Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council: Town Centre Experience Fund

Overview

Purpose of Grant Programme

The Town Centre Experience Fund is aimed at the 12 towns and villages of Ballymoney, Ballycastle, Ballykelly, Bushmills, Coleraine, Cushendall, Dungiven, Garvagh, Kilrea, Limavady, Portrush and Portstewart. It’s about bringing different ideas together and developing cohesive thinking around activities which can improve the town centre experience. These could be commercial, community or cultural experiences which will contribute to the vibrancy of the town centre and generate more engagement in the town.

This funding will support local businesses/organisations to create a new experience for their town centre. Groups of traders/town centre stakeholders are encouraged to work together to introduce new experiences, initiatives, activities, marketing or event development for their respective town centre.

The sustainability of the retail sector across our towns is important to the town centre offer, and the pandemic has increased the need for additional experiences within our town centres. This grant will provide funding to develop initiatives to assist in sustaining and encourage visits to our town centres.

Strategic Fit

Community Planning Outcomes: All people of Causeway Coast and Glens will contribute to and benefit from a thriving economy built on a culture of growth, entrepreneurship, innovation and learning.

Outcome

• The Causeway Coast & Glens area provides opportunities for all to contribute to and engage in a more prosperous and fair economy.
• The Causeway Coast and Glens area attracts and grows more profitable businesses.
• The Causeway Coast and Glens area drives entrepreneurship and fosters innovation

If your application is successful, you will be contractually obliged to provide information to Council’s Economic Development Officers. This will include monitoring progress and expenditure incurred, discussing challenges or obstacles and fulfilling the reporting requirements stipulated in the Letter of Offer. Please do not apply if you cannot fulfil these requirements.

Level of Grant Award

The Town Centre Experience Fund can provide funding of up to 100% costs up to a maximum of £2,000. Match funding is not a requirement. Applicant businesses/organisations must be in a position to pay for items and claim the money from Council retrospectively.

This is a competitive process and all grant awards will be determined on the basis of merit. Applicants are advised that organisations that have been successful in securing Council funding in the past will not automatically be guaranteed funding in the future. Council reserves the right to reduce the amount of funding awarded if we do not consider that the amount applied for represents value for money or if there are insufficient funds available to meet the request.

Please Note: Successful applicants will have to provide all evidence requested once the project expenditure is complete. This will include original receipts, business bank statements, or any other documentation deemed necessary. This list is not exhaustive. If requested documentation is not supplied, payment will be withheld. Please do not apply for funding if you cannot supply these items.

General Principles

In line with Council’s Grant Funding Policy the overarching principle for all Council grant funding is that of meeting local needs which have been identified and prioritised by Council or by others but acknowledged by Council. Any activity that cannot be shown to meet the following basic requirements will not be provided with funding:

• Have a clearly identified need.
• Can deliver outcomes which meet this need.
• Be undertaken by a credible, viable business/organisation with the capacity to deliver the project as stated.
• Reflect the statutory remit of Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council aligning with the Council’s Corporate Plan, the relevant Service Plan and meets the specific criteria of the fund.
• Applicants must demonstrate their commitment to promoting Good Relations and Equality of Opportunity.
• In the interests of transparency, equality and accountability, all eligible applicants will have a right of appeal should their application be rejected.
• While all applications are treated on the basis of merit, Council would particularly welcome applications from young people, women and under-represented groups from Section 75 groupings.

All projects must be completed, paid in full, cleared the business bank account and claimed before Friday 29 March 2024. There is no provision for extending this deadline.

Who Can Apply?

The initial criteria for application are as follows:

• All applicants must be based within the town centre of Ballymoney, Ballycastle, Ballykelly, Bushmills, Coleraine, Cushendall, Dungiven, Garvagh, Kilrea, Limavady, Portrush and Portstewart. They must also be actively trading commercially or a constituted organisation. (Note: please refer here )
• The lead applicant must have a business bank (or other financial institution) account for the sole purpose of their business/organisation – i.e. separate from personal finances.
• Businesses/ organisations may only make one or be involved in one application per financial year. Only applicants that meet these criteria can apply to the Town Experience Fund.
• Be able to provide evidence of partnership working with other local groups/organisations for the purposes of developing the proposed project/application seeking funding

What can be funded?

Examples of expenditure that can be funded through this grant include:

• New equipment linked to creating a new event for the town.
• Creating new marketing and promotional material.
• Implementing a significant marketing campaign which will lead to increased footfall.
• Development of an initiative or event which will lead to more engagement within the town.
• Development of an initiative and/or environmental improvement project to dress the main retail hub area.