Vibrant Shropshire

Vibrant Shropshire, the county’s cultural compact has secured funding from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund to support organisations across Shropshire to deliver cultural projects that help address some of the county’s cultural priorities.   

The UK Shared Prosperity Fund is a central pillar of the UK government’s Levelling Up agenda and provides £2.6 billion of funding for local investment by March 2025. The fund aims to improve pride in place and increase life chances across the UK, investing in communities and place, supporting local business, and people and skills. 

A total fund of £100,000 has been secured. Approximately £50,000 was distributed in the first round of funding, approximately £50,000 will be distributed in the second round of funding. 

Applicants can apply for a grant of between £1,000 to £5,000 to deliver cultural projects during 2024/25 that meet the criteria of the funding and address the funding priorities. 

Alongside the funding we’ll be running training and development workshops funded by Arts Council England, and successful applicants will be encouraged to attend the workshops.

What type of projects are Vibrant Shropshire looking to fund?

Vibrant Shropshire is looking for innovative cultural projects that will make a real difference in the communities where they’re delivered, by allowing more people to enjoy cultural activities who may have previously faced barriers to participation.  

All applicants must address the following priority: 

• Overcome barriers to participation in culture 

Applicants must then also address at least one of the following priorities. They don’t need to address all priorities: 

• Increase the delivery of cultural initiatives that have a positive impact on health and wellbeing
• Increase the number of people working in the cultural sector through the provision of volunteer or work experience opportunities and development opportunities for existing staff.
• Engage more children and young people in cultural activities 
• Use culture to raise awareness of climate change, encourage the cultural sector to operate in a more environmentally sustainable way and celebrate and care for Shropshire’s natural environment 
• Enhance cultural organisations’ long-term financial resilience and their impact on the local economy

Applications open on 25 March 2024 and must be submitted by midday on 22 April 2024. 

Download the following documents to find out more and apply: 

• Grant guidelines and criteria – this is essential reading to find out whether your organisation can apply for funding, and the type of projects we’re looking to fund  
• Small grants application form 2024 – use this form to tell us all about your organisation and the project you want to deliver
• Grant funding agreement template – read more about our funding contract