Funding available for projects which create jobs and growth in the rural economy.

In a major boost to jobs and growth in rural areas, businesses are being invited to submit expressions of interest for support under the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE). The RDPE Growth Programme supports projects that invest in building businesses, creating new jobs and growing the economy in rural areas.

You could be eligible for a Growth Programme grant if your business is carrying out a project to create jobs or bring more money into the rural economy.

There are 3 types of grant:

Business development
Food processing
Rural tourism infrastructure

The grants are funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD), which is part of the European Structural Investment Funds (ESIF).

Handbooks have been produced which tell you more about each type of grant, including:

who can apply
how and when to apply
which specific activities you can claim for (and which you can’t)
what grants are available in your area

The application process is competitive, which means they are not awarded automatically to an applicant. The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) will assess all expressions of interest to see which best meet the criteria.

The handbooks can be downloaded here together with more information.

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