Rural England Prosperity Fund

Stroud District Council has been awarded funding through the Government’s Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF), administered by DEFRA. The funding will support capital projects for small businesses and community infrastructure which improves productivity and strengthens the rural economy and local communities.

Applications to the REPF for 2024/25 are open and welcomed from rural businesses and community organisations based in eligible rural areas. The total funding for the Stroud district for years 2023/4 and 2024/5 is £100,000 and £300,000 respectively. 

Organisations can apply for grants of £3,000 - £20,000. The funding is for capital projects and must be spent on lasting assets such as a building or equipment. In most cases, 60% match funding will be required.  

Stroud District Council will distribute the Fund in alignment with the objectives set out in our Council Plan and our Economic Development Strategy, including those relating to Environment & Climate Change, Support for Businesses, and Community Resilience and Wellbeing.  

Applications for Rural Grants are open until 10 January 2025. Our grant funding panel will meet regularly to discuss each eligible project and to determine the successful applications.

*grant will be available 7 – 14 days after confirmation of spend, subject to grants panel quorum

Businesses / organisations must be located in eligible rural areas within the Stroud district, as defined by Defra. All applicants should refer to the Guidance Notes for further information on the scheme and instructions on how to check eligibility.   

The following organisations are eligible to apply for REPF: 

• Micro-businesses (fewer than 10 employees) 
• Small businesses (fewer than 250 employees) 
• Social enterprises & CICs 
• Town & parish councils  
• Registered charities  
• Public sector organisations 
• Higher and further education institutions 
• Constituted community / voluntary groups. 

To apply for REPF, organisations are required to provide evidence of the need for the project, and to detail how the project will deliver against the scheme’s interventions, objectives, outcomes and outputs, as defined by Defra (link below). 

Funding for businesses is available for the following:  

• Small scale investment in micro and small enterprises
• Growing the local social economy and innovation activities
• Tourism and the visitor economy 
• Farm diversification

Funding for community projects is available for the following:

• Digital infrastructure for community facilities
• Support for local civil society & community groups
• Creation of improvements to green spaces
• Cultural, historic and heritage institutions
• Arts, cultural, heritage and creative activities
• Footpaths & cycleways
• Circular economy projects
• Social action projects

If you are interested in applying for the scheme please read the Guidance Notes document to assist you in completing an application form. Completed applications should be emailed to economic.development@stroud.gov.uk no later than the timescales above. The Application Form, Guidance Notes and further information on the REPF can be found below.  

Further information: 

• SDC REPF Grant Application Form Fillable V2 (212 KB)
• SDC REPF Grant Guidance Notes Updated 2024.5 2 (436 KB)
• REPF Interventions, Objectives, Outputs And Outcomes (176 KB)
• SDC REPF Faqs (141 KB)
• SDC REPF A4 Poster (1.3 MB)
• SDC REPF A5 Flyer (392 KB)

• REPF Prospectus 
• UK Government 25 Year Environment Plan 

The map below provides details on all the projects which have been awarded Rural England Prosperity Fund grants to date. 

Contact Economic Development 

• economic.development@stroud.gov.uk

Economic Development
Stroud District Council
Ebley Mill
Ebley Wharf
Stroud
GL5 4UB