The Highland Council is inviting applications to a new Community Regeneration Fund, which aims to finance revenue projects that will respond to the needs of local areas and deliver positive impacts.

Community Regeneration Funding (CRF) is an umbrella term being used to cover multiple community-led external funding programmes being administered by the Highland Council. This includes the Highland Coastal Communities Fund, Place-Based Investment Programme, Community Led Local Development Fund, and UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

Chair of the Economy and Infrastructure Committee, Ken Gowans said: "It is welcoming news that again this year our communities are set to benefit from the various external funding sources the Highland Council receives.

"Building on from last year, where the application process was streamlined to make it easier to apply, our CRF Team will have two separate funding rounds. This is to ensure that applicants have the best opportunity to submit their projects, and for our staff to meet the challenges of managing a multi-funding programme."

The first round of CRF has specific criteria in which applicants can bid into. It is for revenue only projects and they must be concluded and claimed by 1 March 2024.

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The Council is encouraging shovel ready projects such as feasibility studies, development phases of a capital project or other project types, and any employment positions that will support community development to come forward and submit an expression of interest before the deadline of 16 June. These projects will be financed from the Community Led Local Development Fund and UK Shared Prosperity Fund and applications that deliver against the following priorities are particularly sought:

• Projects that support volunteers/volunteering initiatives

• Projects that build capacity in community groups

• Projects that promote or raise awareness of existing initiatives to support groups or individuals with the cost-of-living crisis

Cllr Gowans added: "Applicants are reminded that for this current round of funding we are looking for revenue only projects. There is £1 million available so I encourage any community groups to make contact with our team and submit their expression of interest before Friday 16 June.

"A second call for expression of interest from the other funding programmes within Community Regeneration Funding will be launched during August and these will include capital projects and projects that forecast a timescale running beyond March 2024.  More information on this will be available nearer the time." 

Approvals for revenue only projects are anticipated to be announced during September and applicants must be in a position to start from October and concluded and claimed by 1 March 2024.   

Applicants can apply for up to 100% project costs however they must demonstrate that there is a need for this level of intervention and that match funding options have been explored.   

It is generally expected that funding requests should be a minimum of £5,000, however there has been no maximum funding level set, therefore applicants should apply for the amount that is required for their project to be delivered.   

Expressions of Interest should be submitted by 12pm Friday 16 June and a copy of the form can be found on the Council’s website where further information about the scheme is provided. Projects should be able to be delivered before Friday 1 March 2024. The deadline to submit an expression of interest is 12pm Friday 16 June.