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Community Levelling Up Programme


Good Growth Community and Place logo

The Community Levelling Up Programme (CLUP) supports community-level investment plans for Good Growth across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

The primary goals of the programme are to put communities at the heart of delivery, to tackle deprivation and strengthen communities.

Key information

Applications for the Community Levelling Up Programme are open for Year 4 and will close at 5pm on Friday 28th February 2025

All projects must be completed by 31st December 2025.

  • Minimum grant amount £25,000
  • Maximum grant amount £200,000 (subject to funds being available in each Community Area Partnership (CAP) - see below)
  • Average project grant is expected to be around £80,000
  • Eligible applicants include charities, Community Interest Companies, Charitable Incorporated Organisations, public sector (town/parish councils).
  • The fund is expected to be very competitive (in the previous round, less than 30% of applications were funded)
  • Staff costs will only be considered in exceptional circumstances
  • Cross CAP projects could be considered if they cover a significant area of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. They will apply to the performance reserve budget.
  • Applicants who have previously received CLUP funding can re-apply for a different project, but may not be given priority, especially if competition is high in a CAP area.
  • A minimum of 10% match is required.

Application

Applications for the Community Levelling Up Programme need to be submitted by Friday 28th February at 5pm.

CLUP Application Form

The team held a webinar to provide more information about the priorities, eligibility criteria and application process for this funding opportunity.

Watch the recording

Priorities

1. Sustainable and accessible infrastructure

This includes capital improvements to increase an organisation’s sustainability, limit impact on energy bills, make local infrastructure resilient to change, improve accessibility to create inclusive community buildings.

For example, improving accessibility in a Community Hall (such as a ramp, accessible toilets or hearing loop), installation of new green energy systems in a Village Hall (such as heat pump or solar panels), refurbishment of local community infrastructure.

Please note that these improvements need to demonstrate additionality and lead to outputs such as more events, more sessions, more engagement with local communities, etc. 

2. Green spaces and well-being 

This includes investment in public parks, paths, playgrounds, green gyms, and other projects that deliver a social programme engaging the local community. 

3. Events and culture 

This includes support for projects offering an event or a programme of events to rejuvenate town centres or villages and create opportunities to come together and celebrate local places, boost the economy and increase footfall. For example, new local celebrations or events such as markets, festivals.

CLUP will not fund one-off events, but projects that will create/kickstart/launch a new programme/service which will continue beyond the lifetime of the funding.

CLUP cannot fund

  • Projects that don’t have approved planning permission (if required)
  • Feasibility studies
  • Organisations that are non-compliant with their regulators (e.g. not up to date on their documentations on Charity Commission / Companies House)
  • Project who do not pay staff Real Living Wage (or won’t by their final claim)
  • Proposals that create competition with similar organisations in their local area
  • Project that can’t deliver by December 2025
  • Support delivery of political or religious activities
  • Tax-funded projects, such as projects within the NHS, formal education
  • Projects that can’t demonstrate financial sustainability after the funding
  • Relate to the applicant’s running costs and business as usual activities
  • Project with only in-kind match funding (not eligible)
  • General replacement, repairs and renewals to buildings
  • Projects submitted by profit-making organisations, which includes all Limited Liability Partnerships and Companies Limited by Shares
  • Existing recurring cultural events and festivals

Successful projects will

  1. Address at least one of the 3 priorities
  2. Be an excellent fit with their local strategies
  3. Deliver a significant level of outputs and outcomes
  4. Support the wider principles driving Good Growth 

Scoring matrix

All projects will be scored using the following matrix:

 

Area Percentage weighting
Outputs, outcomes and value for money 30%
Deliverability and timescale 40%
Need and strategic fit 30%

Any project scoring less than 60% will be recommended for rejection and projects will need to score a minimum of 50% in each of these 3 areas.

Outputs and outcomes

Projects should achieve at least one of the following outputs:

  • Local events
  • Amount of green or blue space created or improved (m2)
  • Number of amenities/facilities created or improved
  • Low / zero carbon energy infrastructures installed
  • Improved engagement numbers

More information is available in the outcome definition document.

Budget available per area

Community Area Partnership  Minimum grant amount Maximum grant amount

CAP 1: North Cornwall

£25,000 £100,000
CAP 2: Tamar to Moor £25,000 £150,000
CAP 3: South-East Cornwall £25,000 £200,000
CAP 4: Camel Valley £25,000 £175,000
CAP 5: Saints Coast £25,000 £200,000
CAP 6: Roseland & Truro £25,000 £200,000
CAP 7: Falmouth & Penryn £25,000 £175,000
CAP 8: Cornwall South (Kemeneth Kernow Soth) £25,000 £200,000
CAP 9: China Clay Area and Luxulyan £25,000 £106,250
CAP 10: Penwith £25,000 £200,000
CAP 11: South Kerrier £25,000 £125,000
CAP 12: North Kerrier and East Penwith £25,000 £200,000
Area 13: Isles of Scilly £25,000 £25,000
Cross CAP projects £25,000 £200,000

 

  • Average grant value is expected to be around £80,000
  • No grant under £25,000 will be considered
  • No grant over £200,000 will be considered

Please note that each CAP has a different local budget. Following the calculation agreed at the beginning of the programme, these allocations are based on the number of electoral divisions in each area. This is why the maximum amount for grants differs in each area.

Facilitators

We have a team of Facilitators who can offer advice and support on the application process.

Please check the Community Area Partnerships Parishes map to see which facilitator to contact for assistance.

James Thomas James.1.Thomas@cornwall.gov.uk 

  • CAP1 - North Cornwall
  • CAP4 - Camel Valley
  • CAP5 - Saints Coast
  • CAP11 - South Kerrier

Alan Pottinger Alan.Pottinger@cornwall.gov.uk 

  • CAP3 South East Cornwall
  • CAP8 - Cornwall South (Kemeneth Kernow Soth)
  • CAP2 - Tamar to Moor
  • CAP7 - Falmouth and Penryn

 Catherine Collier Catherine.Collier@cornwall.gov.uk 

  • CAP6 - Roseland and Truro
  • CAP9 - China Clay area and Luxulyan
  • CAP12 - North Kerrier and East Penwith
  • CAP 10 - Penwith
  • Isles of Scilly

Previous investments 

Information about previously funded projects is available on the Good Growth Programme website. 

You can also view a selection of Community Levelling Up Programme case study videos on the Good Growth YouTube channel.

 Please note that some of the eligibility criteria have now changed for year 4.


This project is funded by the UK government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. Cornwall Council is managing the delivery of the Shared Prosperity Fund on behalf of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. 

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