Discover Funding Opportunities

Rural England Prosperity Fund

The Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF) is a capital-only fund offering support to small businesses and community infrastructure projects in rural England. The fund aims to improve productivity and strengthen the rural economy and rural communities. It provides grants of up to £10,000 per application for businesses and organizations within Babergh and Mid Suffolk districts, with exceptional grants of up to £15,000 for projects strongly supporting Net Zero Infrastructure or Farm Diversification priorities. The fund is a top-up to and complementary to the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and succeeds EU funding from LEADER and the Growth Programme which were part of the Rural Development Programme for England. The fund operates at a 50% intervention rate, meaning projects must be match-funded at 50% of total project costs. All payments are made as reimbursements at the end of the process, so projects must be fully funded upfront. Priority areas include investment in net zero infrastructure, SME investments and diversification, farm diversification outside of agriculture, and visitor economy business expansion. For 2025/26, Babergh received £186,377 and Mid Suffolk received £246,455 in REPF allocations. All projects must be completed and grants claimed by 1 March 2026. Available funds are now extremely limited and close to fully committed. Potential applicants must first contact the Economic Development team on an invitation-only basis if their project meets the mandatory grant criteria, though funding availability cannot be guaranteed.

Community Buildings Grant Programme

The Biffa Award Community Buildings theme provides grants to improve buildings at the heart of their communities, such as village halls, community centres and church halls. The programme funds renovations of community rooms, refurbishments of toilet facilities and kitchens, replacement doors and windows, extensions to create additional space, replacement of damaged floors and roofs, and new central heating systems. Priority is given to projects that demonstrate wider community benefit and need, with buildings used by many groups regularly each week, benefiting people of different ages and demographics. The project must be located within five miles of a significant Biffa Operation or within 10 miles of an active Biffa Landfill Site, and also within 10 miles of a licensed landfill site. Applicant organisations must be fully constituted, charitable or not-for-profit with no share capital.

Sea-Changers Coastal Fountain Fund 2026

The Coastal Fountain Fund aims to protect coastal habitats from the harmful effects of single-use plastic water bottles by supporting communities to purchase water refill fountains for busy or environmentally significant coastal areas. The fund is sponsored by Bunzl Plc and provides grants towards the cost of purchasing water fountains suitable for filling water bottles, either floor or wall mounted, that are publicly available and typically installed outdoors. Grants of up to £2,500 are available per applicant towards the cost of a fountain. The fund welcomes applications from all types of not-for-profit organisations who have identified a need and are well-placed to build the stakeholder involvement needed to make the project a success. Part of the funding comes from Our Only World, a marine conservation charity, and their contribution will be allocated to organisations applying for an Our Only World fountain. Applicants are encouraged to read the eligibility and evaluation criteria carefully and consult Refill's guidance on installing water fountains. The fund covers only the fountain purchase cost, not installation or ongoing maintenance. Previous fountains installed by applicants have cost between £2,000-£3,000, though costs can range from £1,200 to £4,000. Priority is given to new applicants, though previous recipients may reapply.