The Community Renewal Fund (CRF) is a £220 million short-term fund with express intention of enabling and supporting innovative new ideas, to pilot programmes and approaches to support local economic development, which can inform the longer-term UK Shared Prosperity Fund (the Government’s replacement funding for the European Structural and Investment Funds).
Applications to this fund had to be made through identified lead authorities. For Warwickshire, the lead authority is Warwickshire County Council (WCC). The Government received more than 1,000 applications and 225 projects worth £125.6 million were successful in England. Following seven bids in Warwickshire submitted in June, it was announced on 3 November 2021 that three projects were successful.
Warwickshire’s performance in having three successful applicants and receiving £2.7 million of funding is particularly impressive as the county was not initially among the 100 priority places identified by the Government when it first invited submissions to the CRF.
The three successful projects focus on:
- Supporting economically inactive and unemployed people into employment through cognitive and mindset training through mentoring with a strong focus on mental health and wellbeing.
- Assisting people into employment by providing training and support focused on self-employment skills.
- Funding activity targeting hard to reach unemployed disadvantaged groups through break away camps, youth clubs, rural career workshops, employer focused SEND employment and e-sports for young gaming enthusiasts.
Find out more information about the CRF Projects in Warwickshire: