UKG Shared Prosperity Fund RCTCBC Community Multiply Grant

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.

The UKSPF will support the UK Government’s wider commitment to level up all parts of the UK by delivering on each of the levelling up objectives:

• Boost productivity, pay, jobs and living standards by growing the private sector, especially in those places where they are lagging.
• Spread opportunities and improve public services, especially in those places where they are weakest.
• Restore a sense of community, local pride and belonging, especially in those places where they have been lost.
• Empower local leaders and communities, especially in those places lacking local agency.

The objective of Multiply is to increase the levels of functional numeracy in the adult population across the UK. UKG have identified the following success measures for the whole programme at a national level:

1. More adults achieving maths qualifications / participating in numeracy courses.
2. Improved labour market outcomes.
3. Increased adult numeracy across the population.

In Rhondda Cynon Taf:

The UK Government Shared Prosperity Fund has been made available to Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council (RCTCBC) to enable places to invest in capacity building and infrastructure support to restore community spaces and relationships and create the foundations for social, environmental, economic & cultural development at the neighbourhood-level.

RCTCBC has made a Community Multiply Grant available with the intention to: 

• Increase adult numeracy across the population

UKG Shared Prosperity Fund RCTCBC Community Multiply Grant

Lower-Level Award - £1,000 - £14,999

The grant is available to not for personal profit organisations, that are within the Third Sector and Community Groups, including Community Interest Companies and Companies Limited by Guarantee that can evidence they have a Constitution or Governing Document; and a Bank Account in the name of the organisation with a minimum of 2 separate (unrelated) signatories. A total of £270,000 is available. Projects must be revenue only.

Please note: Current Commissioned providers for Multiply within RCT are ineligible to apply.

The application round will open on 09 September 2024 and close on 27 September 2024 at 5pm.

PLEASE NOTE - The UKG Shared Prosperity Fund RCTCBC Community Multiply Grant is now closed. 

The timescale for eligible spend / activity is 01 October 2024 – 28 February 2025.

Projects must complete all financial transactions and activity by 28 February 2025.

Successful applicants from the UKG SPF RCTCBC Community Multiply Grant Round 1 are eligible to apply again for Round 2 if it is for a different project.

You must demonstrate how your activity will incorporate numeracy and/or mathematics. 

Potential Community Multiply activity could include a range of community activities. For example (but not limited to): 

• Cooking Classes: Teaching basic cooking skills involves measurement, fractions, and proportion, making it a great way to learn numeracy while having fun in the kitchen.
• Gardening workshops: Planning and designing a garden involves measurements and spacing for plants, calculating soil volume and estimating yields all of which require basic maths.
• Craft Workshops: Many crafts like knitting, quilting and woodworking involve measurements and geometric shape, providing opportunities to practice maths skills in a creative setting.
• DIY Home Improvement Projects: Activities such as building bird houses and raised garden beds incorporate measurements, area calculations and budgeting.
• Outdoor Exploration and Nature walks: Exploring nature trails or parks can involve estimating distance, measuring tree heights and identifying patterns in nature. All of which require numerical concepts.

To request advice or support please email - spfrctcbccommunitygrant@rctcbc.gov.uk or call 01443 425368.