme integrated into the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) aimed at specifically addressing some of the challenges faced by our local rural areas.

The key aim of the programme is to facilitate sustainable economic growth in the rural areas of Doncaster, through supporting the delivery of innovative project activity. This will enable businesses and communities whose activities reflect the landscape, environment, culture and heritage of Doncaster to survive, diversify and thrive.

Doncaster has been allocated funding to provide capital grant funding (investment in assets such as buildings, plant, equipment and machinery) across two themes:

• Funding for small scale investment in micro and small enterprises in rural areas
• Funding for developing and promoting the visitor economy in rural areas

Grants of between £2,500 - £12,499 will be available, but you must be able to match 50% of any funding for which you are applying. Payments will be made at the end of the process, so you will need to be able to fund the project fully yourself before any reimbursements are made.

 

The grant money may be used under the following categories:

• Rural Micro and Small Enterprises: Small scale investment in micro and small enterprises in rural areas, including capital funding for net zero infrastructure for rural businesses, and diversification outside of agriculture to encourage start up, expansion or scale up of these businesses where this involves converting farm buildings into other commercial or business use.
• Tourism and the Visitor Economy: Developing and promoting the visitor economy including food and drink, outdoor leisure, local attractions, trails and tourism products.

 

Application and eligibility:

To apply, please follow the guidance and check your eligibility before completing your application form. Please check whether your postcode falls within an eligible rural area on the map here: https://magic.defra.gov.uk/magicmap.aspx If you are not in one of the rural locations, then you will not be eligible to apply for the grant.

Applications will be assessed on a first come, first served basis and subject to funding still being available. The scheme will be open for online applications between 10 July and 18 August 2023 and again between 2 October and 17 November 2023.

If you have any questions or are unsure whether your project is eligible, please contact the Business Doncaster team on 01302 735 555 or info@businessdoncaster.com

How to use DEFRA Magic Maps:

1. Once the website has loaded;
2. select the Administrative Geographies option on the left-hand side and choose ‘Other Administrative Boundaries’
3. from the list that appears, select the Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF) option. Red boundary lines will appear on the map, marking eligible rural areas.
4. then, put your project postcode in the search bar at the top, and press enter (return).
5. Magic map will automatically zoom to the postcode area and will load fully in seconds.
6. Once the map has loaded, select the information tool from the icons on the search bar - this will turn the cursor into a cross bar.
7. Click on the location of your project to determine the Rural Fund eligibility.
8. If your project location is eligible, you will see the phrase ‘A RURAL AREA for the purposes of REPF’.