Background
The UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) provided three years funding between 2022/23 and 2024/25 for local investment, with all areas of the UK receiving an allocation. The primary goal of the UKSPF was to build pride in place and increase life chances across the UK. Working with the new East Midlands Combined County Authority, further UKSPF has been made available across the Mansfield district year in 2025/26, for this one year only.
The EMCCA Board has agreed to a ‘mixed model’ with some funding retained within EMCCA for regional wide business support activity and the remainder allocated to district level authorities.
As such, Mansfield District Council has been allocated an additional £1,581,560 of UKSPF funding for 2025/26. This will include wider business support activity commissioned by the Council and which will complement wider support commissioned directly by EMCCA.
The UKSPF programme is split into three priorities, under which sit five themes, each with their own subthemes. For 2025/26, the new government and EMCCA have together sought to align the programme to the government’s Missions and EMCCA’s strategy. Delivery is therefore expected to sit under the 5 themes, proportioned as reflects the needs of the local authority area.
The funding for 2025–26 is intended as a transitional arrangement, providing stability ahead of broader local growth funding reforms set to take effect at the start of the following financial year. Our submission to EMCCA ensures that the 2025–26 proposals remain aligned with the previously approved UKSPF Investment Plan.
A balanced delivery approach is being taken, extending certain elements from the previous phase of UKSPF into 2025–26, while also introducing new activities - to reflect evolving local needs. The support over 2025/26 be based on a pragmatic approach focusing on established programmes that align with the original UKSPF Implementation Plan and are capable of delivering clear, measurable outputs within a12-month timeframe.
Based on the five themes identified for the programme, our delivery model focusses on:
- Funding (capital and revenue) support for larger scale community projects, facilitated by an open call for projects.
- A further Community Grant programme, for smaller scale (sub-£15k) projects, offering support for revenue projects within communities across Mansfield, facilitate via the Mansfield CVS.
- Adding value to the visitor economy by investing in our events programme.
- A set of business support measures including 1-2-1 business adviser support and grant funding for start – up and growth businesses; productivity and decarbonisation grants for established businesses, alongside a business events programme.
- Support for employability projects and a continued relationship with the partners pulled together through the co-commissioning approach with Vision West Notts College, Futures and Inspire to continue to deliver skills support.
Call for Large Scale Communities and Place Projects
Mansfield District Council is inviting applications for funding from the Communities and Place (Healthy, Safe and Inclusive Communities) allocation by the deadline 12pm on Monday 14 July 2025. If you would like to submit an application for consideration, please download this application form and submit it electronically by 12pm on Monday 14 July 2025 to regeneration@mansfield.gov.uk
The application form and guidance can be found below.
Projects should be able to commence before 31 August 2025 and complete by 10 March 2026.
There is both capital and revenue funding available. As a guide, we are looking for applications seeking a maximum of around £50,000 in grant. However, we will consider applications for more if applicants can demonstrate significant community benefits and offer good value for money in terms of delivering the required outputs and outcomes.
Whilst this is a competitive bidding process, the government encourages a mix of competition and commissioning and therefore depending on what applications come forward, Mansfield District Council may undertake some commissioning, potentially bringing forward projects of its own and asking projects to collaborate where there is a clear rationale for doing so.
Every encouragement is given under this call for projects for organisations to collaborate to maximise the impact.
Projects must align with one of the themes of Healthy, safe and Inclusive Communities and Thriving Places.
The UKSPF requires activity to be delivered against an agreed set of interventions. For Mansfield, under the Communities and Place priority these are:
- Enhanced support for existing cultural, historic and heritage institutions that make up the local cultural heritage offer.
- Support for local arts, cultural, heritage and creative activities, focusing on inclusion.
- Funding for impactful volunteering and/or social action projects to develop social and human capital in local places.
- Investment in capacity building and infrastructure support for local civil society and community groups.
- Investment in community engagement schemes to support community involvement in decision making in local regeneration.
- Community measures to reduce the cost of living, including through measures to improve energy efficiency, and combat fuel poverty and climate change.
Projects must also be able to deliver against key outputs and outcomes, set out in the guidance.