Applying for a grant
The Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF) aligns with the wider UK Shared Prosperity Fund. The fund aims to provide support and investment into rural areas to strengthen the rural economy and rural communities.
Colchester City Council (CCC) are operating a grant scheme to fund capital projects for community infrastructure. Projects must meet the key investment priorities and the defined strategic objectives.
Only capital funding is available, and projects will need to ensure that any revenue funding needed for the project has been secured from other sources.
Applications are now open for community and business capital projects.
The amount of funding each applicant is eligible for depends on three factors:
The amount of funding each applicant is eligible for depends on three factors:
- The project size (by cost)
- Whether the project is commercially run
- Whether the project is intended to make a profit or not
|
Grant Type |
Min £ |
Max £ |
Max Grant Rate |
Process |
|
Business Support |
£4,000 |
£10,000 |
50% (commercial, profit-making project) |
One-stage |
|
Community Support |
£4,000 |
£10,000 |
80% (makes some income to offset costs but is not intended to make a profit) |
Who Can Apply?
- Rural micro, small and medium-sized businesses
- Sole traders, farmers, landowners (with permission)
- Charities, social enterprises, community groups
- Private organisations working in partnership with rural communities
To be eligible, your project must be located within a designated rural area of Colchester. Check your postcode using the Magic Map Tool.
How to Apply
We are operating a single-stage application process.
You must submit:
- The full application form
- The associated spreadsheet
- All as attachments in Word/Excel format to:
- Full application guidance
Make sure to read:
Submitting your application
You must email your completed application form as a Microsoft Word attachment only to REPF.Applications@colchester.gov.uk.
- We are unable to accept electronic applications submitted in formats other than Word.
- We will not accept handwritten, scanned or PDF application forms.
Applications open at 9am on Monday 29 September 2025 and close at 9am on Monday 3 November 2025
Decisions for this round of funding will be published in December 2025. The REPF programme closes completely on 31 March 2026 and there is no scope for rolling projects or payments into the next financial year. We want to ensure you are paid for your projects and thus would like to receive all claims by 9 March 2026 with a firm and final claim date of 17 March 2026. This is to give our Finance systems time to make the payments to you before the deadline of 31 March 2026.
If your project cannot be delivered within these timescales, please do not apply.
Page last reviewed: 16 June 2025